By Sen. Malcolm Wallop

In 1977, the United States Forest Service again instituted a program to review and evaluate roadless areas in the National Forests. It is referenced as RARE II, because it was the second Roadless Area Review and Evaluation. It was intended to survey the roadless and undeveloped areas within the National Forest Service and to distinguish areas suitable for wilderness designation from those appropriate for other uses. Those recommended for wilderness would be candidates for addition to the National Wilderness Preservation System by Congressional action. The remaining roadless lands were allocated to uses determined under the multiple-use planning process, or were allocated for further study. By determination of Congress was there was to be no RARE III.

As of 1996 Congress had designated a total of 103.8 million acres of federal land as wilderness. This accounts for nearly 6% of all land in the United States and more than 20% of all federal land. A third of the Wilderness System is managed by the Forest Service, which means of the 192 million acres of land in the United States managed by the Forest Service, approximately 30 million acres is wilderness. Apparently that is enough for them.

In February of this year, the Chief of the Forest announced a moratorium on building new or reconstructing roads in the roadless areas of the national forest. It was termed a “time out” to allow them to develop new tools for management these areas. They determined, without much evidence, there would be no long term effects from declaring this moratorium and the short term effects would be “minimal”. They did admit the tangible consequences included reduction in the timber harvest and the resulting loss of jobs, revenues and payment to the states. But that would only last for 6 years! Hardly a blip on the government’s radar screen, but sadly a lifetime for those who rely on being able to use forest’s resources.

Of course the time out wasn’t enough. The remaining 40 million acres of roadless areas were ripe for building a legacy for this President. Without any Congressional oversight he could nearly double the amount of wilderness in this country with just an Executive Order. On October 13, 1999, he called for “long term protection” of the currently inventoried roadless areas AND, just to be sure, maybe some smaller areas not yet inventoried. This de-facto wilderness designation needed the pretense of the public’s blessing so the scoping process was opened, but only until December 20, 1999. The Forest Chief didn’t want the magnitude of what was happening to interfere the season’s busy schedule.

Throughout this next week scoping meetings, open houses, public & national meetings are being held across the country. Regardless of what they are called they may have one underlying characteristic common to each: comments given will not be placed in the record. It is vital that citizens get out and let their views be known. But more important is to make certain the Forest Service places the comments on the record. Experience with the recent moratorium shows the reluctance of the Forest Service to document the public’s views, preferring instead to offer a video of Chief Dombeck. Public dialogue, discussion and open question-and-answer sessions should be the norm at each of the sessions. Breakout tables involving a few at a time hardly promotes the discussion this issue requires.

The roadless areas of our nation’s forests have a contentious past, torn by the division between those who believe they should be preserved as undeveloped and those who believe the resources they hold should be managed for many uses. Congress precluded reevaluation (dubbed RARE III) of these areas when they enacted statewide national forest wilderness statutes with release language that placed the decision for their use back with the public in the forest planning process. This administration wants to accelerate their own process and thereby limit public involvement. We must not allow this to happen.

If you’re unsure when and where the meeting for the forest nearest you will be held, call our offices at 1-888-8RIGHTS. We’ll gladly give you the information. If you’re on the internet visit our web site for the complete schedule at ff.org.

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Malcolm Wallop is a former Republican U.S. Senator from Wyoming who served 16 years on the Finance Committee. He is currently chairman of Frontiers of Freedom, a private property rights organization In Arlington, Virginia.