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Topic:
Where did we go?
A look at the Draft USDA Forest Service Strategic Plan (2000) By Glen Swank 12/22/1999 |
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I use the term
WE
in the title of this article as it would appear that several classes
of National Forest users have ceased to exist.
Today I received without much fanfare the DRAFT USDA FOREST SERVICE STRATEGIC PLAN (2000) , to be honest I had forgotten that I had even asked for it. As this document is not overly long, a mere 55 pages, actually quite small by most government publishing standards. I set out to see what lofty goals the USDA FOREST SERVICE had set for themselves in the new millennium. This document unlike most government issued documents is quite easy reading, but then maybe I have just gotten used to some of the funny terms they use, but it was not long before I reached page 7 and the sub-heading "Human Uses of the Resource Base", for those of you not familiar with government speak that is what you and I like to do in the nations forests. Paragraph 2 of this sub-heading states the following. (red-italics added for clarification) "The recreational use of forests and rangelands has been increasing for decades, and is expected to continue to increase. Almost 95 percent of the U.S. population that is 16 years old and older participate in some form of outdoor recreation. The most popular outdoor recreation activities (measured in number of days) are walking , nonconsumptive wildlife activities , biking , sightseeing , nonpool swimming , fishing , family gathering , and picnicking . The five fastest-growing outdoor recreation activities (measured in number of days) through the year 2050 are projected to be visiting historic places , downhill skiing , snowmobiling , sightseeing , and participating in nonconsumptive wildlife activity " As you can see with the exception of snowmobilers there is no record of and never will be any use of the national forest's by "MOTORIZED OFF PAVED ROAD RECREATIONAL VEHICALS". I prefer to use this term "MOTORIZED OFF PAVED ROAD RECREATIONAL VEHICALS" instead of the traditional OHV term, as I am confused by what an OHV is. My uncle's farm tractor is an OHV, however to my knowledge he never took it on a trip to a national forest. I would hazard a guess that if the USDA Forestry Service in their grandiose plans for next millennium doesn't acknowledge that someone has in fact taken motorized vehicles into the national forest's, it could be argued that there really isn't a need for all the nice roads/trails/ways, call them what you will, in the national forests. And if there isn't a need for the roads/trails/ways why bother keeping them, the nonconsumed wildlife certainly doesn't need them. I think that just for fun someone "read your name" should tell the USDA Forest Service that a rather glaring error has been found in their document, that "place your name here" has in fact taken a motorized vehicle into the national forest's many times and will probably continue to do so, otherwise this document will become a self fulfilling prophecy. p; Glen Swank |
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Coming to a National Forest near You!!
Please
notice that it says DRAFT. During the draft
However,
if you sit on your
duff
and let someone else do it
Please get involved. Write / email to your congress critters
Send us an email if you need help
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What is all this about?
Beginning to see more of the plan?
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