|
<br />RARE II:
<br />The Sierra Club's Vie,v
<br />
<br />OJ1~J~
<br />
<br />JOHN McCOMB and DOUGLAS SCOIT
<br />
<br />1ft Oc/~r. SiC'm prrsrtl"d "RARE II:
<br />TIw Administration' s ~'j".,." by Rupt'rf
<br />Cw'", AJ$iJlQll'S('ano"'y()fA~,.k"l,u,t'.
<br />Dr. Cltrl" is ,ht' ;Il;'it/lor of RARE /I.
<br />D"", SCOtl. of tilt Cll/b's Nflr""'H,'
<br />offic'r, OM John MnOll1b. oj IJ" Cluh',
<br />Wasltilt"on offu:" "spond htu 10 Dr.
<br />C",k,.-Edi,or .
<br />
<br />TilE UNITED STAUS 51ill has. in if.
<br />,,-cion,! fOteMs in lhe lo....er 48
<br />and in SoulheaSl Ala~.. ~me
<br />levency millton JCtt'!> ofhdc facIo wikkr-
<br />1lCU;' roadku!.and th.atcololld be presc:rved
<br />. _ildemcu.. .
<br />"The Fofcsl Service. direc;led by ^,..is.
<br />lane Secretary of A&riC'Ult~ M. Rupen
<br />CUller. is now prottedin~ .... ilh RARE II
<br />(Road-less~. RC'Vic:w and Enlu3lion), a
<br />lecond try at decKhng which o(lhe$e Alad.
<br />Jess landl in the national (oreslS lihould be
<br />~ _ wiktiemclS and which .hould
<br />be developed. RARE II has concenlr.tted
<br />nalion.1 :lIIcnlion on wildcme'i5 ilSuc!l.-
<br />Md has abo inacaed the he.. of con~
<br />U'tM:rsy.
<br />lbc limber irtdu'i'ry. complainin, Ihat
<br />!OO muchcommercilllimberland is hed up
<br />IQ roadk:ss a~as, is ~'1'1ing for quid. de-
<br />cisiotu on wiltkmcu dcsignalton. Con.
<br />IoCl'Yalionil>15. on the other IlInd, ;JI~ con-
<br />cerned abouI the poor qlUlify of lhe pro..:_
<br />cues mvolved in mU.in~ det..ilttofK ~bout
<br />I't*t)ess ateti. llIe-y w.nllhe' pnx:edur'Cs
<br />and quality o( ~Sl Scl'Yicr decision.
<br />nulcin, imprm"ed and will cho.nenlC un-
<br />(.trOt' pn:matu~ "fin.'" d<<isroru.
<br />In his '\Jell optnK>n In October', ~.""ru,
<br />Dr. Cldler appe;ilkd 10 mc'mben of the
<br />Siem, Oub 10 make RAKE II work, win,
<br />for .'11 linle of your time. . Iuc 0:. yoor
<br />-.1vkc. and even JllOfe 01 your W1dcnun6-
<br />iP,:'
<br />We 1'C~ wilh JOmt pr..i'!oe and !-omc
<br />conao....
<br />AI Dr. Cutkr poinb lot,I, lhe Dc-pan.
<br />mnM 01 ApkwltlM'e h", t...oed 10 ~IV\' &tM:
<br />pmb'e:m of roadless. IUU~ .Or more than a
<br />decade. II !\as nol WI.:('tCL\t(!, so RARE II
<br />is I ~ICUC mls"fon. I!o('('h,ll: II) ~rorm un.
<br />,.,.orlable ~y protttJ.JR..Ii in an ullem~
<br />10 ~w: thr file of remaining "de (acto
<br />wikieme.u."
<br />
<br />Or. CUller', fin.t ,.~Ir'rm, eYen before:
<br />RARE II goc under .....ll... ha.. rnnhw
<br />much of the contro~.~i ,~t'tJlculy en-
<br />lendered by lhe n>le)l S~'to(e'5 .'purilY
<br />policy:' For more than a dcca.k, tM
<br />
<br />Fon:SI Scrvkc has -<t sui", criteri. for
<br />wllJrrneu dr.\ignallOO in an cHon 10
<br />minimi7c the tmOUtll of qU;JIi(yin~ land.
<br />Coo..c,....alioni:m hne 100& proICl>Ic.J this
<br />policY,'l'W1inhng out INt tht del1nilion of
<br />wikkmeu in It....- Wikkrnru Acl iu.eJ(
<br />provide. fnr fluibk and 1eu.lh;Jn-pure:
<br />"riltria. Unli! Con(:tt:.n pu.s.ed t~ Ea!o~m
<br />WilJtmcss area kgi\lalion in 1974, lhe _. .---- . --
<br />Furest ScI'Y~ had hekt lhal no lands. in the
<br />Ea~l cookt qIWlify iU wikkrnc:..,. And ill
<br />lhe We\!, (rom Montana's Miuton MOUIl-
<br />lalnS Wikkmes!o 10 Itv: AjUJI Tibia Wil-
<br />dcrne~!o in southem Califomia. CDng~u
<br />hu repudlatrd the Fore.. Servicc'.
<br />flurily.b;ascd objec1iotu to key wikkmul
<br />addlltonS.
<br />Dr. Cutk:r ~rnerously eredil. Conltt:~
<br />with the rcfonn of. wildcmcu eri~rU_
<br />
<br />"Congreu," he asserts, "w indictlcd
<br />Ih,d il is now willin,lO II5C somcwh;d dif-
<br />kn:nl eme-ria for classification, p.;uticu-
<br />liU1y in the Ea~l." There ~ been no such
<br />chan~c in thr' vlCw50fCongren. lhe umc
<br />leadcB who cnacted the onginal Wikte1-
<br />nus Acl havc owomllcd the Forest Scnrkr
<br />purily policy time and time a(:.1I1O in vinu.
<br />ally Cl't'ty wilJemcu bin pa~:>ed durin.pthe 12V oozen }'can.
<br />Dr. CUller'S reform of lhe ftns<< $cr.
<br />VK"C'"s purlty poI~)us ~n ~Icomcd by
<br />C()n~rt'u. The- House lnteriOC'" CommillU
<br />ltaITwroIcthalll15 Hpkasedto ,"l'C'Ci'i'C thr
<br />new AJminil>l,.tlon'l less. y.rinlcnt in-
<br />lCrprc\alinn of the Wilderness Act and
<br />a{[l'l:'CS that this ~ dirmion Ls '" order."
<br />The commilltC poinlrd 0.... thai "Ihe
<br />RARE II progrllm ....ould mort' fully com.
<br />ply wtth lhe lpirit o( the definifM>O o( ....il- _. _. ,.
<br />demeu in ~lion 2(c) of the Wik.lerncu
<br />Acl a!l. an art'1 when: 'the imprint of tnIJl,',
<br />wort lIlUbslantia,lIy WU'IOCKubIe'" , .'
<br />
<br />MaunR Dt'ci.tiuns
<br />Prompt deeiston. Irc pouible Ind
<br />hi~hl). desirable (or ttIC 1110'\1 obvious cao-
<br />Jldoltes ror-wrldrl'TleY de,ignalton. Much
<br />10 the di,tnay or con~nrJttioni,t.., Dr. Cut-
<br />ler, in Je'"Cral ;JIppcaralK:e5 tJeiorcCOlllfn-
<br />,icm.al comminen, !\as u"ed (or drlay~
<br />pcndinr; mo.we study, ill ~i'toru Oft ~v-
<br />('roll wilJcrnhs proposals in Ihis c1au-
<br />We~ Chichagof- Yak-obi 1~I..nd Wi~r-
<br />ne~, lhe Mist)' FJOf'dI WiIdrf'Mss, the
<br />S,ikine-uConlc Wilderness, the Yakuc.-
<br />Forelands. Wildcmeu. all in AlaW.a, and
<br />
<br />SIERRA 31
<br />
|