276 



WWF 



October 25, 1993 



The Honorable Dan Hamburg 

 U.S. House of Representatives 

 Washington, DC 20515 



Dear Mr. Hamburg: 



On behalf of World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and our 1.25 million members 

 nation' vide, I am writing in support of H.R, 2866, the Headwaters Forest Act 



Dxiring the past decade, WWF has invested a great deal of effort protecting forest 

 ecosystems throughout the world. Here in the United States, our old-growth redwood forest 

 ecosystems have been reduced to five percent of their original acreage, and we strongly 

 advocate protection of the remaining fractions of these truly unique forests. We support the 

 provisions of H.R. 2866 which designate 44,000 acres as an addition to the Six Rivers 

 National Forest. This acreage is vital to the maintenance of intact watersheds in the 

 Humboldt region. Given that most redwood forests have been substantially fragmented, 

 maintaining the integrity of the remaining intact redwood ecosystems needs to become a 

 priority for U.S. forest policy, 



The proposed addition of redwood forest to the Six Rivers National forest contains 

 critical intact watersheds for threatened salmonids, the marbled rauirjelet, and the northern 

 spotted owl. The dire status of these species is a reflection of the health- of many of our 

 northern temperate forests, which we need to take strong steps to improve. Old-growth 

 redwood forests also generate millions of dollars for local tourism industries yearly in 

 California; hence these systems are vital to the economic health of the state. 



It is clear that the long-term costs outweigh the short-term profits generated by 

 current timber practices in the United States. H.R. 2866 will protect vital redwood forest 

 habitat v^iiich we can no longer afford to degrade and dissipate. I congratulate you on this 

 important piece of legislation and look forward to working with you in the future. 



Sincerely, 



y4^(JoJ( J^ 



Nfichael Sutton 



Acting Vice President 



U.S. Land and Wildlife Program 



World Wildlife Fund 



1 250 Twenty-Fourth St., NW MC:«ihiiv«ton, DC 20037- 1 1 75 USA 

 Tel: (202) 293-4800 Telex: 64505 PANDA FAX: <202) 293-9211 

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