272 



EoT Wildness and Diversity |lw£^ '" f^f Pacific Sonhwcst 



NORTH W£S7 



IMPACTS OF THE Rider ON THE NORTHWXST FORIST Plan 



Since che paiu;e of the Clcaicui Rider (PL 104-19), che GifTord Pinchol NdUoiul ForcK hu prepared a number of 



environmentally destructive timber ules dut do not meet the le^ requiremenu or the Morthwest Forot PUa Fur 



example, of the 20 salci prepared vmder die R:der, 13 occur v^itbui Key Waicnhcvls - areas deaiinaud to protect 



vkiter quality and iinport:m( Ilibehej. Few of these ul« muu Forest Pbu ret^iureinenis to 'nuutain existiii; 



eooditioiu or unpletnent actioni to restore coiuliuoaj" in Key Waier$i\edi. In uct, the Forest Service aclmowlcdgc-s 



that logging and road building iusociated ^^icb these sales will cause mcrciscd sedimentation, greater peak Qows, mi 



other degradation to streuius and fish habitaL Id other solus. Foicsi Plau requtreinetics to maintain uoldlife habitat aic 



BtH being met. Problems with the Ciflord Pinchot sale prognin are detailed below. If yoa have any questions, or 



would tike addidonal mformalion, citations, or documeniatian, please fed 6oc to contact Dave Wemtz at 3M/671- 



9950, exL 14 • . 



Walupt Ciiput timber lale (decislOB notice tigned July I): 



The Walupt timber sale uill cut over 6 million boeni feet, including over a hundivd acres of old-growth, from the 

 Cispus Adaptive Management Area. Located just outside the Goal Rocks Wildeniess, the sale area contains some of 

 ' the last classic old-gro«th in the entire watenhL-d. The diverse srray of wetlands, rock outcrops, talus slopes, Had 

 ancienl forests in the area provides habitat for spotted owls, grisly bears, wolves, lyiu, wolverine, fishei, goshawk 

 and 23$ other species including 1 8 listed under the Endangered Species Act. In odditioa to violating the Northwest 

 Forest Plan oa^ Aquatic Coiucrvstian Strategy by antiog old-growth md stream-siile forests, the Walupt timbar talc ^ 

 will exiitpate spotted owls and will adversely in^Kt nortfaem godiawfcs. 



30/3S dfflber talc (dedsion nuilca signed July 13): 



TbieTOni timber sale proposes to cut nearly 11 millioa board feet o«er 406 acres within the Cu^nu Adaptive' 



Management Area and Key Waterthed. Applying typially cunvoliued logic, the Forest Service'proposcs logging 



ftiimhl* ow) habitat \a create owt >'»>'''«' The sale u proposed will destroy rrmnant habitat oeccssaiy tor the 



survival of four owl pairs, adversely impact the Pacilic Qsber, degrade unpocram scieam-sidc fotesl, cut steep and 



unstable slopes, and increase road-related sediment to oreanu. This sale is out of compliance with the Koctfawcjt 



Forest Plan and does not meet the requirenoents of the Aquatic Conservation Strategy. - , . 



Little White DEMO timber >al« (dtcisioo notice ligned May IS): 



The Little While DEMO timber sale cuts more than 72 million board feet of old-growth forest from the Little Wliiie 

 Salmon Key Wotershed. ' The sale also cuts forest dimlly thiui sensibve nream-.<ide areu, degrades waia quality in 

 fish bearing streams, eliminates two spoiled owl areas, tbreaieiis rare and sensitivK planl aaX wildlile populations, 

 ' and signiflcauily fiagnuails sceiions of the Little HucklebenyMoonuiin roadless urea (Dan-RAR£II). The Little 

 Huckleberry Muuntam roadleu area, located adjacent lo a 3U.U0U acre Lava t)eds/Red Mountain/Bear Creek roadless 

 ' Bcacomplex, contains one of the largest contiguous tracts of laie-neeessunal foreskin the area, and an uniuoaUy 



high concentration of uneacimon plants, plant communities, seaailivc plants, and special habitats. This roadless area 

 ptDvidcs important habitat for endangered grizzly bear, vnM, goshawk, spoaed owl, peregrine blcon. and src«ral 

 amphibian populatioui. This sale does not meet the couiTvation objectives ofthaNorthwot Forest Plan or the 

 ■ Aqnatie Conservation Strategy. . ' 



Jwnrain' Itinber sale (comncnc period ended April 10. dedsioa expected): 



Hie Jatmnin' timber sale also proposes to log up to S.3 million board feet from 4 16 acRs of the Little Hucklebeny 

 Mountain (non-RARE C) roadless area (see above). Becaiue the Forest Service intends to cut old-growth forest in . 

 protective buf&rs along streams in the roadless area, the Jommin' limber sale will likdy have dramalic ecological 

 i rnr"''* The sale area contains sleep, uustabte areas and geological hazards that are susc^tible to management- 

 induced debris flows imd lanUslidss. In this heavily over-cm watershed, the roadless area provides one of the only 

 aourcet of dean, scdimenl-free water that .ustains native cuuhnaiooui populaiions. The Forest Service 

 •eknewledges tliat die Junmin' dinber talc will 'increase prvsenlly dcvaied sediment levels and Sirther degrade 

 ■_ poor channel eonditioos" and that logging on sleep slopes will increase mn-oCT and cause "higher peak flows dian 

 cunenily occur." Taking fUll advantage Ibc suspcnsiou of environmental laws, die Forest Service is disregarding 

 re quir e ni enis to niainlain high water quality, preserve native cutthroat uooi habiui, and assess impacts to roadkss 

 areas greater than lOUO acres. Asproposed. this sale does ooi meet the Noftfawcst Forest Plan's Aquatic 

 Conservation Strategy. 



(360)671-9950 Suite 316. 1155 N. State St., Bellingham.WA 98225 



T.KX (360) 671-8429 m.ail P.O. Box 2813. BeUingham, VVA 98227-2813 



