305 



Next, the witnesses told you that members of county 

 government have served on a coalition team which has been 

 involved in the development of the BIS. Some members of 

 that coalition have even told you how they have been 

 involved in the development of the BIS. I represent to you 

 that the EIS draft is so con5>lex and convoluted, so 

 technically constructed with an almost imperceptible 

 infrastructure, that no member of that coalition of counties 

 could lead you through the EIS amd answer the questions 

 which we can pose as to the scientific basis for the 

 contents of the draft. We urge each of you to direct that 

 you be given a copy of the draft EIS . We urge you co try to 

 read through the draft smd gain any sound understanding Df 

 its content. Then, we urge that you invite one of the 

 coalition members who testified here to return and explain 

 to you the specific contents of the draft. Then, we urge 

 you to ask the same or other coalition members to answer or 

 respond to the issues of scientific vinsoundness which we 

 raise in Part 3 of this statement. 



We have spoken to members of the coalition. We know that 

 they had no meaningful input into development of the EIS and 

 into analysis of the data upon which the EIS is allegedly 

 based. Members of the coalition simply met on a regular 

 basis, were presented with drafts which were explained by 

 the federal employees serving as planning staff, were 

 convinced that the object of ecosystem planning was sound, 

 and approved the drafts. In short, they accepted the 

 document on "trust" that forest health in particular would 

 be served by an ecosystem approach. 



As to public meetings subsequent to the "scoping" meetings, 

 the technical nature of the draft, and its complexity, iNOuld 

 prevent any meaningful input. Steve Mealey, project team 

 leader for the Upper Columbia River Basin Project, is 

 reported to have admitted as much at a public meeting in 

 Libby, Montana on May 8, 1996. James F, Rathbun, an 

 environmental consultant in Forestry and Public Land Policy 

 attended that meeting. He has reported that when Mealey 

 was asked how easy it would be for the draft to be reviewed 

 cuid commented upon by the public, Mr. Mealey acknowledged 

 that it would not be an easy document for the public to, 

 review. Mr. Rathbun states that Mr. Mealey certainly 

 implied tliat the public would take a look at the document 

 emd give up review and comment before they even started. 

 Mr. Mealey stated that he had trouble reading the EIS and 

 that review will not be an easy task. That is perhaps one 

 of the most serious understatements of fact, since a noted 

 sports reporter stated, a few years ago, about Cal Ripken, 

 Jr. of the Baltimore Orioles, "He's apt to become a pretty 

 good ballplayer." 



Dr. Chad Gibson, a member of the University of Idaho 

 agriculture extension service, is a veteran, skilled range 



