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William Croft. (+44) 61-445 1210, Individual, Giant Sequoia Preservation Act, 3 /3/94 



occurred in Yellowstone and Yosemite. The bill also includes provisions 

 for fire management, along the lines of the fire management in groves 

 in Sequoia and Yosemite National Parks and in Calaveras Bigtrees State 

 Park. 



H.R. 2153 calls for a review of existing roads without the addition of 

 new roads. I can assure you that there are more than enough roads for 

 access to the giant sequoia groves; I have had no difficulty in reaching 

 almost any grove I wanted to, even with a two-wheel drive vehicle. H.R. 

 2153 also mandates a recreation plan which includes the possible 

 creation of new trails and campgrounds. This is badly needed. Many 

 sequoia groves have no trails, and existing trails have deteriorated — a 

 further reflection of the emphasis on timber management. 



The bill ameliorates the economic effects of the establishment of the 

 preserve through transfer payments to local governments and aid to 

 displaced workers. These economic effects must be placed in their 

 proper context. The US taxpayer is already paying for the losses 

 incurred by the timber sales on Sequoia National Forest in real dollars. 

 In addition to the direct financial losses brought about by timber sales, 

 there are the equally real financial losses to many people because of 

 other resources that are destroyed by logging, including fisheries, water 

 quality for agriculture and urban use, and recreation. These losses will 

 end with the establishment of the preserve. It is only right that some of 

 the monies saved by H.R. 2153 will go to aid those individuals whose 

 economic livelihoods might be disrupted by passage of the bill. Also, the 

 acreage set aside in the preserve is only a fraction of the Sierran mixed- 

 conifer forest acreage. The only other significant acreage of Sierran 

 mixed-conifer forest in which logging is prohibited is found in the 

 western part of Sequoia National Park. The vast majority — millions of 

 acres — of the Sierran mixed-conifer forest is actively managed timber 

 land, in both National Forest and private ownership. 



I urge Congress to guarantee protection of these magnificent and 

 maligned groves. This is an opportunity for the American people that 

 should not, indeed cannot, be missed. 



