Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Allard Seeks To Reduce Role Of U.S. Forests

Rich Landers Outdoors Editor

Just in time for Thanksgiving, the 104th Congress is hatching something new for taxpayers and sportsmen.

Another environmental turkey, with pork on the side for the public lands welfare industries - logging, livestock and mining.

Fish and wildlife get the big raspberry.

The latest turkey comes from Rep. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., who proposes in effect to eliminate fish and wildlife management as one of the “multiple uses” of our national forests.

In the agriculture and conservation subcommittee he chairs, Allard inserted a rider in a bill that would prohibit the Forest Service from amending “any management plan, practice, policy, project or guideline for lands within the National Forest System if a purpose of the amendment is to maintain a viable population of a native species or desired non-native species.”

The wording in HR 2542 would overturn the National Forest Management Act, which since the mid-1970s has required the Forest Service to manage its lands to protect viable populations of wildlife species.

“This means the Forest Service can’t change a management plan if they discover some species is in trouble,” said Darrell Knuffke, Rocky Mountain regional director for the Wilderness Society.

The bill provides exceptions only for species that are listed as endangered or threatened.

It would mean a mining or logging project couldn’t be halted in the “Land of Many Uses” if it starts clogging a stream with silt, destroying salmon or trout spawning areas.

It would mean elk could lose critical wintering or calving grounds to a timber sale, grazing livestock or ski area expansion and that those activities couldn’t be stopped to save dwindling populations of sage grouse or sharp-tailed grouse.

Allard also inserted wording into the bill that would prohibit the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management from enforcing laws that require minimum stream flows for fish and wildlife and federal lands.

The bill goes to the House Agriculture Committee, where it will be folded into a Farm Bill amendment package that is stuffed with environmental turkeys.

The congressional turkey farm threatens to put dozens of conservation programs on the chopping block - including wetland protection for 80 percent of prairie potholes that are vital to waterfowl production.

Turkey season may be lengthened

Wild turkey hunting seasons could be lengthened under recently released Idaho Fish and Game Department proposals.

Increased hunter success is making room for expanded hunting areas and increases in permits.

Public meetings to discuss these proposals will be held Nov. 27 at 7 p.m. at the Panhandle Region office in Coeur d’Alene and Nov. 28 at 7 p.m. at the Washington Water Power building in St. Maries.

Proposals call for the addition of 180 permits in the region for controlled hunts. General hunts would replace the permit hunts in units 2 and 3.

Following the discussions on turkeys, there will be an open discussion on how deer, elk, bear and lion seasons have gone so far this year and a call for recommendations for 1996 seasons.

Public hearing on Salmonid Policy

The public will have opportunities to review and comment upon Washington’s first Wild Salmonid Policy, recently drafted by state agencies and northwest tribes.

The goal of this policy is to ensure there will be wild salmon, trout (including steelhead), char, grayling and whitefish in Washington to sustain ceremonial, subsistence, commercial and recreational fisheries in the future, Washington Fish and Wildlife Department officials say.

The document has implications for the management of timber, water and other environmentally and economically important natural resources in Washington.

Here is a schedule for upcoming meetings:

Moses Lake; November 28, 7 p.m. at the Grant County PUD auditorium, 312 W. Third Ave.

Spokane; November 29, 7 p.m. at the Sasquatch Room, the Lair (Bldg. 6) Spokane Community College.

Copies of the Wild Salmon Policy draft are available at no cost by calling (360) 902-2743.

Discussions on elk and deer seasons set

A second series of open houses has been set to discuss the 1996 elk and deer seasons for Idaho’s Clearwater Region.

Using input from sportsmen comments made in August, the Clearwater Citizens Advisory Committee made elk and deer season recommendations that will be presented during an open house at the Lewiston Community Center on November 28.

, DataTimes