From: alra@governance.net
Subject: All 15,000 Cabins In Jeopardy – Fire Terminations
Land Rights Network
American Land Rights Association
PO Box 400 – Battle Ground, WA 98604
Phone: 360-687-3087 – Fax: 360-687-2973
E-mail: alra@landrights.org or alra@governance.net
Web Address: http://www.landrights.org
Legislative Office: 507 Seward Square SE – Washington, DC 20003
Phone: 202-210-2357 – Fax: 202-543-7126 – E-mail: landrightsnet@aol.com
All 15,000 Cabins In Jeopardy – Fire Terminations
Comment Deadline – Must Be Postmarked November 28, 2003.
(See below for instructions)
Angeles National Forest plans wholesale removal of cabins in a national test to see if the US Forest Service can get away with eliminating cabins in every national forest using fire as the tool.
Every cabinowner must rise up immediately to put out this attempt to rid the whole country of forest cabins. This is a test. If they get away with it, your cabin will surely be in jeopardy.
The Forest Service is using sleight-of-hand tactics in the process.
In 2002 – 110 -- Recreation Residence cabins burned in the North Fork San Gabriel Tract and San Dimas Canyon Tract in the Curve and William’s fires. Since these cabins burned, many more have been lost to other fires in California in 2003.
The Forest Service announced in February, 2003, in their initial scoping letter, “that the San Gabriel River Ranger District was considering rebuilding and re-permitting the destroyed and existing cabins.
At the time, the agency knew these were riparian zones. But they ignored that and got all the cabinowners to relax and let down their guard. As a result, in the first comment period, very few cabinowners responded to the poorly written and distributed notice. We believe it was deliberately written to make the permittees believe they had nothing to worry about.
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Now the Forest Service has decided not to allow any of these cabins to rebuild and will terminate the cabins that survived the fire. The terminated cabins will be phased out. No in-lieu lots were found appropriate. As a result of receiving few comments, the Forest Service decided to get rid of all the cabins.
*****
The Environmental Assessment said that both tracts had riparian zone issues. The Forest Service says this is in conflict with the Forest Plan. We believe the agency knew this before they even did the assessment. The agency made no attempt to mitigate the riparian issues as they have in numerous other forests. They made little or no attempt to fully inform the cabin owners they were in jeopardy.
Here is what you must do now. You do not have much time.
-----1. Call the local Congressman, David Drier, to ask him to request a 60 day extension to the comment period from the Forest Service. This will extend it beyond the holidays. *****A request for a comment period extension by the local congressman is almost always honored by the Forest Service.
You can call any Congressman at (202) 225-3121 -- the Capitol Switchboard. There is a temporary Free Number of (800) 648-3516. The Capitol Switchboard will answer. Ask for Congressman Drier’s office. Then ask for the person who handles National Forests and cabin issues. If you are asked whether you are a constituent, tell him the truth, but tell him that what the Forest Service is doing will affect all cabinowners nationwide. Drier’s personal office number is (202) 225-2305. His fax number is (202) 225-7018.
Ask for a commitment that Congressman Drier will request, in writing, a 60 extension to the comment period from the Forest Service in Washington, DC. They have no chance at the local level. They’ve already made up their minds.
-----2. Call Senators Diane Feinstein and Barbara Boxer using the same numbers. These calls must be made immediately. Make the same request as above.
-----3. Call local elected and appointed officials and urge them to call Congressman Drier to ask for the 60 day extension.
-----4. Send your comments to: Marty Dumpis, District Ranger, San Gabriel River Ranger District, 110 N. Wabash Ave, Glendora, CA 91741
You may also send your comment by email to: mdumpis@fs.fed.us.
Finally, you can fax your comment to: (626) 914-3790.
If you wish to read the Environmental Assessment, go to: http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/angeles.
This is an all out action request.
Please make your calls today.
Then send a written comment opposing the termination of the cabins and the plan not let the cabinowners whose cabins burned rebuild.
This affects you. You must act today.
Get your kids to send comments. Make sure they do it. Or write them for them. But they must have a signature scanned in so you may want to use the mail with a postmark. It must be postmarked by the Friday, November 28th.
Get your friends to send comments.
Anyone who has used your cabin should be notified.
This decision must not be allowed to stand.
And please, forward this message as widely as possible.
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