From: alra@governance.net Subject: HEALTHY FORESTS - URGENT ACTION REQUIRED 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 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 THIS IS AN ALL OUT CALL TO ACTION CALL THE MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE RESOURCES COMMITTEE BELOW URGENT CALLS NEEDED NOW!! MARKUP ON ***** Healthy Forest Restoration Act ***** Your help is needed today. On Wednesday the House Resources Committee Chairman Richard Pombo (CA) and Forest and Forest Health Subcommittee Chairman Scott McInnis (CO) will be voting to pass The Healthy Forest Restoration Act of 2003. The bill is crucial for protecting our air, water and wildlife from the impacts of insect infestations and catastrophic wildfires. The status quo has led to a sharp decline in the health of our nations forests. Contact the members of the House Resources Committee today and urge them to show up and support passage of The Healthy Forest Restoration Act of 2003. The bill would empower federal land managers with the needed tools to implement sensible, scientifically supported management practices on overstocked federal forests, while establishing new conservation programs focused on improving water quality and regenerating declining forest ecosystem types on private lands. URGENT -- Call today Markup Wednesday April 30th Richard Pombo, (CA) 202-225-1947 Calvin M. Dooley, (CA) 202-225-3341 Brad Carson, (OK) 202-225-2701 Joe Baca, (CA) 202-225-6161 Dennis A. Cardoza, (CA) 202-225-6131 Jim Gibbons, (NV) 202-225-6155 Don Young, (AK) 202-225-5765 W.J. (Billy) Tauzin, (LA) 202-225-4031 Jim Saxton, (NJ) 202-225-4765 Elton Gallegly, (CA) 202-225-5811 John Duncan, (TN) 202-225-5435 Wayne T. Gilchrest, (MD) 202-225-5311 Ken Calvert, (CA) 202-225-1986 Scott McInnis, (CO) 202-225-4761 Barbara Cubin, (WY) 202-225-2311 George P. Radanovich, (CA) 202-225-4540 Walter B. Jones, Jr., (NC) 202-225-3415 Chris Cannon, (UT) 202-225-7751 John E. Peterson, (PA) 202-225-5121 Mark Souder, (IN) 202-225-4436 Greg Walden, (OR) 202-225-6730 Michael K. Simpson, (ID) 202-225-5531 Thomas G. Tancredo, (CO) 202-225-7882 J.D. Hayworth, (AZ) 202-225-2190 C.L. (Butch) Otter, (ID) 202-225-6611 Tom Osborne, (NE) 202-225-6435 Jeff Flake, (AZ) 202-225-2635 Dennis R. Rehberg, (MT) 202-225-3211 Rick Renzi, (AZ) 202-225-2315 Tom Cole, (OK) 202-225-6165 Steve Pearce, (NM) 202-225-2365 Rob Bishop, (UT) 202-225-0453 Devin Nunes, (CA) 202-225-2523 While you are calling, include your own Congressman too. ----- Call any Congressman at (202) 225-3121 or the temporary FREE NUMBER (800) 648-3516. Ask him or her to call the Members of the Resources Committee and support the passage of the Healthy Forest Restoration Act of 2003. What is in The Healthy Forest Restoration Act of 2003: · While codifying the public participation requirements set out in the bipartisan Western Governors Association 10-year wildfire management strategy, the bill would give the Forest Service and the BLM discretionary authority to limit analysis during the NEPA-phase to the proposed agency action, meaning the agencies would not be required to analyze and describe a number of different alternatives to the preferred course. Also, the bill would direct the establishment of an alternative administrative review process for the Forest Service, ensuring a more timely airing of administrative challenges. Finally, the bill would require the federal judiciary to periodically renew any preliminary injunctions issued against a project, while directing the Courts to give consideration to the potentially devastating environmental consequences associated with management inaction. · Establishes two grant programs to encourage energy-related utilization of the otherwise valueless wood, chips, brush, thinnings and slash removed in conjunction with projects on federal forests and rangelands focused on reducing the threat of catastrophic wildfire and insect infestation and disease. · Creates a Watershed Forestry program to provide financial and technical support needed by private forest landowners to better manage their lands in order to protect water quality, to restore watershed conditions, to improve municipal drinking water supplies, and to address threats to forest health, including catastrophic wildfire. · The bill directs the Department of Agriculture to conduct an accelerated program to plan, conduct, and promote systematic information gathering on certain insect types that have caused large-scale damage to forest ecosystems. Authorize and direct federal land managers to establish early detection programs for insect and disease infestations, with an emphasis on hardwood forests, so that agencies can isolate and treat adverse conditions before they reach epidemic levels. · The bill establishes a Healthy Forests Reserve Program, which is a private forestland conservation initiative that would support the establishment of conservation easements (ranging in length from 10-years to permanent with a semi-regular buyout option) on one million acres annually of declining forest ecosystem types that are critical to, amongst other things, the recovery of threatened, endangered and other sensitive species. The Healthy Forest Restoration Act is critical to all Federal land users and private land owners. Call your friends. Call your neighbors. Send a copy of this message to your friends who may have a fax but no e-mail. PLEASE FORWARD THIS URGENT MESSAGE TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW!! -- To unsubscribe from this mailing list; please visit http://governance.net and enter your email address.