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Fall 2006
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| SAVE OUR FORESTS—Gov. Doyle will be making the final decision on which areas of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forests he will petition the federal government to protect. |
On July 17, WISPIRG presented 9,000 comments to Gov. Doyle asking him to petition the United State Department of Agriculture (USDA) to protect roadless areas in some of Wisconsin’s pristine forests.
The petitioning process will seek to reinstate rules that prevent logging and mining operations from entering our forests—
protections which were lost when the Bush administration repealed the Roadless Rule in July of 2004.
“Our national forests provide critical habitat for one-quarter of America’s endangered species, and endless opportunities for recreation and solitude,” said Bruce Speight, WISPIRG field director. “While we applaud Gov. Doyle for considering this petition, we need to make sure that this effort fully protects all of Wisconsin’s forests.”
WISPIRG is asking Gov. Doyle to ensure that Wisconsin’s request cover all of the qualified areas that could be protected. WISPIRG collected the public comments and turned out folks to the five open houses held across Wisconsin during the 60 day comment period.
WISPIRG worked with the Habitat Education Center and the Sierra Club to gather support for permanent protection of the 119,000 acres in the Chequamegon-Nicolet forest that are under consideration. It is expected that Gov. Doyle will file his request with the U.S. Department of Agriculture later this fall. It is up to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to decide whether to grant Wisconsin’s request.
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