SAVE OUR FORESTS—Gov. Doyle has a great opportunity to protect Wisconsin’s wilderness areas in our national forests from logging and mining.

This summer, WISPIRG asked Gov. Doyle to petition the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to protect roadless areas in some of Wisconsin’s pristine forests. In August, Gov. Doyle announced that he will do so.

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logging and mining operations from entering our forests—protections which were lost when the Bush administration repealed the Roadless Rule Act in July of 2004.

“Our national forests provide critical habitat for one-quarter of America’s endangered species, and endless opportunities for rec- reation and solitude,” said Bruce Speight, WISPIRG field director.

WISPIRG is asking Gov. Doyle to ensure that Wisconsin’s request covers all of the areas included in the original roadless rule. It is up to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to decide whether to grant Wisconsin’s request.

WISPIRG is currently working to gather citizen input to ensure that all of the original 69,000 acres in the Chequamegon-Nicolet forest that were part of the original proposal are in the final petitionto the USDA. It is expected that the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will begin taking public comments in January.