MONTANA
Hundreds
of logging trucks and busloads of protesters circled downtown
Missoula, Mont., June 21 to rail against the Forest Service’s
proposal to protect 43 million acres of its roadless
forests.
About 2,000 people from all corners of
western Montana joined a barbecue and rally sponsored by the timber
and off-road-vehicle industries. Loggers and millworkers say
closing roadless areas to future road building will put them out of
work, while ORV riders want access into the
areas.
“These Clinton-Gore mandates do not
recognize the value of our rural communities,” St. Ignatius rancher
Alan Mikkelsen told the crowd. Later, hard-hatted pallbearers
deposited a pine coffin in the lobby of the hotel where the Forest
Service was holding a meeting. The coffin read, “R.I.P.
Clinton-Gore Roadless Initiative.”
Inside the
hotel, 700 residents gathered to give the agency comments on the
plan. The overwhelming majority spoke in favor of the rule, first
proposed by President Clinton last October (HCN, 11/8/99: A new
road for the public lands). “We’re blowing it,” said audience
member Lynda Lee, pointing to a map of the 6 million acres of
remaining roadless areas scattered across Montana. “There isn’t
much left.”
The Forest Service has scheduled 300
meetings on the plan. For a schedule, or to read the draft
environmental impact statement on the roadless area initiative, see
roadless.fs.fed.us, or write to USDA Forest Service-CAET, Attention
Roadless Area Proposed Rule, P.O. Box 221090, Salt Lake City, UT
84122.
Copyright
© 2000 HCN and Mark Matthews
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Protesters rock roadless area hearings.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
