Dear HCN,
Regarding the Quincy
Library Group efforts described in HCN May 13, there are
consequences to the Clinton administration’s well-meaning decision
to provide the promised $4.7 million to fund the library group’s
agreement. The funding was taken off the top of an already
impoverished Region 5 resources budget. Range management programs
which have never had adequate funding are now left without any
field personnel in many areas. We have gained little if one
important program collapses to support
another.
One important statement by Quincy
Library Group member Mike Jackson that “the forest is no longer a
cash cow” fails to be understood by many forest residents. The U.S.
Forest Service has often tried to provide everything to everybody –
often to the detriment of the forest and its many
resources.
And here’s more information on the
June 10 “Operation Bullsling” you reported, which removed feral
cattle from the Ishi Wilderness. The Ishi was designated wilderness
in recognition of its Native American historical values and unique
California foothill ecosystem. The cattle were degrading the few
watercourses and trampling archaeological sites. Since destroying
the animals within the wilderness was not a feasible option for the
Lassen National Forest, air-lifting the cows seemed worth the
money.
Joan Benner
Shaver Lake,
California
Joan Benner is an employee of Sierra National Forest. Her opinions are her own, however.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Postscripts from a Californian.
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