"Well goddammit, if it aint T********n," (he still calls me by my last name) "if you ain't a sight for sore eyes...hey, how'd them Minnesota winter roads treat ya?"
Quickly he laughed and turned around for a sign of approval from the latest flunky hangin' around, whom I hadn't had the "pleasure" of meetin' yet.
"Eh, not too bad actually," I responded sheepishly, sippin' my coffee. "And how's things been here?", I asked somewhat insincerely, instantly on guard for the impending crap headed my way.
"Ohhhh...things are interesting around here," he responded knowingly, again laughing and turning to his cohort.
Turned out, this guy was no flunky.
"T********n, want ya to meet Pete S********y, he's been workin' with The Feds down in Medford with the Mike's Gulch timber auction in the Rogue River/Siskiyou National Forest."
"Tom," I introduced myself, shaking his hand politely. I absolutely realized that I was knee-deep in impending crap.
I only knew this much: that despite protests by the governor of Oregon and environmentalists, the U.S. Forest Service has auctioned off the first timber from a roadless area of a national forest since the Bush administration eased rules on logging. I also knew that only a few hours after this auction, Gov. Kulongoski said he would seek a court order blocking the sale, (based on lawsuits that Oregon, Washington, California and Mexico have all filed) which challenge the legality of the Bush administration's overhaul of the long-time protection of 58.5 million acres of undeveloped areas in national forests known as "roadless areas."
Two interesting things about all of this corporate environmental posturing and bullshit:
- it's based on new laws/rules that give leeway to individual States to help the US Forest Service decide whether to log such undeveloped areas...and from this recent development, even if said State(s) want nothing to do with it.
- You have to build roads, in order to harvest in roadless areas and of course, this means more trees to cut and harvest.
The loading-dock foreman glared sternly at me. It felt like the good ol' days. The Fed-guy was "Bush-slick" though, and didn't seem to miss a beat; as most of these corporate Fed guys these days.
"No, actually we're really excited Tom," he began. "We're ready for our first major harvest in a roadless area anywhere in the country. Besides, it's going to help out your economy, it'll be great for you guys doing this type of work... the work you yourself are doing now."
Then he slyly added, "I'm not sure I understand what you're opposed to?"
"Aw c'mon Pete," I paused to spit. "You and I both know that this auction is the opening shot in the Bush administration's war on logging undeveloped areas of national forests. What pisses me off is that you guys don't understand that this land is far more valuable for clean water, and for fish and wildlife habitat..."
The foreman felt a need to cut me off, "We don't give a damn about clean water or fish or wilderness or roadless areas or any of that shit."
"Imagine my shock!" I said back to him sarcastically. Pete inately reacted as a polished political arbitrator.
"Look fellas, this sale is a long-overdue restoration of an area burned in the massive wildfire back in 2002. And by the way, this plan came after a federal judge in Wyoming overturned an old rule protecting roadless areas, and before Bush's new roadless rule was adopted."
"That's right T*********n!" the foreman quickly added.
"Whatever, you guys," I said and headed back to my truck to drive a new load up to Seattle.
"I don't know why you can't see this Tom," the Fed yelled towards my back. I barely made out the loading-dock foreman demeaning me with fourth-grade swear words as I fired up and drove away.
Pete was very slick. These Fed-guys will exploit, profit from and ruin anything. He's also another liar, (again, imagine my shock). The area was in fact burned by the 2002 Biscuit fire, (it was the nation's biggest that year at 500,000 acres). What he neglected to point out was that to date, some 60 million board feet have already been harvested from the fire area. Mike's Gulch and the Blackberry timber sale to be offered later this year, are the last remnants.
Here's the deal friends: Roadless areas are tracts generally larger than 5,000 acres that have long been considered too remote and too rugged to be logged economically. There has been a lot of corporate interest for many years to exploit the old-growth timber found in them. According to some news I read, one of the bidders, (John West, president of Silver Creek Timber Co. of Merlin) competing against other bidders, went more than $64,000 over the minimum bid, offering $300,052 for the right to log 9.4 million board feet of the South Kalmiopsis Roadless Area. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has refused to block the sale to West, saying that environmentalists have not shown that this sale would cause irreparable harm. However, another challenge has been filed in U.S. District Court, and the Forest Service has agreed not to formally award the sale to West until after a judge hears arguments Wednesday on a motion for a temporary restraining order. This lawsuit contends that new scientific information should be considered showing the forest is regenerating on its own without logging and replanting. West said he will likely begin logging this summer, employing some 60 people. He said he had not found a buyer for the logs yet, but expected they would go to mills producing plywood veneer. Supposedly, no new roads are to be built for the harvest, and helicopters will be used to take the logs out.
4 comments:
I remember back in 1979, working with Oregon State University in identifying roadless areas. We were promised then that these areas would remain into perpetuity. These areas are essential for wildlife, clean water...and our future. Strange that no one in power seems to care much about our future. Do they think that they know something that we don't? I wonder why they would rather allow for profit than plan for our children's future? The love of money seems to be much more important than love for our planet.
My thinking is that these Bush guys don't care about anything but themselves...if you don't agree with them. you're some kind of terrorist.
fuck that loadingdockforeman.
Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-OR), representative for the district that includes Mike's Gulch, sent a letter this week to Mark Rey, the former timber lobbyist, now Undersecretary who runs Bush's Forest Service. The letter says in part:
"I do not believe you should be auctioning any timber sales in inventoried roadless areas until you have given Governor Kulongoski the courtesy of making a final decision on his petition, and given the courts a chance to make a decision on the merits of his case.
"You stated in a letter to the editor of the New York Times that 'we are providing interim protection to roadless areas, pending the development of state-specific rules provided for in our 2005 rulemaking.' I note, in the event that you are not aware, that you have not yet developed a state-specific rule for Oregon.
"You asked for the governor's input in managing roadless areas. Governor Kulongowski is giving you his. Given the circumstances, it is disingenuous of you to conduct this auction while giving lip service to the inclusion of the governors through the petition process and to protecting roadless areas in the interim."
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