The Roadless Area issue has been hot and cold so many times, now, that it if you have not been following it almost continuously since the 1970’s, you will need both a refresher and an update. But first, the Roadless Area issue is hot again, particularly for those of us interested in the mountains of the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest (C-ONF). The protection of the nearly 65,000 acres of the Inventoried Roadless Areas in the C-ONF is up for consideration. 5.3 miles of the Appalachian Trail in Georgia, that segment from Addis Gap to Dicks Creek Gap, passes through one of these roadless areas, designated Kelly Ridge. Citizens of Georgia can do something to influence the outcome of the situation. Governors of North and South Carolina, and of Virginia already have already spoken on behalf of their states in the southeast, and those of California and New Mexico have for theirs in the western US. Others governors will most likely follow, and we need to encourage Governor Perdue to be among them.
The wilderness legislation passed in the 1970’s required the Forest Service to inventory roadless areas for possible future designation as wilderness. The first program for this was referred to with the anachronism RARE, and the second RARE II. While wilderness was very popular among environmentalists, backpackers and others who did not mind depending on foot travel in the forest, it was very unpopular among those forest users who wanted, at least, limited motorized access. This included a lot of hunters and fishermen. Also, many owners of property adjacent to the roadless areas felt that fire suppression policies of wilderness did not meet their interests, and they objected. There was much debate, to the point of record levels of public input. However, generally common in agreement was that harvesting of timber and road construction to facilitate that in the National Forest was excessive.
In early 1998, the Forest Service suspended road construction in the inventoried roadless areas and initiated the formulation of management guidelines for those areas. The following year, President Clinton issued an executive order for the Forest Service to develop new regulations for the protection of roadless areas. That process involved preparation of an Environmental Impact statement for the approximately 58.5 million acres involved, over 600 public meetings, and an estimated 1.6 million public comments. Before leaving office in 2001, President Clinton approved the Roadless Area Conservation Rule (36 CFR Part 294).
In May 2005, the Bush Administration repealed the Roadless Area Conservation Rule. The Bush action established a state petition process, through which their governors could request the Secretary of Agriculture authorize management, by the Forest Service, of the roadless areas in National Forests, in their states, in accordance with the Roadless Area Conservation Rule. Otherwise, those areas, which had been determined, over an extended time with unprecedented public involvement, to be potential inclusions in the National Forest Wilderness System, could be managed for road construction and timber harvest. The petition process presented was complicated and costly. It was realized to be fraught with legal pitfalls, as no fundamental authority existed for state government officials to determine the disposition of federally owned public property. There was no guarantee to the states that their request would be honored. The petition period was eventually extended. The governors of the five states mentioned above demonstrated an understanding of public concern and personal leadership by submitting petitions. Those of the western states have not been accepted at this writing, but the southeastern states have been notified their requests will be considered.
Governor Sonny Perdue has publicly stated that he will follow Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ recommendation to not to petition to have the 65,000 acres in the
C-ONF in Georgia managed under the Roadless Area Conservation Rule. His remarks included DNR’s assurance to him that the management prescriptions pertaining to those areas in the current C-ONF Land Resource Management Plan provided sufficient protection for them.
The current Land Resource Management Plan for the C-ONF was developed during the period when the Clinton Administration was ending and the Bush Administration was starting up. It recognizes inventoried roadless areas, but management prescriptions for the roadless areas, as such, were not required when the plan was drafted. For example, for the 5.3 miles of AT, from Addis Gap to Dicks Creek Gap, passes either through or adjacent to the Kelly Ridge Roadless Area. This 8,396 acre area is not managed under the
C-ONF prescription for Recommended Wilderness Study Areas (1.B), but rather under the Remote Backcountry Recreation-Few Open Roads prescription (12.A). This management prescription, while protective, is not as protective as the AT’s own 4.A management prescription, and it allows for creation and maintenance of wildlife openings, habitat restoration and low percentage Early Successional Habitat creation (this expression means soon after a fire, and in this context, artificially induced). These habitat projects are consistent with DNR’s purpose, and could be among their considerations leading to their recommendation to the Governor. However, such activities in the Kelly Ridge Roadless Area could disqualify it, and that adjacent segment of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, from ever receiving the protection of wilderness designation. Wilderness is simply the greatest protection for the Trail available, and we should consistently aspire to that.
You can contact Governor Perdue and ask that he petition the Secretary of Agriculture to allow the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest to manage Inventoried Roadless Areas in the National Forest in Georgia in accordance with the Roadless Area Conservation Rule.
We are fortunate to have excellent electronic access to Governor Perdue for the purpose of expressing our opinions. If you go to http://www.gov.state.ga.us/contact_dom.shtml , you will find a “Contact the Governor” form, which is intuitive from there.
Regular (snail) mail can be addressed to:
Office of the Governor
Georgia State Capitol
Atlanta, GA 30334
If you do write a letter, copies should be sent to the two statewide elected officials on the federal payroll:
Senator Saxby Chambliss
416 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
and
Senator Johnny Isakson
120 Russell Office Building
Washington, DC 20510