Utah Environmental Congress

1999 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

1999 Results of the UEC Forest Monitoring Program

 

First Year Accomplishments
  • The UEC completed its survey of roadless areas for the Fishlake and Manti La Sal National Forests. A total of 85 roadless areas were surveyed. Of those, 62 are RARE II areas and the remaining 23 are new areas found by UEC. These 85 areas cover approximately 1.3 million acres that are potential wilderness areas. Almost 30,000 photographs were taken of the roadless areas documenting wilderness characteristics as well as the impacts of roads, timber sales, mining, and ATV trails. The National Forest Roadless Area Inventory for Utah will be finished with the completion of the Ashley and Dixie National Forest surveys in 2000.
  • The UEC staff provides comments on proposed timber sales and projects impacting wildlife and/or their habitat. These comments outline the potential threats that will occur if the project is implemented and provide alternatives and suggestions that are ecologically and biologically sound. The UEC follows up on all projects and administrative appeals are filed on projects that will harm the environment and violate the law. Litigation will be pursued if necessary to stop egregious activities on Utah's National Forests. As mentioned previously, the UEC commented on over 90 projects in 1999. Due to the long time frames involved in monitoring Forest Service projects, the UEC only had the opportunity to administratively appeal one project. However, we are positioned to file as many appeals as are necessary in 2000 due to our vigilant monitoring efforts in 1999.
  • The UEC formed three new forest watch groups in 1999 to watchdog the Ashley, Dixie and Wasatch-Cache National Forests. The UEC staff provides training and technical support to community activists through workshops that teach citizens how to comment on and/or appeal Forest Service decisions. Citizen activists are also trained in current federal environmental laws and Forest Service regulations. A comprehensive workbook has been developed and all participants receive one free of charge. The materials have also been made available to the public at large via UEC's web site. The workshop, as well as the materials have received consistently high praise and have motivated people to act who otherwise would not have. The UEC is planning three additional workshops for 2000 to form forest watch groups for the Uinta, Fishlake and Manti La Sal National Forests.
  • The UEC held its First Annual Conference in September of 1999 in Salt Lake City. Five guest speakers from Montana, Washington, Oregon and Arizona gave presentations on forest watch activities, grazing, predator control, and public land manager's accountability. Approximately 75 people attended events throughout the day.
  • The UEC is the only Utah-based organization to join with 11 other groups in a lawsuit to protect the yellow-billed cuckoo as an endangered species. The yellow-billed cuckoo is native to Utah and breeds along the Wasatch Front in north central Utah, as well as along the extreme southwestern corner of the state. It is dependent on mature riverine habitat that has been drastically reduced by logging and grazing of riparian areas. Earthlaw of Denver, Colorado brought the lawsuit against the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
  • The UEC was elected to be the Utah State Delegate to the Governing Council of the National Forest Protection Alliance (NFPA) whose mission is to end commercial logging on all public lands. NFPA's founding principle lies in the belief that individuals, organizations, and businesses acting in a coordinated, democratically structured alliance can achieve positive, lasting social and environmental change.
  • The UEC was successful in the withdrawal of a roadless area from a proposed oil and gas lease on the Uinta National Forest. The roadless area is a potential addition to the Mt. Nebo wilderness area and provides important elk winter range. In addition, we achieved a reduction in the leased acreage from 3,012 to 164 acres, with a 'no surface occupancy' stipulation. This means the oil company cannot conduct any ground disturbing activities on the leased 164 acres without the Forest Service first conducting an environmental assessment. The UEC achieved this victory without an appeal or lawsuit.
  • The UEC was credited with the BLM's decision to ban aerial gunning of coyotes in the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. While this issue was under the jurisdiction of the BLM, it involved a native Utah wildlife species, namely the coyote, an important predator and much-maligned species in Utah.
  • The UEC worked with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on comments for a proposed timber sale involving several roadless areas on the Fishlake National Forest. Due to our concerted efforts, the Forest Service withdrew the draft Environmental Impact Statement and if it decides to proceed with the project will have to develop a new analysis. The EPA thanked us for our efforts and commented on how we were the only group in Utah to participate in the public comment process.
  • The UEC held a field trip to review a proposed timber sale in several roadless areas on the Manti La Sal National Forest. Thirteen citizens participated in the overnight event and several of them provided comments to the Forest Service. A reporter for a weekly newspaper attended and wrote a feature story on the UEC and the timber sale.
  • The UEC was asked to represent the state of Utah in the Conservation Leaders Network (CLN). The mission of the CLN is to provide support to county commissioners and other local elected decision-makers as they work to conserve our natural resources.
  • The UEC has produced a quarterly newsletter, the Sylvan Sentinel, which is delivered to all members and made available to the public at large via our web site. We also distribute it to several local outlets, and a member in Cedar City, Utah distributes it for us there.
  • The UEC has a regular radio show during the public affairs hour on KCPW in Park City, Utah the second Wednesday of each month. A variety of issues are discussed and we generally receive phone calls regarding the topic after each show.