In what one official calls a “directional shift” in
agency policy, the Forest Service has proposed some of the
country’s most stringent guidelines for protecting grizzly bear
habitat in a portion of Idaho’s Targhee National Forest. Under the
plan, the Forest Service would suspend new road construction and
timber harvests for at least 11 years in 164,000 acres west of
Yellowstone National Park. The agency would also rip out the first
600 feet of more than two dozen roads to deter drivers, and close
88,000 acres to off-road use during the summer. The plan is the
result of an out-of-court settlement with 12 environmental groups
who sued the agency for failing to consult with the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service over proposed timber harvests in grizzly habitat.
“I’m ecstatic, delighted,” says Louisa Willcox, program director
for the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. “The U.S. Forest Service
should be commended for finally empowering the bear.” Loggers were
not pleased, since the restrictions would reduce this year’s
harvest from a target of 25 million board-feet to 10 million
board-feet. “It’s going to put us out of business,” says logger
Eugene Clark of Ashton, Wyo. The proposed out-of-court settlement
to the environmental lawsuit awaits judicial approval. For more
information, contact Bill Levere, Acting Forest Supervisor, Room
8301 Federal Building, 125 South State Street, Salt Lake City, UT
84138 (801/524-6501).
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Saving trees to save bears.
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