Participate in forest plan process
Proposed forest plans for the Flathead, Bitterroot and Lolo national forests have been streamlined, along with the process of developing them.
The idea is to make them more accessible to the public, easier to understand, and more accountable.
So it strikes us as odd that the public so far has submitted only about 200 public comments on the proposed plans with an Aug. 7 deadline for comments just ahead.
These documents truly are far more user-friendly than the encyclopedic forest plans that were developed for national forests across the country in the mid-1980s. The proposed plans have detailed maps, graphics and charts and can easily be sifted through to find topics or areas that might be of particular interest.
With the Internet as a means of distribution, the plans are also far more accessible than they were in the days when a person had to acquire and read through a phone-book-sized forest plan. Comments, brief or long, can now easily be submitted by e-mail as well.
So why the dearth of comments? The public - particularly Flathead Valley residents who are virtually surrounded by national forest lands - should be engaged in the forest planning process.
These plans are significant, strategic documents that will guide all aspects of forest management for the next 15 to 20 years. They establish "suitable" areas for everything from timber harvest to recommended wilderness. They prescribe approaches for managing old growth timber and habitat for grizzly bears. Motorized access issues are addressed.
In short, the plans stake out approaches to some of the most important and controversial issues that have been in the headlines since the Flathead Forest adopted its current plan in 1986.
Under new rules for developing the plans, the Aug. 7 deadline is the final deadline for public comments that can be influential in development of the final plans that will be released next spring. And only those who submit comments will have "standing" to participate in a 30-day objection period that begins when the final plans are released.
For more information on the forest plans, and how to comment, call the Flathead National Forest at 758-5200 or check the Forest Service Web site: