Goodbye to Oregon’s National Forests…
by Peter BrayFebruary 13th, 2006 at 11:37:40
President Bush’s budget proposal calls for raising more than $1 billion over five years by selling off public lands deemed to have little scenic, recreational or resource value [...]
In surely one of the most obscene gestures of this Administration, the current budget proposal calls for selling off hundreds of thousands of acres of public land. Oh, and just to make sure that this vast privatization scheme passes the smell test, the money raised will go to… schools. Public land versus schools? Well, shoot!
We always knew that Bush et al were spending so freely so that they could defund social programs in the future. But, boy, a stroke of genius on their part: now, with massive deficits, they can justify vast privatization as a means to raise money.
Bush et al argue that these lands are less than 1% of the total land owned by the public. Hm. That is specious: indeed, if in 1 year they can sell hundreds of thousands of acres, well, in just a few years that “less than 1%” can add up to a significant chunk. After all, this Administration operates in a “foot in the door” fashion… they seek a “temporary” measure, such as tax cuts or the Patriot Act, and then year after year assume it is permanent. It might be less than 1% this year… but just wait till next year.
They also argue that these lands are “isolated” and have little value (note in the above quote that the target lands are deemed to have little “scenic, recreational, or resource value”… no mention of environmental). Let’s dig a little deeper on this one (on the few published maps showing where the sales will occur):
This sale in Oregon’s Ochocho forest demonstrates that the parcels sold are often not “isolated”. Here, we witness a chunk of the forest literally being hacked off. And, again, while the targeted lands above (in red) might not seem like much… just imagine if such sales become the norm for funding schools. How long can these forest withstand year-after-year cuts?
And, remember, some national forests are totally fragemented (due to a legacy of land give-aways in the past). In those cases, the Administration appears to just give away the entire forest.
We can only hope that this blatant privatization scheme fails.
In the coming weeks, as more ways to fight this become available, I will post them here…
February 13th, 2006 at 12:15 pm
Just saw this press release from Friends of the Columbia Gorge:
Approximately 730 acres of public land in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area will be up for sale to the highest bidder under President Bush’s 2007 budget proposal.
Despite a statement from Forest Service Spokesperson Heidi Valetkevitch that “the lands in question aren’t environmentally sensitive wilderness or protected scenic areas,†the Columbia Gorge is one of the country’s only National Scenic Areas, passed into law in1986 with bi-partisan support and signed by President Ronald Reagan.
Properties on both sides of the Columbia Gorge are named on the potential sale list. These include lands in Corbett, above Sheppard’s Dell and near Cascade Locks in Oregon. On the Washington side, land near Cape Horn, Wind Mountain and above the flooded Celilo Falls would be available to the highest bidder.
“After two decades of protecting and investing in the Gorge, this sell-off amounts to robbing the public of its crown jewel,†said Michael Lang, Conservation Director of Friends of the Columbia Gorge. “Places like the Columbia Gorge should not be treated as ‘disposable land.’â€
February 13th, 2006 at 12:28 pm
Here’s a list of “some” of the lands for sale…