THE WILDERNESS SOCIETY

SIERRA CLUB

NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL

May 18, 1994

The Honorable William Jefferson Clinton
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear President Clinton:

    We have been informed that you may soon be meeting with some members of the Quincy Library Group (QLG) to discuss the status of their proposal. As you may know, the QLG proposal is an alternative management plan for the Plumas and Lassen National Forests and the Sierraville Ranger District of the Tahoe National Forest in the Sierra Nevada range of California developed by certain local interests.

    We are writing to clarify what appears to be some confusion as to the position of our organizations on the QLG proposal. In general, we support local efforts to address forest management problems. However, despite our efforts to resolve our concerns, neither the Wilderness Society, nor the Sierra Club, nor the Natural Resources Defense Council supports the QLG proposal at this time for the following reasons:

• The QLG proposal is inconsistent with existing laws, regulations and policies,. Including, especially, the California spotted owl policy (CASPO) recently adopted by the Forest Service. The QLG proposal would result in the logging of old growth forest and large trees which are currently protected by the CASPO policy.
  
• The QLG proposal does not provide equal opportunity for all interested citizens to participate in the planning and decision making process as required by the National Environmental Policy Act. It was developed without the participation or support of many concerned environmentalists from local and regional grassroots organizations as well as national environmental organizations.
  
• The QLG proposal will not produce a net environmental benefit. As currently drafted, the QLG proposal will degrade the ancient forest ecosystem and wildlife habitat, and foreclose future management options for the California spotted owl.
  
• Unlike your plan for the ancient forest of northern California and the Pacific Northwest, the QLG proposal does not even purport to be based on the best available science. In fact, the QLG has provided no scientific information to support its proposal, and ignored the existing inventory of old growth forest in designing its proposal.

    Despite these concerns, we support several important elements of the QLG proposal. For example, we support increased fuels management activity, greater protection for riparian areas and watershed rehabilitation projects.

    We understand that the Forest Service is attempting to implement those portions of the QLG proposal that are consistent with existing laws and the existing budgets. However, given the importance of the resources and the vastness of the land base encompassed by the QLG proposal, it is essential that implementation of any other aspects of the proposal not be “fast tracked”, but rather occur only after the full environmental review process as required by federal law. All Americans have the right to participate fully in the decisions affecting our public lands. We respectfully ask your help in assuring that these rights and laws are upheld and that our natural resources area given the protection they deserve.

    In addition, in order to represent the national environmental community, we request the opportunity for one of us to attend any meeting you might have with or about the QLG. Please contact Louis Blumberg at 415-541-9144 (day) or 415-566-xxxx (evening) to arrange environmental representation if a QLG meeting is scheduled.

    Mr. President, we sincerely appreciate your interest in the national forests of California this time in the northern Sierra Nevada range. We hope that you will rely on the same principles that guided your Administration's efforts in the Northwest and ensure that any plan that is promoted is “scientifically sound”, ecologically credible, and legally responsible.” At this time the Quincy Library Group plan fails this test. We hope to hear from you soon about your response to the QLG proposal and our concerns. Thank you for considering our views.

Sincerely,

cc: Jim Lyons, Assistant Secretary of Agriculture
   Jack Ward Thomas, Chief, USDA Forest Service
   Senator Barbara Boxer
   Senator Diane Feinstein
   Congressman George Miller

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