June 10, 1997

The Honorable Barbara Boxer
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Senator Boxer:

During the past three years, our Plumas Chapter of the National Audubon Society has closely followed the efforts of "THE QUINCY LIBRARY GROUP," which developed a ground-breaking COMMUNITY STABILITY PROPOSAL.

We are writing you to express our full support of the proposed QUINCY LIBRARY GROUP FORESTRY RECOVERY AND ECONOMIC STABILITY HR858. As you know, this proposal represents carefully crafted and thought-out solutions to a forest management strategy for our area which would provide the following positive conditions for our communities and forests:

• A land-base that includes a SYSTEM OF BIOLOGICAL RESERVES.
  
• A HEALTHY FIRE-RESISTANT FOREST with trees of all ages. This would be accomplished by FUEL REDUCTION at a scale and according to a pattern that would significantly reduce the potential hazard and cost of large high-intensity wildfires.
  
• A riparian and watershed restoration program that reinvests in long-term WATERSHED HEALTH.
• The use of single tree selection and group selection forest management systems to provide an ADEQUATE TIMBER SUPPLY.
  
• An EXCELLENT MONITORING PROGRAM for terrestrial and riparian zones which seeks to:

• ...move long-term fire history from high intensity, stand replacement fires toward HISTORIC FIRE PATTERNS;
  
• ...maintain existing VERTEBRATE species richness and maintain endemic INVERTEBRATE species levels;
  
• ...accomplish FOREST STRUCTURE AND TREE SPECIES DIVERSITY by employing silvicultural methods to achieve an historic age class distribution for all tree species;
  
• ...move toward historic HABITAT DIVERSITY across the landscape;
  
• ...maintain/restore WATERSHED CONDITION and hydrologic function; and,
  
• ...improve WATER QUALITY by maintaining/improving cold-water aquatic systems and restoring natural functions.

Our organization has been interested in preserving habitats in our region and in educating school children and the general public about the need for this preservation. We feel that the Community Stability Proposal provides the kind of protection which is important to us as well as providing a base of economic stability for the community in which we all live.

This proposal is the result of hundreds of hours of work and cooperation between groups and individuals, many of whom were former adversaries. The proposal developed by the Quincy Library Group is a miracle which has occurred in the community. A feeling of

hope has replaced feelings of divisiveness which, in the past, prevented intelligent solutions to the economic and environmental crises facing our region. Feelings of mutual respect have been forged between professionals in government, members of the scientific community, the environmental community, the timber industry and the Forest Service.

Since voting unanimously at an October 1993 meeting to support the efforts of "The Quincy Library Group," our group has continued to fully support their efforts. As this proposed legislation is now presented to you in 1997, we urge you to give your full support.

Sincerely,

Sherry Yarnell, Conservation Chair                 Sally Yost, President

Virginia Massey, Treasurer                       Judy Buck, Vice President

cc:  Dan Taylor
    Audubon Society, Western Regional Office