The Daniel Boone needs your help! Currently, Kentucky's only national forest is being commercially logged and abused by off-road vehicle use.
The Daniel Boone is a beautiful forest, rich with caves, cliffs, wildflowers, and wild streams. It is also home to the highest concentration of endangered species in Kentucky. Unfortunately, the U.S. Forest Service has zoned 75% of the Boone suitable for logging and virtually 100% of it open to off-road vehicles.
You can help change this policy.
The Forest Service is currently revising its Forest Plan for the Daniel Boone, and all of us, as the public, now have an opportunity to change how the Daniel Boone is managed.
According to a 1994 University of Kentucky study, 74.2% of Kentuckians oppose logging public land--but the Forest Service will continue logging unless it hears from you.
PLEASE SEND YOUR COMMENTS TO:
Daniel Boone National Forest
Content Analysis Team
P.O. Box 221150
Salt Lake City, UT 84122
Fax: (801)517-1015
Email: danielboone@fs.fed.us
COMMENT DEADLINE IS AUGUST 14th
If sent by mail, comments must be postmarked by August 14th.
This is the most important battle we've ever fought for the Daniel Boone. This is our opportunity to change the course of Forest Service management of the Boone for the next 15 years. Please take time from your busy schedule to write a letter today.
POINTERS FOR YOUR LETTER:
* The Draft Plan/Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) fails to provide an adequate range of alternatives. None of the alternatives combine what the public wants in one package. By law, the Forest Service can add new alternatives to the Final Plan. Demand that the Plan include the Kentucky Conservation Community's Alternative (see above).
* The Draft Plan/EIS fails to adequately assess the impacts, including cumulative impacts, of burning, logging, road building, illegal and legal off-road vehicle use, herbicides, pesticides, and mining, including unreclaimed mine sites.
* The Draft Plan/EIS arbitrarily creates new habitats in the forest without demonstrating the scientific basis for their historical presence and distribution in the Boone.
* The Draft Plan/EIS arbitrarily establishes a goal of burning 50,000 acres per year in the Boone without demonstrating the scientific rationale for such high levels of habitat manipulation.
* The Draft EIS fails to consider the effects of burning on reptiles, amphibians, birds, and smoke-sensitive rare species such as the Indiana Bat.
* Counties in the Daniel Boone National Forest area are already exceeding legal limits for air pollution. The Forest Service's burning program would increase air pollution in the region by up to 22%.
* Protection of sensitive cave and karst areas is completely inadequate.
* B1, the only low-extraction alternative the Forest Service considered, ranks best with regard to water quality, air quality, soil quality, and scenic beauty.
* The list of species to be monitored by the Forest Service to assess forest conditions (Management Indicator Species) is inadequate. The list includes 12 bird species, pitch pine, and white-tailed deer. Reptiles, amphibians, cave species, and aquatic macroinvertebrates should be included on the list.
* The Draft EIS failed to consider the effect of each alternative on the survivability/welfare ("viability") of each species.
* The Draft Plan/EIS completely fails to assess the economic benefits of the ecosystem services provided by intact forests (such as clean air, water filtration, pollination, flood control, climate control, pest control, food and medicinals).
Thank you!