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Stop Logging Project in Tongass National Forest, Alaska
Largest unbroken tract of old-growth forest in the Tongass National Forest area in peril.
The Bush administration has signaled its intent to place the spectacular Port Houghton roadless area on the chopping block—again! Logging there, and the roads built to do the logging, would seriously undermine the ecology of the area and also affect a growing economy based on forest recreation.
Widespread opposition in Alaska and around the country forced the Forest Service to withdraw two previous attempts to offer the sale. It seems as if they still haven’t gotten the message! So it’s time to tell them NO, again, to logging Port Houghton—the largest unbroken tract of unprotected old-growth forest in the Tongass National Forest.
Please add your own thoughts to our letter to the Forest Service chief, then click on "Send this Message," to send it off.
And, if you'd like to take additional action, you could call the Chief's office and leave a message: No to logging in Port Houghton! (202-205-1661)
| Sample Letter for Campaign |
Subject: Tongass Port Houghton Logging Project
Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,
I urge you to reconsider your decision on the Port Houghton logging project in the Tongass National Forest. Please direct the Forest Supervisor, Forrest Cole, to halt sale preparations and to cease any further plans to log roadless areas of the Tongass.
I strongly support the protection of all roadless areas in our nation's largest intact temperate rainforest and oppose this project, as well as any other projects proposing to clearcut and develop pristine areas of the rainforest.
Plans to log Port Houghton are not in the best interests of the people in southeast Alaska, nor are they in the best interest of our nation. What remains wild and road-free in the world's largest intact temperate rainforest should be safeguarded for generations to come.
Logging roadless areas of the Tongass is a poor decision and one for which taxpayers across the country should not have to pay.
Sincerely,
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Campaign Launched:
March 23, 2005
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Background
This is not the first time the Forest Service has placed Port Houghton on the timber sale schedule. Two previous attempts to log the area triggered groups as diverse as the Alaska Outdoor Council, City of Petersburg, Organized Village of Kake, Southeast Alaska Conservation Council and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to raise significant concerns about this sale. The third time is not a charm!
It’s no wonder so many groups are worried about this project. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game rates Port Houghton as one of the largest wild Pacific salmon producers in Southeast Alaska. This highly scenic wildland is graced with stands of enormous old growth spruce and hemlock, miles of productive salmon habitat, and extraordinary wildlife habitat.
Port Houghton is also of growing economic importance to Southeast Alaska’s exploding tourism industry, sport hunting and fishing enthusiasts, and commercial crabbing and fishing interests. Hunters and anglers from around the world, private outfitters, guides, and charter boat operators favor the area for its wildlife values, solitude and beauty. The Forest Service, itself has said the “opportunity for solitude is very high and the opportunity for primitive recreation is outstanding.”
One thing is certain—any attempts to log the area will require extensive road-building, forever altering the remote and untrammeled beauty of this unique landscape.
Take Action Now!
Contact Forest Service Chief Bosworth today! Call (202-205-1661) or email him at dbosworth@fs.fed.us (A sample email message is included at the end of this alert.) Ask him to call off plans to log Port Houghton. Tell him that you want to see Port Houghton and all other roadless areas of the Tongass National Forest protected from logging!
Spread the message! Tell your family and friends to contact Chief Bosworth as well! The more he hears from all of us the more likely he is to listen!
We have time to stop this sale! The Forest Service is expected to put the first public notice out this Spring. By demonstrating nationwide opposition to this logging project, we can stop the Bush Administration in its tracks and prevent them from going forward with this outrageous breach of power, before anything more is lost!
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Sample Letter:
Chief Dale Bosworth
U.S. Forest Service
201 14th Street SW
Washington, DC 20250
Fax: 2022051765
Dear Chief Bosworth,
I urge you to reconsider your decision on the Port Houghton logging project in the Tongass National Forest. Please direct the Forest Supervisor, Forrest Cole, to halt sale preparations and to cease any further plans to log roadless areas of the Tongass. I strongly support the protection of all roadless areas in our nation’s largest intact temperate rainforest and oppose this project, as well as any other projects proposing to clearcut and develop pristine areas of the rainforest.
Plans to log Port Houghton are not in the best interests of the people in southeast Alaska, nor are they in the best interest of our nation. What remains wild and road-free in the world’s largest intact temperate rainforest should be safeguarded for generations to come. Logging roadless areas of the Tongass is a poor decision and one for which taxpayers across the country should not have to pay.
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