UTAH GOVERNOR SACRIFICES ROADLESS AREAS — Utah Gov. John Huntsman last week managed to rile nearly all of the Beehive State’s hunters, anglers and outdoor recreationists with his plan to ask the U.S. Forest Service to lift all roadless protection in Utah.
By contrast, Colorado Gov. Bill Owens submitted a proposal that would protect 4 million roadless acres in this state, and even Idaho Gov. Jim Risch, also a Republican and initially a roadless opponent, has done a 180-degree shift and proposed that more than 3 million acres in Idaho be protected as “wildland recreation” or “primitive” areas.
Only Wyoming and Utah are Western states seeking to overturn roadless protections.
Huntsman’s unpopular decision includes repealing roadless designations from all roadless areas in the state’s six national forests, with the ultimate goal of opening the forests for more timber and energy development to the detriment of wildlife habitat. About half of the 8 million acres of national forest lands in Utah have been designated as roadless.
Huntsman’s proposal would create advisory boards of local development-hungry officials having ultimate say on Forest Service decisions affecting critical wildlife habitat and watersheds.
A recent editorial in the Salt Lake Tribune called Huntsman’s plan “destructive” and a “sell-out” of his responsibility to protect Utah’s national forests.
By contrast, Colorado Gov. Bill Owens submitted a proposal that would protect 4 million roadless acres in this state, and even Idaho Gov. Jim Risch, also a Republican and initially a roadless opponent, has done a 180-degree shift and proposed that more than 3 million acres in Idaho be protected as “wildland recreation” or “primitive” areas.
Only Wyoming and Utah are Western states seeking to overturn roadless protections.
Huntsman’s unpopular decision includes repealing roadless designations from all roadless areas in the state’s six national forests, with the ultimate goal of opening the forests for more timber and energy development to the detriment of wildlife habitat. About half of the 8 million acres of national forest lands in Utah have been designated as roadless.
Huntsman’s proposal would create advisory boards of local development-hungry officials having ultimate say on Forest Service decisions affecting critical wildlife habitat and watersheds.
A recent editorial in the Salt Lake Tribune called Huntsman’s plan “destructive” and a “sell-out” of his responsibility to protect Utah’s national forests.
