Government to Government Coordination

[M.E.G.]

Jefferson Mining District - Mining in Oregon - South West Oregon Mining Association

Published on Dec 29, 2014
Video record of December 22, 2014 meeting in St. Maries Idaho between Forest Service and Benewah County Commissioners and Benewah County Natural Resource Team also attended by local, state, and federal government representatives, and members of the public and press.

The goal of the meeting with the USFS Region 1 Forester, Faye Kruger, and IPNF Forest Supervisor, Mary Farnsworth, to determine and ensure that the US Forest Service complied with federal statutes and planning rules in developing the IPNF Forest Plan, and how the Forest Planners failed to coordinate as required with Benewah County Natural Resource land use plan. Benewah County brings to light how the USFS has failed to comply with the laws and ignored the economic situation facing western rural forested communities. The USFS callous arrogance is readily apparent as the USFS continues to endanger the Health, Safety and Welfare and impoverishing the western rural communities through mismanagement of the forested lands through bad planning and bad science, creating a serious threat to humans, critical community watersheds, wildlife and the environment.

 

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[jog]

Not very difficult to see that they are lying, they both had a very guilty look about them. I do like watching them squirm though.

 

[B H Prospector]

Government double talk. Keep reading and make statements that have nothing to do with the questions asked.

 

[Bejay]

Well it is nice to see the County Commissioners ask relevant questions as to how the USFS met the conditions per the CFRs they are subject to obey. The commissioners made a very relevant observation and asked a very relevant question: "HOW IS IT THE ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS AND THEIR REQUESTS/CONSDERATIONS GOT SO MUCH MORE ATTENTION"?....in the written record.

I personally was told the "why" one day while having lunch with the NW Regional Director. He took me to lunch to explain to me that the USFS was going to have to give special attention to the Environmental Groups Requests because if the USFS did not appease the "groups" the USFS would find themselves in court being sued, and they lost 99.9% of the challenges to their methodology (meeting the letter of the rules/laws) in the 9th. He went on to explain that the USFS decided to bring the "greenies" on board during the planning periods in order to appease their concerns.....as explained by him to me, they were even o begin hiring practices to employ such "greenies". All this was done to halt the endless "wind up in court at every move" occurring with the uSFS.

These county commissioners obviously saw the "imbalance" of considerations and a failure of the USFS to meet the letter of the Lawful rules put forth in their CFRs.

It has been my long time observation that those representing the "other" concerns should employ the same methodology. It is nice to see that some Benewah County Commissioners & the Benewah County Natural Resource Team took the USFS to task. Well done on their part.

Bejay

 

[goldenIrishman]

What we need is for more County Commissioners from other areas doing exactly the same thing. The "Greenies" have been running wild and getting their way for too long. IMHO it's well past time for some equality in these matters. That the Benewah County Commissioners can see this gives me some hope. Maybe it would be a good idea to send the link to this video to other Commissioners in embattled areas.

 

[russau]

one department NOT knowing what the other is doing sounds very typical to me and we allow it! that's what really bothers me!

 

[goldenIrishman]

Indeed Russ! Between the lack of communication between different agencies and even different departments in the same agencies I'm surprised anytime something actually gets done. Add to that the duplication of effort by different agencies and you can see why this country is going broke.

 

[jog]

I will be sharing this video with my county commissioners.

 

[Bejay]

I would like to take the time to add to this discussion.

I have to go back about 15 years. It should also be noted that my county was the most liberal in Oregon....Lane County. Peter DeFozio was a county commissioner at the time and he was seated with 2 other commissioners who were anti logging. Peter is now our Congressman and has been for a long time now.

I live in Western Lane County, known for producing the fastest growing, highest quality "building" timber in the U.S. We had 7 lumber mills on the lower Siuslaw River situated right in the middle of this premier timber harvest region. 20 miles to the south sat a huge pulp/paper mill that employed many, many people receiving highly livable wages. We had one of the "longest standing/largest" Log Truck hauling businesses in the State......Foglio Trucking! Again we were right in the middle of the best timber area in Oregon. Our schools and county derived almost endless amounts of revenue from timber being harvested on Public Lands administered by the USFS.

The USFS proposed and succeeded in passing THEIR timber harvest management plan for the two major districts supply logs to our Western Lane County mills producing lumber. The majority or Our county commissioner led the way for the passage of the USFS harvest plan. The USFS plan was predominantly that being proposed by the "greenie" groups.

In putting the plan together the USFS was to make considerable emphasis on the "Economic Factors" and how their proposed plan would impact the economy of Lane County. (WE SEE THE BENEWAH COUNTY COMMISSIONERS IN IDAHO FOCUSING ON THIS FACTOR).

So lets cut to the end result:

Of the 7 mills we had there are none left...they are all gone. (one exists but does not cut lumber anymore....(as they simply sell the limited logs they have available off of their own private land). The pulp/paper mill is completely gone.

So how might the USFS respond today when asked about their "flaws" dealing with the economic factors? I would suggest the Benewah County Commissioners use West Lane County as an example supporting the Commissioners position. I actually elk hunt up in Benewah County and I will attempt to contact the commissioners office.

Bejay