304,000 acres up for grabs. First pick goes to state and local governments and land trust organizations. Here's a breakdown of acreage by state, supplied by my buddy Reed down in Virginia. The intent is to pay for rural schools by selling off land. This is a typical practice, many small rural community school systems are supported by logging proceeds.
In Michigan, sections of the Hiawatha National Forest and the Ottawa National Forest are up for sale in Alger, Chippewa, Delta, Gogebic, Iron, Mackinac and Ontonagon Counties. Total number of Michigan acres is 5,880 in over 100 (I couldn't count them all) different locations.
It's called the Forest Service Secure Rural Schools Land Sales Initiative. Right now the Forest Service is seeking comments from all interested individuals and organizations on the list of National Forest System land parcels in the FY 2007 President's Budget proposal to be sold for the purpose of funding payments to Secure Rural Schools (SRS), should this program be extended by amendment to the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000. The sale of these parcels is contingent upon amendment of the SRS as proposed by the President. You should submit your comments by March 30, 2006 to be assured of consideration.
How to submit comments: Email to SRS_Land_Sales@fs.fed.us, by fax to (202) 205-1604, or by mail to USDA Forest Service, SRS Comments, Lands 4S, 1400 Independence Ave., SW.,Mailstop 1124, Washington, DC 20250-0003. Electronic submission is preferred. If you submit your comments by e-mail or fax, you do not need to send a paper copy by mail.
Your comments may address the entire list of parcels identified in the President's proposal, or an individual parcel or parcels on that list. If you are commenting about a specific parcel on the list, it would be helpful to provide the parcel's number from the list and all information specifically related to the sale of that parcel. Document and Comment Availability: In addition to publishing the full text of this document in the Federal Register, the Forest Service provides all interested persons an opportunity to view and/or print the contents of this document, the potentially eligible lands listing, and associated maps via the Internet. Information on this proposal and the Federal Register Notice can be found at http://www.fs.fed.us via the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act link to the President's FY 2007 Budget Proposal for the Forest Service Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act Extension page. If you want to speak to a real person: Cynthia R. Swanson, Assistant Director of Lands, Washington Office, 202-205-0099.
The Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 was enacted to provide transitional assistance to rural counties that had been affected by the decline in revenue from timber harvests on Federal lands(Basically, they've already clearcut all the land, so now they're selling it off). These counties traditionally relied on a share of receipts from timber harvests to fund their school systems and roads. The Act stabilized payments that are critically important to more than 4,400 rural schools and addressed many severe maintenance backlogs for county roads. Resource Advisory Committees (RACs) established under the Act have developed and proposed forest health improvement projects.
The President's fiscal year 2007 Budget for the Forest Service proposes legislation to amend the Secure Rural Schools Act. The legislation would provide a source of funding for payments under the Secure Rural Schools Act by authorizing the sale of National Forest System lands. These parcels generally meet criteria traditionally used by the Forest Service to identify lands suitable for sale or exchange. Many of these parcels are isolated from other contiguous National Forest System lands, and because of their location, size, or configuration are not efficient to manage as a component of the National Forest System (Some might be too difficult to log.)
The Forest Service manages about 193 million acres in 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands located in 43 States across the nation. A total of 304,370 acres and approximately 3,000 individual tracts have been identified on 120 national forests, 10 national grasslands, within 35 States. The following table provides a summary of the number of acres identified for each State:
Alabama................................. 3,220
Alaska.................................. 99
Arizona................................. 1,030
Arkansas................................ 3,612
California.............................. 79,825
Colorado................................ 21,572
Florida................................. 973
Georgia................................. 4,522
Idaho................................... 25,464
Illinois................................ 191
Indiana................................. 869
Kentucky................................ 4,518
Louisiana............................... 3,895
Michigan................................ 5,880
Minnesota............................... 2,622
Mississippi............................. 7,503
Missouri................................ 21,566
Montana................................. 13,948
Nebraska................................ 866
Nevada.................................. 2,146
New Mexico.............................. 7,447
North Carolina.......................... 9,828
Ohio.................................... 420
Oklahoma................................ 3,572
Oregon.................................. 10,581
South Carolina.......................... 4,665
South Dakota............................ 13,961
Tennessee............................... 2,996
Texas................................... 4,813
Utah.................................... 5,998
Virginia................................ 5,717
Washington.............................. 7,516
West Virginia........................... 4,836
Wisconsin............................... 80
Wyoming................................. 17,619
Total All States.................... 304,370
Lands located within the boundaries of any component of the National Wilderness Preservation System, National Wild and Scenic River System, National Trail System, National Recreation Area, National Monument, National Historic Site, National Preserve, or specially designated areas such as Research Natural Areas and experimental forests and ranges are not eligible for conveyance. Many of the identified parcels have not been inventoried for natural or cultural resources specific to this proposal. However, they generally meet criteria traditionally used by the Forest Service to identify parcels for potential sale or exchange. Examples of primary benefits of disposal will include: (1) Reduction in agency costs associated with encroachments and boundary management; (2) enhancement of local economies through private sector development; and (3)increased opportunities for acquisition by local governmental entities for low income housing, parks, fire stations, water and wastewater systems, and for other community and public purposes. The proposed sale of these parcels is contingent upon the enactment of legislation by Congress to provide revenue for the authorization of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000. The Forest Service does not have general, non-specific, authority to sell National Forest System lands.
Remember kids, this is YOUR land that Bush is selling. This land belongs to the people. Therefore you have a say in what can and can't be done with it. Voice your opinion about how you want YOUR forests managed. Remember, this is the Bush Administration we are dealing with. Most likely this is going to go badly.
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