Bozeman • Entered by Nancy Ostlie on May 25, 2023
Follow USFS project plans
January 2, 2023 – May 25, 2023
Participants and Hours
| Pre Planning hours | |
| Post Admin hours | |
| Activity Hours | 260 |
| Participants | 1 |
| Total Hours | 260 |
Key Issue: Landscape Planning (Forest Plans, RMPs, TMPs, etc.)
Activity Type: Advocacy (rallies, lobbying, meeting decision makers, letters/calls/emails)
Key Partners: Gallatin Wildlife Association, an affiliate of Montana Wildlife Federation
Landscape/area: Gallatin National Forest (1849701 acres)
Short Description of Activity
Following projects proposed by Custer Gallatin National Forest, especially logging proposals.
Reflection/Evaluation
Our objective remains to bring best available science and current administration policy to bear on project proposals such as the South Plateau Landscape Area Treatment (SPLAT) project. This proposal is typical of many other proposed by Forest Service administrators in the State of Montana, in that it uses the euphemism ‘healthy forest’ to justify cutting timber to meet agency targets. This policy is widespread, and boosted by political influence by elected officials such as U.S. Senator Steve Daines. My ongoing efforts to show up and learn at public meetings where “Forest Management” topics are on the agenda has been worthwhile. Efforts to stop bad logging proposals are only accomplished when legal challenges are mounted on each project. My observations and public comments assist organizations like Alliance for the Wild Rockies and Center for Biological Diversity to support actions to challenge these bad projects. Several bad projects have been successfully challenged; in fact the AWR succeeds with about 80% of their lawsuits. However, state and federal agencies seek to overturn those successes on a regular basis.