When Theodore Roosevelt became President at the beginning of this century, the conservation movement pioneered by John Muir and John James Audubon gained a great advocate in the White House.  Now, as we approach the end of the 20th Century, the Forest Service, created during Teddy Roosevelt’s administration, faces a turning point with important implications not only for recreational enjoyment of our nation’s forests, but also for the health of our nation’s environment.

    Approximately 60 million acres (of the 191 million acres in our national forest system) are untouched for the moment, but these unspoiled areas are vulnerable to future mining, logging, and road building.  Although the current moratorium on road building in roadless areas of the Forest Service’s lands provides temporary protection from further development, we must develop management policies and start protection efforts now to safeguard these pristine areas in the future.

    In June, Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.) and I initiated a letter to President Clinton that 168 Members of the House of Representatives also signed.  We urged President Clinton to take decisive action to protect roadless areas in all national forests from logging, mining, and other destructive activities.  Last week, President Clinton directed the National Forest Service to prepare an environmental analysis on how to conserve and safeguard 40 million acres of roadless areas in numerous forests across our nation.  This is a good first step toward a national policy that will protect our roadless areas.  Without continued work on a sound national policy, we run the risk of allowing further development in national forests that could hurt our environment.  And we run the risk of depriving our children and grandchildren of the opportunity to enjoy these national treasures.

    Without the development of a scientifically sound policy for managing roadless areas, these lands may become susceptible to a wide variety of ecological problems.  The undeveloped lands of our national forest system do not exist in a vacuum.  Removal of trees and other vegetation results in heavier sediment and faster water flow in rivers and streams, potentially causing more flooding and landslides and dirtier drinking water in nearby populated areas.  By allowing the invasion of exotic species and destroying the habitat of native species, development could harm animal and plant species that already are disappearing at an alarming rate.  And increased access to the forests could create a greater fire risk.

    Logging, mining, and other development in roadless areas are not the only threats to our national forests.  They face a serious threat from mismanagement by the Forest Service itself.  The Forest Service’s outdated financial systems cannot produce accurate and timely information on its financial resources.  This may seem like a mere problem of accounting, but it affects the entire national forest system and everyone who uses it.  Congress and the administration can only make informed, sound judgments about funding and policy changes for the Forest Service if the agency keeps its books straight.  The House Subcommittee on Government Management, Information, and Technology, which I chair, has held hearings on the management practices of the Forest Service, including one last year in Bellflower that examined specific programs in the Angeles National Forest as well as overall financial management within the Forest Service.  These hearings sent a message to the Forest Service that Congress is holding it accountable for the way it manages our national forests.  The Subcommittee will continue to prod the Forest Service to improve its management practices.

    President Clinton must build on the important first step he took last week in ordering a study of roadless areas, and the Forest Service must improve its management of these scenic woods.  President Roosevelt’s leadership in setting aside our first forest reserves and establishing the Forest Service ranks as one of the greatest environmental accomplishments of the 20th Century.  By following the bold example Teddy Roosevelt set at the beginning of this century, we can ensure his legacy is preserved as we enter the next century.