|
it's a frontloaded process! *This letter should prove to the American public that we are fighting against a stacked deck... Please feel free to FWD on to various interests. ---Don Amador, BRC United States Department of Agriculture File Code: 1300 Forest Service Date: October 28, 1999 Subject: Status of Roadless Area EIS Team To: Deputy Chiefs, Regional Foresters, Station Directors, Area Director, IITF Director, and WO Staff Directors On October 13, 1999, President Clinton directed the Forest Service to begin an open and public dialogue about the future of inventoried roadless areas throughout the National Forest System. By now I hope you have read my letter to all employees, the Notice of Intent published in the Federal Register, "Questions and Answers," and other documents available through the website (http://fsweb.wo.fs.fed.us/pao/roadless). The purpose of this letter is to inform you of recent actions we have taken, including the selection of the project team, and to request your support. In order to meet the President's objectives, we will need to complete the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) and Proposed Rule by late March, 2000. 1 have authorized the Associate Chief for Natural Resources, Hilda Diaz-Soltero, to take whatever executive actions are necessary to accomplish this--it may include calling upon specific staff assistance during the next year. Although we are trying to keep the impacts on the field low, we have and will be requesting information (sometimes on a short timeframe) and will need timely replies from all units. I expect each region to identify a contact (name and phone number) as well as to provide a list of forest contacts. My intent is to route all information requests through the Regional Office contact. The Forest contacts will usually report to the Regional contact ; however I would like a list of all contacts and their phone numbers for the unique occasion when we can't reach the Regional contact and have a question for a specific forest. Please send a list of these contacts to: USDA Forest Service To minimize further impacts on the field, most team members have been selected from WO staff units. These individuals represent over 300 years of experience that includes every region of the country and most program areas. Team members were selected not only for the resource skills exhibited in their current positions, but for their prior experience in forest planning, environmental analysis, and their demonstrated ability to produce a quality product within a short time frame. They are also keenly aware of the vital role played by the forests and regions in providing quality information and field level perspectives. Under the leadership of Project Coordinator Scott Conroy and Assistant Coordinator Julia Riber, the team just completed an intensive two-day planning session at the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, WV. They began meeting on a regular, full-time basis on Monday, October 25, and will be located in our Rosslyn complex by early November. A complete list of contact phone numbers and addresses will be provided as soon as they are available. The team will coordinate their efforts with Jim Furnish, Deputy Chief for National Forest System and Chris Wood of my staff. I would especially like to recognize the assistance provided by the Regional Planning Directors at their recent workshop. The day after the President's announcement, they voluntarily revised their agenda in order to provide their collective advice for this effort, which was extremely valuable to the team this past week. I greatly appreciate their enthusiasm and commitment, and trust that this is just the beginning of many similar responses throughout the agency. As many of you already know, this effort will require a major dedication of human and financial resources. Other important work may be delayed as a result, and I look forward to your counsel on how we can minimize those impacts as we successfully complete the roadless area EIS. This task is big, it is important, and it is urgent. We cannot afford to waste a single day. Thank you for your support. /s/ Mike Dombeck MIKE DOMBECK |