OPIRG Attains Forestry Goals

To the Editor:

Let me begin by congratulating all of the Oberlin campus community who participated in the national campaign to protect 60 million acres of pristine wilderness in our National Forests. We won! This January, President Clinton set into law the most comprehensive national forest protection policy of the last century. However, with a new administration in office, we may have to work even harder to defend that victory.
I was very disappointed to see that President Bush has decided to delay the implementation of the Forest Service’s new Roadless Area Conservation Rule by 60 days. The new roadless policy reflects a public mandate to protect our last wild places from destructive activities like logging and road building. It is the result of over 1.6 million comments (more than 1,000 from Oberlin) –– the largest public comment period in American history –– and over 600 local hearings across the country. This conservation plan is one of the most sweeping environmental initiatives of the last 100 years and will ensure that our national forests continue to provide clean water for communities across the country, recreational opportunities for millions of people, and critical habitat for rare and endangered species.
While oil, gas, timber and mining industry officials, and other special interest groups oppose the plan and welcome the delay, they do not represent the clear majority of Americans who favor protecting our last wilderness areas.
President Bush and Congress should listen to the American people, who have spoken out overwhelmingly in support of wild forest protection, and stop any attempts to weaken or delay the roadless policy.

–Winston Vaughan
College sophomore