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FOREST WILDLIFE AND HEALTHY FORESTS WIN IN COURT - AGAIN
July 1, 2002
The fires that are currently racing across vast portions of the western United States are not the only ramifications of misguided efforts to halt the management of our nation's forests. Wildlife of young forest habitats are important components of a healthy forest that are placed at risk by a hands-off approach to forest conservation.
A Federal District Court in Michigan recently handed forest wildlife and the Ruffed Grouse Society a major victory. On June 17th, the Court for the Western District of Michigan dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Sierra Club that called for a halt to the management of aspen habitats on National Forests in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.
"The elimination of aspen habitat management on 1.3 million acres of public land would be a serious blow to the wildlife of the Great Lakes region and to sport hunting" according to Dan Dessecker, Senior Wildlife Biologist for the Ruffed Grouse Society. "Not only ruffed grouse and other game wildlife would suffer," says Dessecker, "but the golden-winged warbler, gray wolf, and many other types of nongame wildlife would be affected as well."
Other organizations that joined the Society in this suit in defense of US Forest Service land management policies and science-based forest stewardship included the Nicolet Hardwood Corporation and Minnesota Timber Producers.
Earlier this year, a Federal Court in Michigan upheld habitat management and the position of the Ruffed Grouse Society and other wildlife conservation organizations that had entered a lawsuit in support of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the US Fish & Wildlife Service. This suit, also filed by the Sierra Club, would have severely hampered the ability of state agencies to sustain healthy forests and vibrant wildlife populations on public lands. "Essentially, Sierra Club wanted to require DNR and USFWS to prepare an endless litany of unnecessary environmental documentation," said Michigan DNR Director K.L. Cool.
"Although these baseless lawsuits consume both time and money that could be far better spent addressing the needs of our nation's forests," says Dessecker, "the Ruffed Grouse Society and other dedicated conservationists have no choice but to protect forest wildlife and to defend the rights of sportsmen by shining the light of common-sense on the management of our public forestlands."
The Ruffed Grouse Society is an international organization actively involved in promoting forest wildlife conservation on public and private lands throughout North America.
Dan Dessecker, Senior Wildlife Biologist
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www.twincitiesrgs.org