What's New
The
Chattahoochee National Forest is one of Georgia’s most popular places to
relax, hike, camp or fish. Unfortunately, the U.S. Forest Service had, until recently,
repealed protections from logging and mining for 63,000 acres of forest.
Fortunately, on September 20th 2006 Judge Elizabeth Laporte
of the Northern District of California overturned the Bush administration’s
repeal of protections for nearly 60 million acres of pristine national forest,
including 63,000 acres in Georgia’s Chattahoochee
National Forest in Georgia.
Judge Laporte found that the Bush
administration’s rule violated the National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered
Species Act and Administrative Procedures Act.
The decision
reinstates protections first put in place in 2001 under a policy known as the
Roadless Area Conservation Rule. The rule allows for new road construction only
to fight fires, ensure public safety and protect forest health, but ensures
that forests will continue to provide clean drinking water, habitat for
wildlife and places for recreation.
Unfortunately, the Bush Administration has continued to look for ways to undermine the the rule. Check back soon to learn how you can help ensure that future presidents embrace and enforce protections for our most wild places.
Brief Summary
Millions
of Georgians enjoy the Chattahoochee
National Forest for its
world class hiking and fishing opportunities or to relax and get away from it
all. The forest also serves to protect the headwaters of the Chattahoochee River,
which provides the majority of Atlanta
with clean drinking water.
Despite the importance of this state treasure
to Georgia, 93 percent of the Chattahoochee is open to logging,
roadbuilding and other destructive practices. In fact, the forest is
already
criss-crossed by more than 1,400 miles of roads—the majority of which
are not
open to passenger vehicles. That’s
enough roads to drive from Atlanta to Canada.
The remaining 7 percent, approximately 63,000 acres, are roadless areas that were protected in 2001 when Environment Georgia and our allies won a remarkable victory with
the enactment of the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which placed 56 million
acres of pristine forest land off-limits to road-building, mining, and virtually
all logging.
Unfortunately, the Bush Administration stripped away this vital protection
in an effort to give away these pristine forests to the timber industry and
other powerful special interests.
Fortunately, a recent federal court decision by Judge Elizabeth LaPorte
blocked the Bush Administrations efforts and reinstated the protections established
by the 2001 Roadless Rule. The decision was a huge victory in the fight
to preserve America’s natural heritage.
