Support Boundary Co. against FS land grab

Between Dec. 6 and 16, residents are allowed to object as “interested parties” to the final Forest Service’ Plan.

The Forest Service is proposing to take more land out of public use and make it “wilderness”. Once land is “recommended wilderness” then the land is treated as “wilderness” and mountain biking, snowmobiling and many times chain saw use are not allowed on the land.

Frequently, the Forest Service closes our roads with gates that not even the Border Patrol, police or fire department has access to without having to go to the Forest Service to get a key.

Having roads closed to emergency personnel is not protecting the citizens of Boundary County! Who’s coming across our borders without us knowing?

The total “recommended wilderness” proposed is 161,000 acres in Idaho, of which 30 percent is in Boundary County alone. We have a lot to lose. The Boundary County Commissioners are looking out for our best interests and commented on the Forest Plan in both comment periods, January 2012 and November 2013.

They requested that no more land was to be taken as wilderness in Boundary County, to stop all these road closures and to not create anymore endangered species within our county.

Please support our County Commissioner’s efforts against this land grab and write your objections to the Forest Service. One is only allowed to be an “interested party” referring to an objection that was already written about back in 2012 and again in Nov. 2013.

Make sure you refer to the 2013 Idaho Panhandle Forest Service Plan: Pre-decisional Administrative Review supporting Boundary County Commissioner’s objections. Write to:

USDA Forest Service

Objection Reviewing Officer

EMC, RPC-6th Floor

Attn: Judicial and Administrative Reviews

1601 N. Kent St

Arlington, VA 22209

Electronic objections must be submitted to: objections-chief@fs.fed.us

Faxed objections must be submitted to: (703) 235-0138.

Lynda Fioravanti

Bonners Ferry