Pol 1 1101 4/11/2007 Road Construction in National Forests
"There is nothing in which the birds differ more from man than the way in which they can build and yet leave a landscape as it was before." Robert Lynd. Building is something our society is very good at. The word ,,construction has very positive undertones. We take pride in our creations, but rarely do we ever think of the harmful effects that construction can have. What about nature? How harmful is human interference in the wilderness? When is it time to say "enough is enough!" and leave nature alone? Should roads be allowed to be constructed in national forests? A national forest is a protected woodland or forest, controlled by the Federal Government and the United States Forest Service. Roads bring in tourists and allow people to interact with national forests, but the problem is that roads and people can be very harmful to national forests, and the forests would be much better off untouched . This issue has a long history, and the debate is still going on to this day. The idea of roads going through national forests and parks first began with the Organic Act i that established the National Park Service in 1916. The National Park Service wanted federal funds to build roads into national parks and national forests. Three reasons were used to persuade the people and Congress. 1. To Stimulate Patriotism. 2. Further Knowledge and Health. 3. Tourism. Allowing cars to travel into national forests would give tourism and the economy a boost, and dollar signs are the biggest motivator in a Capitalist Country. So of course, the roads were built, and the States built access roads to connect . The engineering of the roads was extremely well-
2 Pol 1101 4/11/2007 designed. The concept was to make the roads a part of nature; harmony with nature . Around this time, the number of cars in the United States was taking off-from 8,000 in 1900 to 23 million in 1930. ii After roads were built, the popularity of national parks and forests skyrocketed. Even the roads themselves were a tourist attraction. In the 1930s some people complained of the impacts of road building on national forests and the number of cars and people that the new roads encouraged . Despite these warnings, NPS administrations continued to push park growth and to stimulate tourism for one major reason -- "congressional appropriations for parks were directly correlated with park visitation figures." iii Construction continued steadily until the 1960s, when environmentalist groups were becoming louder, and they got the attention of legislators .
Wilderness is defined as a natural area that has not been modified by humans . In 1964, the Wilderness Act was enacted to "To establish a National Wilderness Preservation System for the permanent good of the whole people, and for other purposes." Among other things, the long act included protection of wilderness from roads and other things created by man. The act says that roadless natural areas shall be reviewed and nothing shall be constructed there. The Prohibition of Certain Uses says "Except as specifically provided for in this chapter, and subject to existing private rights, there shall be no commercial enterprise and no permanent road within any wilderness area designated by this Act and, except as necessary to meet minimum requirements for the administration of the area for the purpose of this Act (including measures required in emergencies involving the health and safety of persons within the area), there shall be no
3 Pol 1101 4/11/2007 temporary road, no use of motor vehicles, motorized equipment or motorboats, no landing of aircraft, no other form of mechanical transport, and no structure or installation within any such area." iv The Wilderness Act was a huge success for the movement of national forests being off-limits to roads and people. The act clearly forbids any construction of a permanent road in the wilderness . Bill Clinton made substantial progress concerning the preservation of national forests. His administration created the Roadless Areas Rule which "prohibited road construction and timber harvesting in 58.5 million acres of roadless National Forest land." v Unfortunately for the Clinton Administration and the health of the forests, President George W. Bush delayed the implementation of the act, and has come up with policies that have reversed the original rules progress. So now there are some rules or loopholes that could allow for construction in national forests. The Current Bush administration has not been very environmental-friendly. They have been trying to drill oil and gas in Northern Alaska; they have been trying to take wolves off the endangered species list, they and have rejected the Kyoto Protocol treaty. The current republican agenda has little to no interest in protecting national forests from drilling, mining, timber harvesting, and road-building. Many democrats, however, do support the protection of national forests. Now that the democrats are in control of Congress, maybe Clintons original legislation that banned road-building in forests will be re-implemented.
4 Pol 1101 4/11/2007 There are numerous benefits and downsides to building roads in national forests. The benefits include access to recreation sites and allow timber harvesting and fire control. They allow people to see the wonders of nature, and they provide the economy with tourism, and it gives the image of the United States as a place of wilderness and vast beauty. People argue that the Government shouldnt have the right to keep people out of natural environments, and that roads should not be restricted from being built . The counter-argument to this is that restrictions are necessary to keep the forests undamaged from the construction of roads, timber harvesting, and other such things by man. Since the forests provide so much stabilization on Earth, such as taking in carbon dioxide, and support and house countless species of animals, it is in our best interest to make sure the forests are in good health, and many people think we can only do that by leaving the forests alone. The downsides to roads being constructed are "they are expensive to build and maintain, and cause damage to the surrounding area during and after construction."vi More people visiting and camping in the forests also damages the forests . Pollution from RVs and litter from people hurt the forests. Timber harvesting also destroys a large portion of the tress. Man-made fires are also a possibility when the forests are easily assessable. Like most problems, there are more than two solutions. There are alternatives. To off-set the cost of roads being built and maintained, permits to visit national forests and to do certain activities are being offered in many areas. Special permits, called forest passes,
5 Pol 1101 4/11/2007 are needed to enter and recreate in many national forests. Most passes cost around $5.00 for a one-day trip. Annual passes go for around $30.00. In the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie national forest, it is required to get a permit to chop down a Christmas tree . Off road vehicles are only permitted at one location on the forest .vii Another alternative to the problem of roads in forests is to only have roads built in a small percentage of national forests, and have those areas maintained and regulated to make sure damage is miniscule. This is one of those "best of both worlds" solutions. Most of the national forests would be off-limits to construction of roads, but there would still be a select few that tourists could travel to and enjoy. The forests that would be implemented with roads would also have to be supervised to make sure no damage is done by road construction or by visitors. There are a few questions and problems with this alternative. For starters, how would authorities decide which forests should be constructed on? And how many forests should have roads? How would authorities make sure no harm could be done to the forests? An argument to this alternative is that no forests should be subjected to roads, and there should be no compromise . The Green Wildlife Organization says that recreation on the forests is not worth damaging them, any of them. In the future, I think this issue will gain in popularity. It will get more attention. We are seeing now a much more environmentally conscious public in America . Global Warming is now being taken seriously by Americans. More people are turning to alternative fuels, and are trying to consciously conserve energy. Road construction in
6 Pol 1101 4/11/2007 national forests is a related issue because the dense forests take in a lot of carbon-dioxide. Less carbon-dioxide is healthy for the environment and can drastically slow down Global Warming. As people become more aware of environmental issues, they will be against roads being constructed in national forests, and this issue will gather more heat . I think the younger generation sees environmental issues as their chance to do something about Government, and the world.
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http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/roads/shs0b.htm Foresta, America's National Parks and Their Keepers, 27. http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/roads/shs0b.htm
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http://www. wilderness.net/index.cfm?fuse=NWPS&sec=legisact http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/ern/02jul/overview.php http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/ern/02jul/overview.php http://www. fs.fed.us/r6/mbs/faq/#08
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