More from Dr. Charles Kay
Forest Service retiree, Barry Wynsma, has written yet another spectacular and quite revealing essay for
www.evergreenmagazine.com. In it, he explains the need—dare we say the necessity—for reforming the Forest Service's public comment process. The process, which is infested with environmental appellants and litigators, lost credibility in the rural West's timber communities many years ago.
After you've read Wynsma's essay and the 50-plus-page comment letter from the Inland Lands Council and the Alliance for the Wild Rockies you will understand why many rural Americans believe the congressionally mandated public comment process—however well intended—is too cumbersome and time consuming.
The oft-heard complaint is that only professional environmentalists can afford to participate. There is some truth to this assertion, as Wynsma's essay suggests. More revealing though is the complete lack of professional expertise among those who are complaining most loudly about Forest Service projects.
While reading Wynsma's essay, bear in mind the fact that the taxpayer-funded Equal Access to Justice Act has become a major source of funding for environmental litigants. Another reason why Wynsma's recommendations ought to be required reading for members of Congress who profess an interest in the health and safety of the nation's federal forests.
Barry Wynsma worked for the Forest Service for 33 years, from 1978 to 1988 on the Lost River Ranger District, Challis NF in Region 4 and from 1988 to 2011 at the Bonners Ferry Ranger District, Idaho Panhandle National Forest in Region 1. He retired in September 2011 and plans to build a home near Idaho's fabled Salmon River.
