.. -, \ I' \ Cliffordr- Hansen takes HeN to tasks- pages 14, 15 The Forest Service meets its critics ____ J-by Tom Wolf "The Forest Service does listen to public opinions about roads and wilderness," Peterson said, "but we tisn't ofte;' that the Chief of also take ecologic and economic "the U.S. F~rest Service comes factors into consideration. I don't to town. But in December, I happen to believe. that the Forest Chief Max Peterson came to two Service should manage the national radically different towns: Casper, forests by the whim of public Wyoming t and San Fr-mcisco, Cali- opinion." fornia, to deliver a message to radically different audiences. In Casper, speaking to a mix of . ·The Casper and San .francisco commodity and non-commodity users audiences reacted differently to of the national forests, the Chief said his talks. In Casper, a diverse that some uses of the national forests, group of forest users told the Chief especially recreation, are seen by the exactly what they thought of each public as -a sort of "entitlement" that other's demands on the agency. In San should be funded by taxes. "Ldo nOL FranciSco: p.rofessors and" jiiUik:tank believe that is a Iegitimare way to fund inmates were 60' hand. Instead of multiple uses;' Peterson said. commodity interests. They joined with Instead, the Chief Forester environmentalists from around the advocated charging general recreation "country in laying out their version of fees for visitors to the national forests. the public "whim." In some cases He said a user fee of $1 per day could Forest Service employees attendin~ fund the entire $200 million recreation the meeting at the San Francisco budget. Without such a users' fee, Sheraton Palace talked back, .but Peterson warned, the prevailing mood mostly they seemed to be listening. in Congress and in the White House The meeting at the Casper Hilton could lead to even less money in was organized by Outdoors Unlimited, Forest Service budgets for recreation a. commodity-oriented users' group. and wildlife. I Billed as the Forest Transportation . "In Washington, D.C., budget Symposium, it was one of a number of makers are not interested in the recent meetings where the Forest imputed values of wilderness exper- Service has tried to explain itself to its public. iences t" Peterson said. "Tliey are , Wilderness appeals could block interested in recovering 'costs, and While roads were the nominal that includes recreation costs." ·issue i the real point seemed to be roading costs as an aspect of the most timber sales in Idahos> pages 61 7 Addressing the controversial ques- tion of alleged subsidies to the timber below-cost timber sale; conrroversy. industry, Peterson said, "No forest That in rum became part of a broader Utah avoids a nuclear dump user should receive preferential discussion of economics in forest treatment, hut neither should com- planning. for nows-- pages 4,5 modity users such as the timber The Forest Service in Casper industry pay fees which reflect the seemed eager to explain what it is up Forest Service's' full costs of to. From the lowest district ~rs commodity production and manage- and local resource specialists to top merit." . management, no one held back. The Not a man. to mince words, Chief head man in Colo,,":doand Wyoming, Peterson added, "Road construction Regional Forester J lID Torrence sruck into previously unroaded areas will .it right to bearded Andy stahl, the- increase in the next 10 years to the forester for the National Wildlife point where about 25 percent ofthe Federation, asking, "Is the National areas released for development under " Wildlife Federation using the below , recent wilderness legislation will be cost issue to slow down development roaded. But I don't see the Forest of the RARE II released areas and get Service adding a huge .amounr of net more wilderness?" new miles. By the end of the century, . Stahl accepted the challenge, our total mileage will increase from saying, "Yes. We will use the below • 300,000 to 350,000." . cost issue to preserve our options in Turning to the question of future areas of critical wildlife habitat or wilderness designations, the Chief where we stillwant wilderness. This is dismissed as ,. nonsense" the charge necessary since Congress' acts so that his agency is developing roadless slowly. " Stahl also told the 200· areas to preclude furure designation. people, "Roads are a cost,· not a as wilderness. "The wilderness fight benefit: They certainly are not linear is over for the next 10 to 15 years. wildlife openings. They may benefit .Environmental groups should find carrion eaters, but do they benefit any _ Polenh'al nuclear.dump site near CanyoN/an s other species?" something better to spend their time , . on," ' [Co"n""I .." ....0" Ptlg" 10] . -' [IIII--I11!11---------------------lower than it should be, To people who have spent the last So the board made A risky decision ten years in' the funky Rockies, The High Country Foundation's for 1985. It will dip into reserves ro Southern Calif'ornia was A revelation: Board of Directors had A different kind double promotion of the paper, to both the public and private sectors of meeting in Cheyenne on January 5. modestly increase staff salaries, and seem to run smoothly, especially when The board was confronted with circu- to provide additional money for free- it comes to the auto. Gas stations are lation that was stable and perhaps lancers and guest editors working on spotless, curbs are painted in shop- even creeping upward, and A 1984 special issues. The consensus was that ping centers, everything is paved and financial report that showed A slight the paper badly, needs, stability. pothole-less , street signs are large surplus: $112,000 in expenditures and Turnover among both freelancers and enough to read A block in advance, -and $117,000 in income. staff has been high in the past few if there are unhealthy or unhappy The surplus is somewhat illusory. years .. It was staff turnover, for people there, they weren't out jog- The $117,000 includes grants received example, which forced the paper to ging, bicycling or strolling on rhe , fairly late in the year for the paper's . leave Lander, Wyoming in summet roads and beaches we visited. The personality profiles and for special 1983. 'cars were .Iike the people: all new, issues. So some of the money is In search of stabiliry, the board undented and really moving along, already spent. Nevertheless, even A decided' to bet the paper's reserves on But we admit it Wl1S A great relief balanced budget is welcome news for expansion rather than to stay hunker- to get off interrupted Interstate 70 at High Country News, and the budget is ed down, The decision means that' Joseph, Utah for gas and A whiff of definitely balanced, ' HCNwill be mailing out an average of cold, dry air. For the first rime, But for the long term, the really 4,000 sample copies of each issue standing in the 20 degree night temp- good news was circulation.' HCN has instead of 1984's 2,0.00 copies. The erature, we felt warm. San Diego's 60 been in A circulation decline for the sampling in 1984 brought A one degrees· is nice; but its wetness was . past several years. It came from percent return, and paid for itself far more chilling to us rhancold'Rocky Lander to Paonia at 3,300. The merger immediately. - However, 'we . almost Mountain. air. 1., -with Western Colorado Report raised always used mailing lists that were We also felt comfortable with the circulation to above 4,000, but the his- donated to' us" or for" which we Joseph gas station - cafe . 'beer, joint - toric renewal rate of 55 percent '(45 swapped. Those free lists may be video game room. When we went percent of subscribers fail to renew) exhausted, and the cost of renting lists inside to pay, the young mother -- her ate inexorably into that number. At at 6 cents A 'name will increase the toddler was crawling on the linoleum the ,(grim) July 6, 1984 board meeting sampling cost about 30 percent, which floor .- asked how much gas we had in Jackson Hole, staff predicted that means the sampling won't pay for pumped. She either didn't have A circulation would soon. be back to itself-until the new subscribers renew readout or it wasn't working. So we 3,300. Staff also predicted A financial the following year. It's the kind of went back outside to read the pump. crisis in spring 1985. 1 investment in the future an organiza- And then, when we tried to re-enter, However, starting in summer tion has' to make, but which is also we couldn't: The door had jammed, HIGH COUNTRY NEIl'S OSSNI01911 1984; the renewal rate jumped to 62 very difficult to make. While her husband' went for A )6H) is published biweekly, except for one issue during August and one issue during percent, new subscriptions came in at Present at the meeting were Lynn screwdriver to unjam the door so we January. by' the High Country News A higher rate, and circulation stabiliz- Dickey, Robert ~igington, _ Adam could give them the $8, we watched A Foundation, 124 Grand Avenue, Paonia" ed at 3,750 in the fall and crept up to McLane, Tom Bell, Michael Clark and sheriff's deputy negotiate with A local Colorado, 81428. Second-class postage paid at 3,850 in December 1984 thanks to Garrett' Ray. In the annual board reor- sitting in A car.' We imagined the Paonia, Colorado.