<pre><tt>"Why should the Federal Government and the USDA Forest Service in <br>particular pay large sums of money on an annual basis to run a park for the Rich <br>in Hayden Lake?" Phil Nisbet<br><br>No Phil, that area is also used by the poor in the surrounding communities of<br>Hayden (not Hayden Lake), Dalton Gardens, Rathrum, Spirit Lake, North CDA,<br>Athol, and the surrounding area. <br><br>I think the question that should be asked is why should residents in Idaho<br>be forced to give up recreational land to pay off a FEDERAL debt that was<br>accumulated by the mismanagement of the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. <br><br>If it is a federal debt, everyone should pay. Not just 5 or 10 states. Or<br>better yet, make the oil companies pay since it is their war and they are<br>the biggest beneficiaries of the debt, war, and rebuilding of the Gulf of <br>Mexico Coast.<br><br>_DJA<br><br><br></tt></pre> <br><br><b><i>Phil Nisbet <pcnisbet1@hotmail.com></i></b> wrote:<blockquote
class="replbq" style="border-left: 2px solid rgb(16, 16, 255); margin-left: 5px; padding-left: 5px;"> Why should the Federal Government and the USDA Forest Service in particular <br>pay large sums of money on an annual basis to run a park for the Rich in <br>Hayden Lake? Perhaps, the rich who enjoy their hiking trails on the point <br>should consider getting together, putting up the funds and buying the ground <br>so that they can have their park. It would reduce the costs substantial if <br>that were the case, since USDA now has to have people go to an isolated <br>piece of ground and manage a park that is dominantly used not by the general <br>public, but by Hayden Lake residents. If Hayden Lake ran the park, their <br>city employees would be obviously more able to manage the ground cost <br>effectively.<br><br>There are stranded chunks of Federal ownership all over the place that are <br>small blocks that are difficult if not impossible to manage and that are <br>cos!
tly to
administer. The Forest Service and BLM have tried for years to <br>get rid of those through land exchange, however, the process of Land <br>Exchange takes ages even when being carried out between cooperative folks <br>like IDL and USFS. I know of ground that is still pending though ten years <br>has passed that would flip lands from USFS to IDL and clear up management <br>boundaries that are no where near complete.<br><br>There is nothing that stops local or state governments from buying the lands <br>in question. There is also nothing in this process that stops Land <br>Conservancy organizations from bidding on the ground either. Those groups <br>can dust off their check books and bid to keep the lands in question public. <br> That will help to free up Forest Service funds to be spent on managing the <br>millions of acres that are not scattered in mixed ownership and will move <br>the management to local jurisdiction where they can be more cost effectively <br>taken c!
are
of.<br><br>Phil Nisbet<br><br><br><br>>From: "Tom Hansen" <thansen @moscow.com=""><br>>To: "Moscow Vision 2020" <vision2020 @moscow.com=""><br>>Subject: [Vision2020] For Sale: 26,000 Idaho Acres<br>>Date: Sat, 11 Feb 2006 09:18:54 -0800<br>><br>> >From today's (February 11, 2006) Spokesman Review.<br>><br>>If Representative Otter wants to make points with the voters of Idaho, he<br>>would fight against this sale.<br>><br>>---------------------------------------------------------------------------<br>><br>>For sale: 26,000 Idaho acres<br>>Details of Forest Service plan raise concerns in region<br>>By the numbers<br>><br>>Proposed acreage up for sale in Inland Northwest national forests:<br>>St. Joe: 1,142<br>>Colville: 1,877<br>>Coeur d'Alene: 3,090<br>>Kaniksu: 6,936<br>><br>>James Hagengruber<br>>Staff writer<br>>February 11, 2006<br>><br>>FSBO: 309,421 acres of prime undeveloped forest lan!
d.
Includes trails,<br>>campgrounds and sacred sites. Pristine views. Massive debt forces fast <br>>sale.<br>><br>><br>>All satire aside, details on the largest sale of national forest in decades<br>>were announced Friday, including about 26,000 acres in Idaho and 7,500 <br>>acres<br>>in Washington. The Bush administration is proposing the sale to help reduce<br>>budget cuts for rural schools and roads.<br>><br>>Included in the sale are prime recreation sites near Coeur d'Alene,<br>>including the entire English Point trail network and Mokins Bay campground<br>>along Hayden Lake. The proposal also includes 160 mountainous acres near <br>>the<br>>St. Joe River once used by Indian tribes for sacred vision quests.<br>><br>>Local Forest Service employees said they had been directed not to comment <br>>on<br>>the proposal, but all expressed surprise at the properties included. <br>>Perhaps<br>>the biggest shock was the i!
nclusion
of 360 acres of developed trails at<br>>Hayden Lake's English Point. The area is about 15 minutes from Coeur <br>>d'Alene<br>>and is a popular spot for hikers, skiers and horseback riders, said retired<br>>Brig. Gen. Clyde Denniston, who owns land nearby.<br>><br>>"I'm really surprised it would be put up for sale," said Denniston, former<br>>commander of Fairchild Air Force Base. "That's a beautiful piece of land. <br>>It<br>>gets a lot of public use - it's not like it's raw land somewhere out in the<br>>boondocks."<br>><br>>In Colville National Forest, several large tracts are being considered for<br>>sale in the Bald Peak area north of Republic, Wash., as well as about 500<br>>acres near Eagle Mountain northeast of Chewelah. The Forest Service has<br>>supplied only legal descriptions of the parcels, but the agency will <br>>release<br>>digitized maps by the end of the month. When the maps are released, the<br>>agency w!
ill take
30 days of public comment.<br>><br>>The vast majority of the tracts are isolated parcels of national forest <br>>that<br>>are expensive to manage, according to Agriculture Undersecretary Mark Rey,<br>>who spoke to reporters Friday in a conference call.<br>><br>>"These are not the crown jewels we're talking about," Rey said. "This is a<br>>reasonable proposal to take a small fraction of a percentage of national<br>>land, which is the least necessary, and use it for those in need."<br>><br>>California stands to have 85,000 acres of national forest sold. Idaho comes<br>>in second in terms of acreage, with more than 11,000 acres - about 17 <br>>square<br>>miles - of the Panhandle making the sale list. If approved, the land would<br>>be appraised and put on the market.<br>><br>>The Bush administration hopes to raise as muich as $1 billion through the<br>>program, which it will use to help wean rural counties off the
so-called<br>>Craig-Wyden "county payments" law over the next five years. The program has<br>>been in place since 2000 to help communities with timber-based economies<br>>weather large scale decreases in logging on national forest land.<br>><br>>The program sent $41.8 million to Washington last year and $21 million to<br>>Idaho.<br>><br>>Many Western lawmakers, sportsmen groups and environmentalists are reacting<br>>with outrage to the land sale and phasing-out of the Craig-Wyden payments.<br>>Some have compared the sale with a farmer eating his supply of seed corn.<br>><br>>Rey rejected such comparisons, saying the money was needed to help rural<br>>counties fund education and transportation projects. About $4 million last<br>>year went to Shoshone County in North Idaho. Nearly $1 million went to <br>>Ferry<br>>County in northeast Washington.<br>><br>>"I don't think assuring the education of schoolchildren is an
ephemeral<br>>purpose," Rey said.<br>><br>>Critics say even isolated parcels of national forest are valuable. The<br>>Forest Service often uses the tracts in land swaps to secure wildlife<br>>habitat. Surrounded by private land, the acreage also provides recreation<br>>opportunities for some communities.<br>><br>>Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, has not had a chance to evaluate the list of<br>>parcels, said spokesman Mike Tracy. "He obviously has concerns. . He's <br>>never<br>>been real supportive of the wholesale sale of public lands, but he does <br>>look<br>>at individual projects on a case-by-case basis."<br>><br>>Idaho Congressman and governor-hopeful Butch Otter issued a statement<br>>saying, "I do not believe the president's proposal will be well-received in<br>>Congress." Last month, the Republican representative came under fire for<br>>co-sponsoring a plan to sell public land to pay for Hurricane Katrina
<br>>relief<br>>efforts. Otter later reversed his support and apologized to state <br>>residents.<br>><br>><br>>Rey, who oversees the Forest Service, said certain tracts could be taken <br>>off<br>>the sale list, depending on public comment. Ultimately, only 200,000 acres<br>>will likely be put up for sale, he said, amounting to less than 1 percent <br>>of<br>>193 million acres of national forest and grassland. Rey also pointed out <br>>the<br>>agency acquires about 100,000 acres of new land annually.<br>><br>>---------------------------------------------------------------------------<br>><br>>See you at the polls, Moscow.<br>><br>>Tom Hansen<br>>Moscow, Idaho<br>><br>>****************************************************************************<br>><br>>"A bad cause will ever be supported by bad means and bad men."<br>><br>>- Thomas Paine (English Writer,
1737-1809)<br>><br>>****************************************************************************<br>><br>><br>><br>>_____________________________________________________<br>> List services made available by First Step Internet,<br>> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.<br>> http://www.fsr.net<br>> mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com<br>>¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯<br><br>_________________________________________________________________<br>Is your PC infected? Get a FREE online computer virus scan from McAfee® <br>Security. http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=3963<br><br>_____________________________________________________<br> List services made available by First Step Internet, <br> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994. <br> http://www.fsr.net <br>
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