Dismantling of US Forest Service

nd1001

nd1001

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Haven’t seen this posted yet. Not trying to veer into politics, but strongly feel that the news has relevance to our community. This could have significant implications for wild trout streams on national forest lands, and the ability of the public to use this resource.

www.hatchmag.com

Trump administration orders dismantling of the U.S. Forest Service

Late Tuesday afternoon, with the subtlety of a wrecking ball and the morality of a foreclosure notice, the Trump administration announced the most devastating attack on the U.S. Forest Service in the agency’s 121-year history. Not a budget cut. Not a policy shift. Not a “reorganization.” An...
www.hatchmag.com
 
nd1001 said:
Haven’t seen this posted yet. Not trying to veer into politics, but strongly feel that the news has relevance to our community. This could have significant implications for wild trout streams on national forest lands, and the ability of the public to use this resource.

www.hatchmag.com

Trump administration orders dismantling of the U.S. Forest Service

Late Tuesday afternoon, with the subtlety of a wrecking ball and the morality of a foreclosure notice, the Trump administration announced the most devastating attack on the U.S. Forest Service in the agency’s 121-year history. Not a budget cut. Not a policy shift. Not a “reorganization.” An...
www.hatchmag.com
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Goodbye federal public lands, hello asset sales.
 
I read the whole article. I take every article with a grain of salt, but I staunchly support public land. More research on my part needs to happen here, and contacting those in power to share my opinion will be done.
 
My first reaction when I read this was “Oh no, not again.” But it quickly became apparent that this article appeared to be pretty one sided, and written by the same Washington bureaucrats who may wish to protect their own jobs, as much as the forests that they are supposed to be protecting. ?

So then I looked for another news reporting on this executive action, and found this article: https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/new...es-forest-service-headquarters-salt-lake-city

That article makes the changes sound much more rosy. So now what is the real unbiased truth of the situation?

(As an aside, many years back when I was in college I worked for the US Forest Service for a brief time in the Allegheny Natl. Forest, and saw some of the good that was done, as well as some of the wasted money that was being spent at that time.)
 
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mt_flyfisher said:
My first reaction when I read this was “Oh no, not again.” But it quickly became apparent that this article appeared to be pretty one sided, and written by the same Washington bureaucrats who may wish to protect their own jobs, as much than the forests that they are supposed to be protecting. ?

So then I looked for another news reporting on this executive action, and found this article: https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/new...es-forest-service-headquarters-salt-lake-city

That article makes the changes sound much more rosy. So now what is the real unbiased truth of the situation?

(As an aside, many years back when I was in college I worked for the US Forest Service for a brief time in the Allegheny Natl. Forest, and saw some of the good that was done, as well as some of the wasted money that was being spent at that time.)
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Of course, that is why every article is taken with a grain of salt. You can never just outright trust any article or perspective. We need to research until we are blue in the face and make our own conclusions. Any good journalist will insert lots of bombastic and controversial writing. William Randolph Hearst figured that strategy out over 100 years ago.
 
jifigz said:
I read the whole article. I take every article with a grain of salt, but I staunchly support public land. More research on my part needs to happen here, and contacting those in power to share my opinion will be done.
Click to expand...

I feel the same.

I almost stopped reading after the first line, though. It certainly set a tone.

"... with the subtlety of a wrecking ball and the morality of a foreclosure notice".

What is immoral about a foreclosure notice? A terrible situation, yes, but being foreclosed on is not an immoral action when a borrower has defaulted on a loan.

Anyway, I'll be looking into it more and will be interested to see what BHA has to say.
 
C3Addict said:
I’ll follow George Carlins advise. “Don’t trust anything the government says”. Or something like that.
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Sure, but that isn't always true either. A better line might be: "Question what the government tells you, think about it, and then make an informed decision." I don't believe that governments are inherently there to harm, deceive, and damage their own citizens. Can it happen and can it be the case sometimes? Yes. But it shouldn't just be assumed government can't be trusted.
 
jifigz said:
Sure, but that isn't always true either. A better line might be: "Question what the government tells you, think about it, and then make an informed decision." I don't believe that governments are inherently there to harm, deceive, and damage their own citizens. Can it happen and can it be the case sometimes? Yes. But it shouldn't just be assumed government can't be trusted.
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I agree maybe state and local. But federal??.. never, sorry that’s my opinion. YMMV.
 
I appreciate @mt_flyfisher sharing the USDA article. I think it is pretty clear that the initial article I shared, and the USDA piece both have their own clear “spin.” I shared the Hatch piece since it is where I first found the news, and comes from a fly-fishing oriented publication.

After spending some more time reading various articles on the subject, and educating myself on the arguments for and against the changes, my primary concerns remain the following:

*Closure of a majority of USFS research facilities
*Centralization of USFS in Utah specifically, where the state has been attempting to takeover land from the BLM
*Similarities to prior changes to the BLM which drove massive attrition of subject-matter experts

If I ask myself “assuming my goal was to achieve privatization of public lands, and maximize resource extraction for purpose of profit, how would I accomplish this?” - in my opinion, these actions feel conducive to that motive.

Like many things, it is a slippery slope, and I’m not willing to blindly trust that “they won’t do that” or “it’s never going to happen”.
 
nd1001 said:
I appreciate @mt_flyfisher sharing the USDA article. I think it is pretty clear that the initial article I shared, and the USDA piece both have their own clear “spin.” I shared the Hatch piece since it is where I first found the news, and comes from a fly-fishing oriented publication.

After spending some more time reading various articles on the subject, and educating myself on the arguments for and against the changes, my primary concerns remain the following:

*Closure of a majority of USFS research facilities
*Centralization of USFS in Utah specifically, where the state has been attempting to takeover land from the BLM
*Similarities to prior changes to the BLM which drove massive attrition of subject-matter experts

If I ask myself “assuming my goal was to achieve privatization of public lands, and maximize resource extraction for purpose of profit, how would I accomplish this?” - in my opinion, these actions feel conducive to that motive.

Like many things, it is a slippery slope, and I’m not willing to blindly trust that “they won’t do that” or “it’s never going to happen”.
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Dear nd1001,

The old adage, "Where there is smoke, there is fire" is certainly something to be aware of. As is the old adage, "Money talks, BS walks".

This certainly seems to be a combination of the two, which brings to mind, "BOHICA".

I'm out of old timey adages for now, but draw your own conclusions.

Regards,

Tim Murphy 🙁
 
nd1001 said:
www.outdoorlife.com

The Trump Administration Will Open More Federal Lands to Off-Road Vehicles. Backcountry Hunters Warn of Overcrowding

An executive order from President Trump cancels out two long-standing executive orders that mitigate OHV use on public lands.
www.outdoorlife.com www.outdoorlife.com

Thought I’d add this article to my prior thread about the BLM, instead of making a new one. Seems like another move to weaken protections on our “wild” backcountry spaces.
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Next up - public lands sold to billionaires…
 
jifigz said:
I don't believe that governments are inherently there to harm, deceive, and damage their own citizens.
Click to expand...
I do, because that's EXACTLY what this administration is doing.
jifigz said:
Can it happen and can it be the case sometimes?
Click to expand...
No doubt, we're living it on a daily basis.

I gotta go, my insider friend said there's word of a cease fire, I have to get my stock trade in. 😡
 
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