ABQjournal North
By Raam Wong
Journal Staff Writer
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Some local environmentalists want a seat at the table as Santa Fe National Forest officials decide whether to close some forest
roads.
Federal law requires forest officials to identify which roads are still needed and to decomission those that aren't.
Nine environmentalists sent a letter to the Forest Service on Wednesday complaining that they and other members of the public had been denied a chance to weigh in on the plan.
"The public needs to be involved from the get-go," said Sam Hitt, founder of Santa Fe-based Wild Watershed.
Hitt said the Santa Fe National Forest has the highest road density of any national forest in the southwest and that thousands of miles of road should be closed. Roads degrade water quality and harm wildlife, he said.
Forest planners are currently working on a proposal to designate certain roads and trails for motorized vehicles, while barring them everywhere else. The Forest Service has held numerous public meetings on the so-called travel management rule and expects to release a proposal sometime this year.
But critics say the Forest Service must first involve the public in a science-based approach to identifying roads that are obsolete or harmful to the environment and should be closed.
A Santa Fe National Forest spokeswoman could not be reached for comment.
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