Background
The U.S. Forest Service’s so-called “Lower North South Vegetation Management” in the Pike National Forest 30 miles southwest of Denver is Colorado’s largest logging scheme of the century and possibly in history.
It involves a mind-boggling 116,000 acres of aggressive logging—47,000 acres of “treatments” in seven supposedly protected Roadless Areas—including clearcuts up to forty acres in size.
It’s part of a fake “emergency” under which the U.S. Department of Agriculture has placed 112 million acres—59% of all National Forests—on the chopping block in the wake of the Trump administration’s executive order for “Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production.”
What’s more, this biodiverse, carbon-storing forest—which includes mature and old-growth stands—is crucial habitat for wildlife listed under the Endangered Species Act, including the Mexican spotted owl, Pawnee montane skipper, Preble’s meadow jumping mouse, and threatened Canada lynx.
Despite a nearly two-year grassroots campaign involving three hikes with close to 100 people, calls and emails to elected officials such as Rep. Brittany Pettersen (in whose district much of the logging would occur), multiple blog posts, press releases, and more, this project has been extremely difficult to fight due to an intentional Colorado media blackout on even acknowledging the existence of the impending logging.
In fact, not only hasn’t a single Colorado media outlet reported on the impending destruction, several published outright DISINFORMATION falsely claiming Colorado Roadless Areas are “safe from Trump’s axe” as the administration rolls back the “Roadless Rule” across National Forests. To the contrary, Colorado’s Roadless Areas, currently under a separate rule, are still open to aggressive logging, as the proposed Lower North South (and other projects) proves.
Read about the objections to the project by Rocky Smith, forest management analyst of 40+ years, and the Colorado conservation organizations that signed on his comments.
Take Action
Contact Rep. Brittany Pettersen
We’re asking folks to email U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen, in whose district the logging is proposed and who is perhaps our best chance in Congress for speaking up on this issue.
Here’s is a link to a “Mad Libs” sample comment on “Lower North South” which you can copy and paste into an email, fill in the blanks (or remove the blanks entirely) and send. Of course, also feel free to add whatever you like or write your own original comment.
Please send to Rep. Pettersen’s Legislative Aide, Delaney Deskin, at the following email delaney.deskin@mail.house.gov and District Director Hannah Mullen at hannah.mullen@mail.house.gov
Contact Media
Please contact local media outlets and ask them to end their blackout of the largest logging project of the century by doing its job informing the public and holding industry and government accountable to preserve what’s left of our participatory democracy.
A quick email—doesn’t need to be fancy—that includes any of the points below will do.
-“Lower North South Vegetation Management” in the Pike National Forest 30 miles southwest of Denver is Colorado’s largest logging project of the century.
-The 116,000 acres of logging would occur in Roadless Areas, endangered species habitat, and old-growth forests.
-You’re upset/confused that media has chosen not to report on this project at all, and you urge them to please immediately inform the public and hold our government accountable.
CBS News: KCNCNews@cbs.com, yourreporter@cbs.com, lfsmith@cbs.com, kmstrain@cbs.com
Colorado Community Media: Info@ColoradoCommunityMedia.com
Colorado Public Radio: news@cpr.org, twendland@cprmail.org
Colorado Newsline: info@coloradonewsline.com
Colorado Sun: tips@coloradosun.com, tracy@coloradosun.com
Denver Post: tips@denverpost.com, newsroom@denverpost.com
KDVR: tips@kdvr.com, problemsolvers@kdvr.com, Jennifer.brockman@kdvr.com,
Westword: patricia.calhoun@westword.com, thomas.mitchell@westword.com,
The Colorado Smokescreen 