"Common Sense is not so common after all"

Greg Mumm 

Feb 2003

Boy hasn’t the weather taken a turn finally. It sure is nice to see the moisture even though it would be wonderful to see a whole lot more. Seems like the ground is just sucking up the snow as fast as it falls.

At this point, we are in a holding pattern with regard to the Elk, Bugs and Fuel Project. I sent the Forest Service a letter detailing the roads and trails we have Special Use Permits on and a couple of other trails in the proposal area that we would like to have stay open as they had requested. I even included details of trails really should be closed with an offer to help them to obliterate them. Those trails, of course, were developed wrongly over time as a result of people just taking short cuts into areas they had no business going in the first place.

Now we wait for the Draft Environment Impact Statement to see where they are taking the input before we do anything else… if anything else. But, all in all, I have a positive feeling about the way the Forest Service will handle this.

On another, older subject, you may remember the Mercedes Project up by Rochford. We had some involvement with the people of Rochford during the commenting period of that project. You should also recall how the Forest Service was very receptive and cooperative in working with the Rochford Community to keep several roads and trails open that were important to Rochford. Decisions were made in that project that were very necessary and positive for access, for the Timber Industry, for a healthy forest and for fire control.

The Mercedes Project was a positive effort to do the right thing. I remind you of this so I can then turn around and tell you, Brian Brademeyer and Biodiversity Associates are now appealing the decision on the Mercedes Project. In the process, Brian has even affiliated himself with another organization publicly. It’s called Native Species something or another and I couldn’t tell you for sure whether he just decided to start this organization or if it already existed and he simply joined with them. What I do know is that nothing changes… Same thing only different. People still lose jobs and the forest moves to a more critical state with regard to fire and health issues. And all I can do is cock my head and ask, "Why??? What is the point? Will it ever end?"

I am of the opinion that whoever said, "Common Sense is not so common after all," was right.