forest voice spring 2002

8/9/2019 Forest Voice Spring 2002

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Native Forest CouncilPO Box 2190Eugene, OR 97402

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Forest VoiceSpring 2002 A Publication of the Native Forest Council www.forestcouncil.org

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CONTENTS

3 News and ViewsEnvironmentalists broker Americas largest timber sale, Pacific island nationevacuated, timber sales open to conservationists and other news.

4 A Temple Like No Other No temple on Earth can compare with Yosemite, said John Muir.Today this temple is threatened by rampant development.

6 Bush and Climate Change Why doesnt the U.S. show as much commitment to the battle

against global warming as it does in the battle against terrorism?

7 2001 Annual Report What weve been up to: reports on the progress of Forever Wild, finances,members and the hard work of so many activists during 2001.

12 A Bitter Root to SwallowThey tried to cut a deal with the Forest Servicebut ended up greenlighting thelargest timber sale in the nation.

15 Solutions: Money and PoliticsGetting big money out of big politics has been a big challenge. The pros,cons and possibilities of campaign finance reform.

Forest Voice Spring 2002

Forest Voice 1988-2002ISSN 1069-2002Native Forest CouncilPO Box 2190Eugene, OR 97402541.688.2600Fax [email protected]

Forest Voice is sent freeto members of the NativeForest Council. The costof U.S. membership is $35

annually ($60 international).Bulk orders of the Forest Voice are available for $25per 100, plus shipping.A complimentary copy isavailable on request.

All rights to publication of articles appearing in Forest Voice are reserved.

Publisher Timothy Hermach

Editor Ed Dorsch

Managing Editor Wendy Martin

Special ThanksScott BatemanBrett CampbellBrett ColeElizabeth Feryl

Jim FlynnFunk and Associates:Chris Berner, David Funk

Tom KlinnertVan PetersonPeddlers ExpressTrygve SteenMatt WeurkerSarah Wiltz

Submission GuidelinesWe welcome unsolicitedsubmissions that addressissues relevant to publiclands protection andsupport the Native ForestCouncils mission. If youwould like us to return yourwork, please include a SASE.

Cover Illustration by Matt Wuerker

Unilateral Support?To announce that there must be no criticism of the presidentor that we are to stand

by the president right or wrongis not only unpatriotic and servile, but is mortallytreasonable to the American public. -Theodore Roosevelt

by Tim Hermach

Since when did loving your country mean supportingevery decision your President makes? Since September 11,for many. But doesnt democracy thrive when differentopinions are openly debated and a balance of power brings thewill of the people to Capitol Hill?

Since waging his war on terrorism, President Bush has

enjoyed tremendous public support (if you believe the polls).And any opposition is unapologetically squashed. A newspapereditor in Littleton, NH recently claimed he was fired for writinganti-Bush editorials and supporting a cartoonist who parodiesthe President. On November 11, VP wife Lynn Cheney andher American Council of Trustees and Alumni released a reportthat would make Joseph McCarthy proud, listing 117 examplesfrom college campuses that they deemed anti-American. Eventhe Green Party pulled back its horns, canceling all advertisingcritical of the President.

Patriotism means caring about America, not blindlysupporting leaders, regardless of what they do. It means askingquestions, expressing disagreement and seeking out differentpoints of view, not rallying behind one perspective simplybecause our nation faces threats. In the spirit of Teddy Roosevelt,democracy and national pride that includes pride in our naturalresources, wed like to respectfully (and patriotically) disagreewith the Presidents anti-environmental agenda. Over the past three months, the Bush administration haswaged war not only on Afghanistan, but also on Americaspublicly owned lands. Whether Bush has been bolstered by the

nations attention on other issues, unflagging public supportor the general fear that any opposition to the President meanssupporting the enemy (Youre either with us or against us), hisadministration has stepped up the attack on conservation:

9.20.01 Economic Problems an Excuse to Destroy WetlandsAdministration orders Army Corps of Engineers toexpedite all wetlands development permits in the nameof economic development.

10.12.01 Mandate to Resist Freedom of Information ActAttorney General John Ashcroft tells federal agencies toresist Freedom of Information (FOIA) requests.

10.25.01 Rollback on Mining RegulationsInterior Secretary Gale Norton reverses environmentalrestrictions for public lands mining.

12.10.01 Ban Snowmobiles? Just Kidding!The National Park Service finally admits snowmobileswont be banned in Yellowstone or the Grand Tetons.

12.14.01 Roadless Rule Run Over Forest Service guts protection for roadless areas.

1.14.02 Oil Drilling in National Park

Oil exploration begins in Big Cypress National Preserve.2.4 .02 Bush Budget a Stealth Attack on EnvironmentPresident proposes budget that will cripple enforcementof the Clean Water Act, limit public input on cuttingforests and make the Fee Demo Program permanent.A new emphasis on charter forests sounds good butmeans one thing: more cutting in our public forests.

2.18.02 California Oil Drilling As of our press date, the Bush administration is fightingthe state of California to open the southern Californiacoast to offshore oil drilling.

3.6.02 Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Gag Order U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials ordered employeesto consult the public affairs office before answeringquestions about the ANWR.

Patriotism means loving your country, believing in democracy and discussing issues openly, not blindly agreeing with your leaders.


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News and Views

3Forest Voice Spring 2002

Doonesbury 2002 by G. B. Trudeau. Reprinted with permission of Universal Press Syndicate. All rights reserved.

Native ForestCouncil

The Native Forest Council isa nonprofit, tax deductibleorganization founded bya group of business andprofessional people alarmedby the willful destructionof our national forests. Webelieve a sound economyand a sound environmentneed not be incompatibleand that current public landmanagement practices aredevastating to both.

The mission of the NativeForest Council is to protectand preserve every acreof publicly owned land inthe United States.

Board of DirectorsAllan BranscombLarry DeckmanSharon DugganCalvin HecoctaGeorge HermachTimothy HermachMark MinnisNathan Tublitz

Advisory BoardEd Begley, Jr.

Jeff DeBonisErika FinstadDavid FunkRev. James Parks MortonLewis Seiler

Fraser ShillingPresidentTimothy Hermach

Vice PresidentEd Dorsch

Staff Adam BurnsDenise DeBerryWendy MartinDebbie ShiversPeter Watkins

Intern Jenny Jackson

VolunteersDana Furgerson

Jean HannaTom Klinnert

Forester Roy Keene

Regional Representatives Rick GormanNew York, NY718.380.5663

Margaret Hays YoungBrooklyn, NY718.789.0038718.789.8157 fax

Wayne NortonGainesville, FL352.373.8733

Jason TamblynDuluth, GA678.969.7013

Environmentalists BrokerAmericas Largest Timber SaleIn the summer of 2000, fires burned tensof thousands of acres in the BitterrootNational Forest in Montana and Idaho.

The Forest Service moved quickly to orches-trate the largest salvage sale in history, which

covered more than 46,000 acres of forest. Several of our conservation allies and organizations blocked the salewith a temporary court injunction, and a federal judge

ordered both sides to enter mediation. This February, severalbeltway environmentalists joined the coalition, and theBush administration struck a deal: 60 million board feet of timber sales on approximately 14,000 acres of land, anda carte blanche promise from the establishment groups tonever challenge these sales, regardless of their environmentalimpact. Even with the green stamp of approval, the new,improved Bitterroot sale will still be one of the largest inMontanas history and the single largest timber sale in theUnited States (including Alaska) that is currently on thetable, quadrupling the usual annual cut for the Bitterroot,including cutting in roadless areas. Players in the Bitterrootdeal include the Wilderness Society, Earthjustice and others.See story p.12.

Bush: Open Timber Sales to ConservationistsIn 1995, the Forest Service rejected a bid from the NorthwestEcosystem Alliance for a timber sale of 275 acres in theOkanogan National Forest, even though it was the highestbidder. But the Bush administration has proposed allowingconservationists and others to bid on timber sales. If someone

wants to pay us for not logging, well take it, said Mark Rey,Undersecretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and theEnvironment. Editors Note: While it might seem good on thesurface, this approach is problematic on many levels. Nationalforests already belong to the A merican people. Why should wehave to buy them again? And, based on Bushs track record,its hard not to be suspicious that its all just a smokescreen.As weve seen in education, media and many other fronts,corporate America has learned that its easy and effective tocreate nonprofit front groups with a green sheen but a covertmission to serve a different kind of green: dollars for bigcorporations.

Chief EPA Enforcer Quits Because of White HouseEric Schaeffer, the chief of the Environmental ProtectionAgencys civil enforcement office, resigned in February, citingBush administration policies he said undermined the agencyswork to enforce clean air laws. In his resignation letter,Schaeffer wrote that the White House seems determined toweaken the rules we are trying to enforce. Schaeffer had beenwith the agency for twelve years.

Island Evacuation: Sign of Global Climate Change?The Pacific island nation of Tuvalu has become the firstcountry to be evacuated due to rising sea levels. TheTuvaluan government announced in November that

its 11,000 citizens would abandon their homeland andrelocate to New Zealand. The sea level rose by 20-30

centimeters (8-12 inches) during the twentieth century.The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

(IPCC) predicts ocean levels willrise up to one meter duringthis century. Global warming,

the climate change resulting fromincreased levels of carbon dioxide that come largely fromburning fossil fuels, is expediting glacial melting and thermalexpansion of the ocean.

Nortons Statement on ANWR Impact is UnrealisticA March editorial in the New York Times disputed InteriorSecretary Gale Nortons claim that the impact will be limitedto just 2,000 out of 1.9 million acres of the Arctic NationalWildlife Refuge if it is developed for oil. Nortons definitionof impact includes only surface acres directly covered,excluding roads, any space between oil rigs and any part of the miles of suspended pipeline that wouldnt actually touchthe ground. According to writer Paul Krugman, That pictureis a fraud. Using the same accounting standards, he wrote,

his work space would be just a few square inches of thefloor in his office.

NSTA: Teacher Convention Not an Open ForumAs the Voice goes to press, CouncilPresident Tim Hermach, highschool teacher and member

John Borowski, along withothers staff and supportersare preparing to attend aNational Science TeachersAssociation (NSTA) nationalconference for the third yearin a row. As a part of our ongoing national campaign topromote accurate environmental education in our schools,the Council has worked to organize instructors, providealternative curriculum and educate teachers about where theirenvironmental curriculum comes from (usually from thevery corporations causing environmental problems). Mostimportant, we offer an alternative voice. But the powers thatbe may silence that voice. In a letter to the Council, the

NSTA explained that we are prohibited from making anyadverse comments or distributing any literature criticizing anyexhibitorswhich, if its anything like last year, will includeindustry greenwash group Project Learning Tree, greenhousegas supporters The Greening Earth Society and Weyerhaeuser.In a follow-up letter, officials explained the event is not anopen forum venue. It should be an interesting time. Look formore in your next Forest Voice. See story p.11 .

Charter Forests: A Clearcut ProposalThe latest threat to Americas national forests is a deceptivelysubtle change in policy that seems benign on the surface, butcould be one of the most crucial issues in the public landsdebate. The Bush administration wants Congress to createa new category of federal land called charter forests. Thenew classification would transfer management from the ForestService to locally controlled trusts, which would managethem for maximum economic output. Look for more aboutcharter forests in the next edition of Forest Voice.

Proposed Oil Drilling in Roadless National ForestA Forest Service proposal to open parts of Californias third-largest national forest to oil exploration drew oppositionfrom conservationists this March, as the Bush administrationcontinued efforts to drill public lands and develop protectedareas. The Forest Service has proposed opening up 140,000roadless acres of the Los Padres National Forest to oil and gasleasing. Most of the area in the proposal is inside mountains,chaparral and grasslands that are currently roadless. The areais also home to more than 20 endangered species, includingthe California condor.

Expanded Version of Forest Voice Available OnlineVisit www.forestcouncil.org for an expanded version of this

Forest Voice. Learn more about the stories in this issue, readdifferent viewpoints on controversial issues and see additionalphotographs of the topics we cover.


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John Muir

Stand at the base of El Capitan or Half Dome in the valley of Yosemite National Park and you will be struck by not onlytheir magnificent beauty but also their age. The high alpine

meadows, groves of giant sequoias and sheer granite cliffs liningthe valley were here long before you were and will survive longafter. Perhaps the humbling quality of the granite cliffs is part of what has drawn people to Yosemite for thousands of years.

The last glaciers began to recede from the Sierra Nevada10,000 years ago, revealing the narrow valleys, lakes and cliff faces they carved, exposing a wealth of resources and uniquelandscapes that would prove to be both a blessing and a curse.

Native American people began visiting the valleys floorbetween 6,000 and 8,000 years ago. The Miwok people arebelieved to have settled there about 3,500 years ago. They calledthe valley AhwahnheeValley That Looks Like a Gaping Mouth.Living off the land, in harmony with their surroundings, theMiwok migrated seasonally throughout the region. Ahwahnheewas a place of spirituality and legend.

Sadly, the Miwok suffered the fate of many indigenouspeople in our nation. The discovery of gold in California in 1848brought a flood of Europeans west and the Miwok were movedout of the area. The Mariposa Battalion, a group of miners whocaptured the Miwok chief, are believed to be the first white mento lay eyes on the valley They followed the retreating Miwok

Jessie Benton Fremont, I.W. Raymond, Fredrick Law Olmsteadand Galen Clark recognized the devastation already taking placein the area and in 1864 petitioned President Lincoln to grant theland of the Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove of Big Treesto the state of California. Yosemite became the nations first statepark and the worlds first national park.

In 1868, famed naturalist John Muir visited the park for thefirst time. Enamored by what he saw, Muir dedicated the restof his life to the protection of the park. Through volumes of his writing and exploration, he popularized the area. In 1890,Muir successfully petitioned Congress to expand the boundariesand create the National Park System. Ironically, this status of the valley, intended to protect it, may be leading to its perilby encouraging development to accommodate an ever-growingnumber of visitors.

Once the first roads were built in 1874, visitors began tovisit the valley to witness for themselves the unique landscapes,fauna and wildlife. The management of the park then becamethe model upon which all others were basedif not because itwas first then because it was the largest and had the most tolose. One million people visited Yosemite in 1954. By 1967 thenumber doubled. Currently more than four million people filethrough the park every year. Accommodating the cars, crowdsand the waste they produce is an ongoing struggle

Concerned about

the destructionalready takingplace in 1864,conservatinists

petitionedPresident Lincolnto grant the landof the YosemiteValley and the

Mariposa Grove of Big Trees to the

state of California.

Thus, Yosemitebecame thenations first state

On the north side of the Yosemite Valley rises the sheer granite face of El Capitan (left). Local Native Americans call it Shooting Star.

The high alpinemeadows, grovesof giant sequoiasand sheer granitecliffs lining thevalley were herelong before you

were and willsurvive long after.

by Jessica Brittsan

No temple made with hands can compare with

Yosemite


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It has been called the lifeblood of the Yosemite Valley.Originating at an elevation of 11,000 feet at the crest of theSierra Nevada, the Merced River flows untamed un til it reachesLake McClure near the San Joaquin Valley of California. Its coolwaters navigate the valley floor in the shadow of the massivegranite spires of the Yosemite Valley. The management of the81 miles of river flowing through Yosemite National Park, sevenof which flow through the tourist-laden valley, is currently atthe heart of a legal battle that could shape the way rivers and

national parks are managed for years to come.A suit filed in August 2000 alleges that the Merced River

Management Plan, completed in June 2000, is illegal in itsprocedure, improper in environmental data collection and failsto recognize and protect the rivers outstandingly remarkablevalues as required by the Wild and Scenic River Act. TheAct requires federal agencies to protect and enhance theoutstandingly remarkable values for which the river wasrecognized. The decade-late plan should have been completedin 1990, three years after the river was classified as wild andscenic. Overturning the Merced River Management Plan couldderail the controversial Yosemite Valley Plan and influence themanagement of the other 160 rivers currently designated wildand scenic.

Friends of Yosemite Valley and Mariposans for EnvironmentallyResponsible Growth filed the original suit against the NationalParks Department. Fifty other groups, including the Native ForestCouncil, joined the suit when an amicus brief was filed.

This suit follows a 1999 lawsuit that halted the reconstructionof sections of Highway 140 damaged by a 1997 flood. The courtruled that a wild and scenic management plan must be in place

before construction near the river could be completed. Thecourt also ordered the river plan released before the YosemiteValley Management plan to assure protection of the river. Groupsare criticizing the river plan, completed in June 2000, for beinghastily put together. They believe it makes allowances for parts of the Valley Plan, a reversal of the court-ordered relationship.

Development around the Merced River in the Yosemite Valleyhas been highly controversial for decades. The park service is tenyears late in releasing a valley plan that finds a balance betweenrecreation and preservation of this profitable and heavily travelednational park. The new plan allows for roads to be widened,

Lifeblood of the Valley

accommodating a diesel busing system and building of parking

lots on previously undeveloped land. While the park servicesays this will reduce congestion in the valley, it has causedenvironmental groups to call both plans development schemesmasquerading as wilderness protection, with the focus onincreasing profits rather than restoration.

Oral arguments in the Merced suit were presented inNovember 2001. The court is currently reviewing hundreds of pages of documents provided by both sides. Many groups haveindicated a desire to file suit against the wider Valley Plan.

For more on how you can help the Native Forest Council fight thedevelopment of Yosemite Valley, visit www.forestcouncil.org.

by Jessica Brittsan

The Public Lands Series

With so many threats to

our natural treasures and somany problems to solve, we feel its equally importantto celebrate and enjoy thesplendor of our public lands.In every issue of the Forest Voice, we highlight a specialpart of public lands in theU.S. These arent the onlyareas we believe shouldbe protected. The NativeForest Council is fighting

for total preservation of all650 million acres of national

forests, BLM lands, nationalparks and wildlife refuges.

Past Features: Winter 2001-2Hart Mt. WIldlife Refuge

Fall 2001Lewis & Clark National Forest

Summer 2001 Jack Morrow Hills (BLM)

Spring 2001Everglades National Park

To obtain past issues, pleasecontact our main office:[email protected]

Unique EcologyYosemites beauty has inspired countless artists, writers,conservationists and visitorseven moved Presidents toaction. Its stirring effects are not surprising, consideringthe beauty of the vast and majestic formations that are home tothousands of species. These species co-exist in an interconnectedweb of ecosystems that have amazed visitors since photographerssuch as Ansel Adams inspired their arrival.

Approximately 500 million years ago, the Sierra Nevadaregion lay buried beneath the sea. As dense layers of sedimenton the sea bed were pushed above sea level, molten rockwelled up from underneath and cooled slowly beneath layersof sediment to form granite. Erosion gnawed away at theoverlying rock, eventually exposing most of the granite. Uplifts,water and then glaciers continued to form the Sierra Nevada,etching the majestic face of Yosemite into what we know andrecognize today.

These formations that comprise what is now YosemiteNational Park begin at 2,000 feet above the current sea level andextend to more than 13,000 feet, encompassing several differentlife zones. The lowest areas, located along the parks westernboundaries, are in the foothill woodland zone of 2,000 to 3,000feet. Although the most common trees in this zone are the

digger and ponderosa pines, oak and California buckeye canalso be found in the area. Orange California poppies, purpleand blue lupine, pink manzanita and many other wildflowers

flood the ground with color in the spring.Between 3,000 and 7,000 feet is the mixed-conifer forestzone, where many trees such as ponderosa and Jeffrey pines,Douglas fir, incense cedar, black oak and California dogwoodlive. This area is also home to the famous giant sequoia groves.The largest living things on Earth in total wood volume, giantsequoias often live for 1,000 to 3,000 years. The chemicals intheir wood and bark provide such resistance to insects andfungi that in Californias Sequoia National Park, piles of sawduststill remain in groves where the trees were cut for timber morethan 100 years ago. Toppling remains the biggest cause of natural death for giant sequoias, which only grow naturally onthe west slope of the Sierra Nevada.

Small, delicate wildflowers such as brodiae, pussy paws andlarkspur decorate the mixed conifer area, as well as the westernazalea, milkweed and cow parsnip.

The lodgepole pine-red fir belt zone, from 6,500 to 9,000feet, overlaps the mixed conifer forest. In areas with thin soil,the lodgepole pine takes hold. The red fir dominates areas withthe best soil and rainfall. This zone has exquisite wildflowers:paintbrush, larkspur, shooting star and monkey flower.

Above 9,000 feet, the forest thins, but still includes treessuch as the mountain hemlock, western white and whitebarkpines. Famous alpine wildflowers such as Danas lupine, whiteheather, alpine penstemon and spreading phlox grow here.

Along with beautiful forests and spectacular scenery,Yosemite boasts a rich variety of wildlife. More than 220 speciesof birds have been found in Yosemite, including the goldeneagle and the peregrine falcon. In 1986, after suffering fromnearly 100 years of diminished populations due to huntingand disease, the California bighorn sheep was reintroducedinto the area. Black bear, mule deer, coyote, gray fox, raccoon,gray and red squirrel, porcupine, five species of chipmunksand the Sierra chickaree also roam Yosemite. The grizzly bearand red-legged and foothill yellow-legged frogs have vanishedforever from the park.

Yosemite is one of the most breathtaking places in theworld, filled with majestic mountains, cliffs, waterfalls, forestsand a variety of wildlife. Lets keep it that way.

by Wendy Martin

The Native ForestCouncil andseveral other

groups joined asuit against theNational Parks

Department.Overturningthe Merced River

Management Plancould derail the

controversialYosemite Valley

Plan andinfluence the

management of the other 160

rivers currentlydesignated wild

and scenic.The Merced River.

YosemiteNationalPark

El Capitan

MariposaGrove

Toulume Meadows

Half DomeYosemite Falls

SanFrancisco

Los Angeles

S I E R R

A N E V A D A

Hetch HetchyReservoir

Lake Eleanor


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6 Forest Voice Spring 2002

O ld habits die hard, especially when it comes to U.S. foreignpolicy. On November 10, George W. Bush appearedbefore the United Nations General Assembly and, ina speech praised by the New York Times for its plain-spokeneloquence, admonished his audience that the responsibility tofight terrorism is binding on every nation with a place in thischamber. Bush apparently felt no need to practice what hepreached about international responsibilities, though. On thesame dayindeed, at the very momenthe was lecturing UNmembers, his own administration was shunning negotiationsin Marrakech, Morocco, tofinalize the Kyoto accord onglobal warming.

How long can theadministration turn its backon issues the rest of the worldcares aboutfrom globalwarming to trade in smallarmsand expect broad support on issues like the war onterrorism? asked Philip Clapp, president of the National

Environmental Trust. Bushs double standard is all the moregrating, considering that the United States is the leading sourceof the greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming.

Like terrorism, global warming is an issue in which everynation has a stake. Already the Earths glaciers are meltingand catastrophic storms are becoming more severe and morefrequentthis, after a mere one degree Fahrenheit increase intemperatures over the past century. Scientists expect four toeleven degrees of additional warming by 2100, bringing moreviolent weather, flooded coastlines and social havoc. New researchreleased in Marrakech by the UN Environmental Program warnsthat global crop yields could fall 30 percent over the twenty-firstcentury.

The Kyoto accord addresses this danger by ordering industrialnations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 5.2 percent by 2012,compared with 1990 levelsa very modest target, consideringthat scientists say global emissions must eventually be cut 60percent. Last summer in Bonn, Germany, 178 nations signed theaccord; the meeting in Marrakech, where US officials observedbut did not participate, hammered out rules for implementation.Other countries have chosen their path, and our answer is still

no, said a Bush administration official.Will Marrakech make much difference? The good news isthat the world has put in place a binding framework requiringgreenhouse gas reductions, and this framework will likely becomelaw despite the U.S. boycott. To come into force, the accordmust be ratified by 55 countries, including a group responsiblefor at least 55 percent of the industrial worlds emissions. Forty

smaller nations have already ratified it, but with the United Statesholding out, the 55 percent standard can be reached only if theEuropean Union, Russia and Japan all ratify. The EU has longbeen on board, and in Marrakech the Russians said they werefinally satisfied. Japans deputy chief cabinet secretary is pushingfor a ratification vote in January, and Prime Minister JunichiroKoizumi has signaled his support. So Kyoto could become lawas early as next spring (although the United States, becauseit didnt sign, wont be bound by it). A further bright spot:Delegates at Marrakech authorized $410 million a year by 2005

for a clean developmentmechanism to subsidize theshift from carbon-based fuelsin poor countries.

The bad news is thatthe Kyoto accord gotso watered down inMarrakech that it may have

very little practical effect during the next ten years, whenprogress is most needed. The original accord relied heavily on

emissions trading, a dubious mechanism that allows countrieswhose emissions are less than the maximum permitted, likeRussia, to sell their excess to countries that are over their quota,like Japan. Now this loophole has been not only codified butexpanded. The chief culprit is Russia, which has 120 milliontons of emissions to trade and which also demanded twice asmuch credit as previously agreed on for the role its vast forestscan play in absorbing carbon dioxide through photosynthesis.Meanwhile, two studies published in Nature this past July suggestthat forests are not nearly as effective in neutralizing emissionsas was thought.

Some environmentalists argue that these loopholes can befixed later, that the emissions targets will be gradually tightenedand eventually produce meaningful effects. And its true thatsince carbon will now have a price in the marketplace, thanksto emissions trading, corporations, governments and individualsmay make better choices about the products they produceand consume. U.S. firms might even obey the accord, despiteWashingtons stance, in order not to be left behind by foreigncompetitors. But wouldnt it be easier if the United Statessimply showed as much commitment to the battle against

global warming as it demands from everyone else in the battleagainst terrorism? Mark Hertsgaard is the author of four books, including EarthOdyssey: Around the World In Search of Our EnvironmentalFuture , and is a commentator on National Public Radios Living OnEarth program. This article originally appeared in the December 10,2001 edition of The Nation magazine (reprinted with permission).

Wouldnt it be easier if the United States simplyshowed as much commitment to the battle againstglobal warming as it demands from everyone else

in the battle against terrorism?

Bush and Global Warmingby Mark Hertsgaard

Like terrorism,global warming isan issue in whichevery nation hasa stake. Already

the Earths glaciersare melting and

catastrophicstorms are

becoming moresevere and more

frequent.Scientists expect

four to elevendegrees of additional

warming by 2100,bringing more

violent weather,flooded coastlinesand social havoc.

A people without children would face a hopeless future. A country without trees is almost as hopeless.

-Theodore Roosevelt

Help leave a legacy for future generations. Enjoy guaranteedincome for life, tax benefits and estate tax savings. Native ForestCouncil offers several planned giving options to increase thebenefits your gift provides the Counciland the financial benefitsfor you and your beneficiaries.

Options available for planned giving:Making a simple bequestTransferring assets with a charitable remainder trustEnjoying guaranteed income with a charitable gift annuitySaving on taxes and enjoying a lifetime income through adeferred gift annuity.Using your retirement plan to give.

To learn more, please contact us or visit our website:Native Forest CouncilPO Box 2190Eugene, OR 97401541.688.2600541.689.9835 (fax) [email protected] www.forestcouncil.org


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7Native Forest Council Annual Report 2002

Annual ReportNativeForest Council

2001

2001 in ReviewRapid Response to Rapid ChangesNative Forest Council is a lean grassroots organization, and oursize and independence allow us to act quickly. Respondingto changes in the political climate is what we do best. And2001 was certainly a year of fast and dramatic changes for ournation. As George W. Bush took office, the new administrationwasted no time starting its assault on our publicly owned lands:appointing anti-conservation cabinet members, gutting budgetsof enforcement agencies, changing administrative rules andpromoting anti-environmental legislation. It had one goal inmind: opening Americas natural assets to big corporations.

Native Forest Council was there. To spread the word, bringsubtle and complicated (and environmentally harmful) policies tolight and work with major newspapers, magazines and televisionnetworks to make sure the American people knew what wasreally happening. We worked to mobilize grassroots responsenetworks, sent out action alerts and kept our congressional alliesinformed. The Bush administration was a new challenge, butit was a challenge with a silver lining. A president so overtlyopposed to conservation brought new attention to our issue andbolstered support for our mission.

Growing Roots: NFC in 2001In 2001, the seeds we planted in 2000 beganto take root. Literally. As we go to press, wereplanting new trees in our backyard! After rentingour office for more than a decade, the Councilboard of directors approved its purchase throughthe Helen Johnson Fund. Like a family movinginto a first home, moving from renter to ownerhas allowed us to make many changes wecouldnt make before and has added to thestability of our home office, both emotionallyand financially.

Like most nonprofits (and most Americans),weve had an unusually difficult year. September11 brought sadness, confusion and anger. It alsobrought new dimensions to U.S. politics, newideas about what it means to be an Americanand new challenges for nonprofit organizations.

As we begin the second quarter of 2002, letshope that the resurgence in patriotism will bematched by pride in our publicly owned lands

and a steadfast commitment to a democracy thatinvites many different opinions and encouragesdissent. Our natural assets depend on it.

Then came September 11. Like all Americans, we were shockedand saddened by the tragedy. Unlike many environmentalists,we welcomed the resurgence in patriotism. And also unlike somany others, we didnt equate this national pride with a refusalto question the Bush administrations policies.

We continued the fight using the same tools that we usebest: litigation, legislation and education. The Council joined acoalition of groups working to oppose destructive developmentin Yosemite National Park (story p.5) and worked to savethe Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. We worked to promotesound environmental education in public schools, providingteachers with accurate information and exposing the deceptionof corporate-produced environmental education. Councilmembers conducted a study of Oregons rivers to document theeffects of logging on drinking water. We worked to stop fraudulentland exchanges, including Oregons Umpqua exchange. Wehelped build a national coalition to stop the Fee Demo Programcharging citizens to use their publicly owned lands. Its been adynamic year, and were looking forward to the future.


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Forest Council Staff: Top: (left to right) Researcher/OutreachCoordinator Erica Langbecker, IT Coordinator Peter Watkins,

Intern Jenny Jackson, Administrative Assistant Debbie Shivers, Managing Editor Wendy Martin, Technical Performance Auditor William Blair. Bottom: Administrative Assistant Denise DeBerry,

President Timothy Hermach, Editor/Vice President Ed Dorsch. Not Pictured: Administrative Director Deborah Ortuno, IT Assistant Adam Burns, Forester Roy Keene, Legal Consultant Rick Gorman, Assistant Webmaster Van Peterson.

2001 Highlights

In Memory

8 Native Forest Council Annual Report 2002

The Colorado River flows through Canyonlands National Park, part of 650 million acres of publicly owned land that Native Forest Council is fighting to save.

D r. Susan Cox and Helen Johnson both passed away in theyear 2000 and each chose the NFC as the recipient of a lifetime bequest. Nature lover, conservation advocate,hiker and backpacker, Dr. Susan Cox died of cancer on May22, 2000. Born in Bristol, England, in 1942, Susan received amedical degree from Victoria University of Manchester, England,in 1965. After fellowships in London and Pennsylvania, she wasan assistant Professor at the Medical College of Pennsylvania forfour years.

She joined Kaiser Northwest Permanente as an obstetrician-gynecologist in 1977, where she worked until her retirement in1996. She was a member of the American College of Obstetriciansand the Oregon Obstetrician-Gynecological Society. Accordingto Susan, however, her medical work was secondary to herenvironmental efforts. An avid outdoorswoman, she kayaked theYukon River of Alaska and New Territories of Canada and hikedin Mexico, Chile, Nepal, Scotland and England.

Susans friends and relatives will always remember her for herkindness, her caring, her generosity and her loving protection of the environment.

Helen Johnson was born in Calgary, Ontario, in 1920. Shemet her husband Harold Happy Johnson while working at aresort in Lake Louise. They moved to Seattle in 1946 and lateropened the Homestead Nursery in Redmond, Washington.

Harold died in 1973, and Helen reluctantly sold the nurseryfive years later. In 1976, she worked to establish Redmond asa Green Survival city, a program to bring plants to publicplaces throughout the community. She was a quiet and persistentactivist who planted and nurtured the seeds of several importantcommunity projects that continue today. In 1979, Helen opened

the doors of the Green Cycle Recycling Center, a service thatcollected and sold recycled glass, newspapers and cans, thenused the money to buy trees for the community. The centercontinues working to encourage recycling and plant more treesin the community that Helen lovedso dearly.

Helen later became interestedin auras and alternative healing,working as a national coordinatorfor the Inner Peace Movement.She remained active until the lastdays of her life, writing letters andvolunteering at the Puget Soundco-op. During her last years, Helenrelinquished most of her materialpossessions, once telling a friendthat too many things hold youdown and make you so stuck youcannot move. She fought in herquiet and willful way tolive and die by herself, in

her apartment, the masterof her own home. It is afight she ultimately won,when she passed awayOctober 31, 2000 at theage of 80.

The memories of Helen Johnson and Dr. SusanCox will live on in thelives they touched and thegifts they left behind,reminding us to be good

Susan Cox and Helen Johnson

Major campaigns: Save the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge;Fight the Umpqua Land Exchange; Preserve roadless areas;Stop the Forest Service Fee Demo Program; Honest Ed

campaign to promote accurate environmental education;Forever Wild legislation to save Americas publicly owned lands.

After more than a decade of renting office space, the Council financed an office purchase through the Helen Johnson Fund.

Administrative Assistants Debbie Shivers and Denise DeBerryand Managing Editor Wendy Martin joined our team.

President Tim Hermach was invited to join the Roster of Experts at the Institute for Public Accuracy, a nationalconsortium of researchers and analysts.

We redesigned our website: www.forestcouncil.org.

The Council joined a coalition of groups suing to stop thedestructive development plan for Yosemite National Park.

In another lawsuit, we took a logging industry group to task for producing their own Forest Voice.

Our articles exposing corporate control of environmentaleducation were printed in Utne Reader, Liberal Slant, VegSource and the New York Times.

The Native Forest Council built coalitions with religious groupscommitted to the environment.

The Council was cited as a source in many newspapers,magazines and television programs across the nation.

We supported other like-minded grassroots groups withtechnical and logistic support to help their mission (and ours).

Susan Cox (right) with friends Phyllisand Helen at Trillium Lake in 1998.

Helen Johnson


9/16

by Wendy Martin

Native Forest Council Annual Report 2002 9

What a country choosesto save is whata country chooses to sayabout itself.

-Mollie H. Beattie,1993-96 Directorof the U.S. Fish andWildlife Service

My idea of wealth was a

person who hadtrees.

W hen she was eight, there were just two trees on MoishaBlechmans block in Cleveland, Ohio. My idea of wealth, Blechman says, was a person who had trees.Under those trees she was at home. It was her place. They gaveher solace when she wasnt feeling well, which was much of herearly childhood.

Blechman lived in the industrial flats near the CuyahogaRiverthe only river ever to catch fire. It was this pollution, saidBlechmans family doctor, that was making her chronically ill. Sothe family moved to a nearby suburb. The first thing Blechmandid, before going inside her new home, was count the trees.

There were so many that, though her family was rather poor, shefelt they were wealthy. She regained her health, rose to the topof her class and began to excel at sports.

Now 68, Blechman lives in Central Park, again surroundedby trees. A former dancer and fashion designer, she is now a fulltime environmentalist. Her husband Bob is a freelance artistand owns a graphic design company. Bob is a hero. He supportsmy doing all of this environmental work, says Blechman.

Dedicated members of the Native Forest Council since 1995,the Blechmans hosted a reception for the Council at their homein 1998. The Native Forest Council does a very good job,Blechman says. They keep everybody informed on a lot of things. They do not have millions of dollars like the opposition,but they make their point nevertheless. She agrees 100 percentwith the Councils uncompromising positions and Zero Cutpolicy. Absolutely, no cut. I wouldnt compromise away anothertree, she says firmly.

Blechmans commitment to conservation began with herchildhood love of trees and has grown throughout her life. In

the 1970s, she joined the New York branch of the Sierra Club,and is now head of the chapter. As chairwoman, she revampedtheir newspaper, organized fundraising opportunities and waschair of their environmental film festival committee. One of herfavorite projects was organizing the annual Christmas parties.Rather than just a social gathering, they were classy events wherenothing went to waste. She prepared finger foods, vegetariandishes, and used glasses instead of plasticone year she washedall 150 of them the next dayso that there was nothing to throwaway. For raffle gifts she arranged to give books on conservationor subscriptions to environmental journals. The parties, sheexplained, were beautiful, sustainable and educationalwordsthat appear to frame her lifes work.

Still an active member of the New York chapter, Blechmanis now chair of the Sierra Club Climate Change Committee.

However, her staunch advocacy for saving all of whats left of our forests, rivers and streams has earned her some animosity,not only from industry officials but also from the compromisingpoliticians at the Sierra Clubs national headquarters. She hasfaced down false accusations, intimidation and underhandedlobbying from those in higher places with ladylike and steadfastdetermination.

Last May, Blechman founded Citizens for a HealthyEnvironment, a small group dedicated to preventing theconstruction of a massive cement plant on a hill 300 feetabove the Hudson River. Its really an advocacy, educationalorganization, just like the Native Forest Council, she says.

Based in Colombia County, the group is part of a coalition of 13 organizations involved in a legal battle to stop the plantsconstruction . She and her group will fight until they win. Afterthat, its on to herbicides and pesticides. You know, theresalways a battle, she says.

Blechman explains her relentless fight against environmentaldestruction rather simply: As a child, my health and myproductivity were absolutely dependent on living with trees.Being connected to animals and the natural world is just whoI am.

In Focus: Moisha Blechman

Expenses

Funding Sources Funding SourcesContributions*.......................88%

Grants.....................................11%

Other.......................................1%

* Contributions for 2001 wererelatively higher than normal. Twolifetime bequests during 2001 haveaffected these percentages.

ExpensesEnvironmental

Education..............................22%

Forest Voice ............................26%

Grassroots Organizing,CoalitionBuilding..................................20%

Public Speaking,ExpertTestimony and Research.........18%

Fund Raising.........................14%

In 2001, the costs of producing Forest Voice were reduced by 4%,

grassroots organizing grew 6% and environmental education expenditures

grew by 3%. A dramatic increasein the relative support from membersreflects two lifetime bequests, but alsodemonstrates our continued efforts toremain a member-funded group.

Contributions*

Grants

Other

EnvironmentalEducation

Forest VoiceGrassrootsOrganizingCoalition Building

Public SpeakingExpert Testimony

& ResearchFund Raising

2001 Financial ReportAs a child, my health and my productivitywere absolutely dependent on living withtrees. Being connected to animals and the

natural world is just who I am.


10/16

Charles AdamsElizabeth & Elisa Adler

John & Janice AllenShan AmbikaCordann Anderson & Rayo

GoforthRon AndersonEdrey Anker

June Anna-FreyWilliam & Betty AnthonyShirley ArmintroutSidney ArnoldPeter AxelrodB.C. OutdoorsKatherine D.

Bachman, M.D.Richard BakalKay BarmoreSam BarrettLinda BartlettBrenda BartonHarold & Lois Barton

John BatemanBill & Denise BattaginPaul Beach, Jr.Stephen BechtelKenneth & Lillie BeckerGerhard Bedding

Jon & Metta BelisleBruce & Lyn BenedictBenjamin J. Rosenthal

FoundationGary BenthinSonali BeraEleanor BerkeLinda & Donald JamesPaul & Dena BerkeyDavid BerkshireLynn BernerHoward & Deborah

BernsteinGaby BirnbaumMildred BlahaRaymond BlalockStephen & Cynthia BlankRonald BleierCarolyn BoardmanBernard BoberDenise BoggsDennis & Michelle BolesF. Kenneth Bolle &

Kathryn HendersonBenjamin BoormanEllen BorowskiHelen BourneSusan & Joseph BowerSteve & Olivia BowersBruce BowlerBob & Cathy BoyerElfrieda BranchBrian BreilingElizabeth BrensingerHal BrillBrookrodDavid Brown

Judd & Mary BrownSusan Browning BurnsGlenn Browning &

Carol YoungHenry BrusePeter BuckleyVictor & Mary BuenzleNathan ButzDavid BybeeDr. & Mrs. Olin ByerlyMichael Byzewski

John CaineCarlo CalabiPaul & Ilse CalabiRichard CalvertShirley CameronSylvia & C.C. CampbellWalter CappsEric & Colleen CarlsonGretchen Hall Carnaby

Juana CarrerasWilliam Carter, M.D.Katharine CashmanDavid & Nancy CenculaKatherine & John CerinoPeter Chabarek &

Willow RoseFlorence ChambersSue Chaney-MeinorVirginia ChristieMichael ChristisonMary Lou CiranniVirginia CiszekClancey Printing Co.Diana Martha Clark

James Clark &Susan Mikkelson

Lisa ClarkFirst Lt. Becky Clausen

Jessica Claydon James CochraneSharon CodyClarence & Claire CoeStephanie CoffinLaurel CollinsSusanna

Colloredo-Mansfeld Joan & James Colonna Jacquelyn ComptonB. Patrick & Jane

Conaway Jeffrey ConnertonPaul Conrad & Maia GayDeanna CordesDon & Lara CorsonSusan CoxPeter CoyoteCheryl CroninStephanie CrowellKevin Crupi

Ann CsonkaCassandra Cuozzo

James & Barbara Dall Joseph & Barb DankoBarbara Davidson

Joan DavisRobert DavisTom DeMarcky

Jeffrey DeanAllen Decker &

Mignonne WalkerRobert DeckerSusanna DefazioVicki DeisnerHarry DemarayLou Anna DenisonDavid DeppenDaniel & Lee DrakeMark DrakeNed Drummond &

Lilith AndersonGeoffrey DryvynsydeGreg DuganHenry & Alice DurickRuth Caroline DyerE.B. BotanicalsLarry EdwardsStan EilersTracy ElmoreGene & Barbara EmgeUrsula Emmons

Joan EnsorAndrew Epstein

Jordan EpsteinKathy EschSue EvansLyle & Jeannie FagnanDiane C. FairclothFrank FalchLiz FallerArthur FarleyLouise FarrellFred FelterDavid FentonDeborah Filipelli &

Michael SandersKermit & Barbara FinstadA. Raul FiolRandall Fischer

James FisherPhilip & Jennifer FloydPat FontaineEdwin FordGordon Onslow Ford

Juliana & S. T. ForgioneEve ForrestHilary ForrestFox Meadow Farms

Jonathan FranzenCecil & Ellen FrasieurWilliam & Louise

Freedman, M.D.Ginny & Robert FreemanLeonard Fremont

John Friede &Lisa Beaudoin

Stephen FrisbeeMichael FromeShirley FroydThomas & Yvonne FugateDonald FuhrerDana FurgersonMarnie Walker GaedeKathy Galatine-Seabloom

& Ed SeabloomSusanne GaudinMartha GellhornKathleen GeorgeHoward & Jane Giazer

James Gibson &Carol Mithers

Kenneth GlasgowThomas & Caroline GlennDr. Alyce GligorMargot Copeland GoodeSylvia Goodman

Joy GormanGabriela Gosman &

Hyagriv SimhanDr. James & Mary Ellen

GosmanDavid Gould

John & Mariam GrahamMichael GraneyRon GranichTim GrantRoy GrauSteve GravesLt. Col. Alan &

Monica GregoryCarl GriesserAdele GrinsteinRobert Gross &

Alice MuccioMartin & Florence HaaseBradford Hall

Jeanne HallWallace Hall, Sr.Dr. Suzanne HanchettTerrance HannaAndrew Hanneman &

Katharine TownsendRoge Harmon

Jim & Nadine HarrancgRebecca Harris &

Keith DuffyRobert & Lois HartwigElaine HeberleinDon Heighe

June HeilmanMike HelmBetty & James

HemmingsenHeather Henderson &

David Donielson

Leo & Juliet HennessyDr. Nicholas HennessyCarl & Elizabeth HermachCharles HermachFrancis HermachGeorge & Carol Hermach

Jeffrey & Anita HermachKen & Kathy HermachTim & Deborah HermachTom & Susan HerschelmanVerna Hershberger

Jerry Herst & Julie DorfmanTerry HiattHamlet HilpertHarry HintlianCynthia HobartKen HobbsLen & Phyllis HockleyNorman & Sallie HoggLee & Margaret HoltHomegrown EnterprizesBruce HornMelvin & Barbara Horton

Jim & Jan HosmerPaul HowesTyler HoytEric & Virginia HoyteRich & Deb HubbardLon HurstThomas & Amanda HurstDonald HynesAlbin Ifsich & Myung Soon

WoohInjoy Productions

Jud & Cathrine IrelandAkira Ito

Josh JackAnne Jaqua

John E. Jaqua Jim & Mary Lue JeffreyAnne JenningsLeroy & Connie JensenChristopher JergerDiab Jerius &

Sherry WinkelmanKenneth & Wilma

JohnsenArt & Anita JohnsonMelba Jones & Dan

DlugonskiTimothy & Alan JonesCorwin Joy

James Joyce &Vicky Davies

Justice & Peace NetworkDavid & Ann KafouryCecelia & Michael KahnkeThomas & Daniela Kaiser

John & Dolores KalmanWilliam Kanar

John & Diane KarpinskiLizbeth KauffmanMark Keating &

Barbie LynchDavid KellGeoffrey KellyMary Catherine KellySteven KennedyWilma & David KennellCharles Kerr &

Gudrun RiceChelsea KesselheimDesmond Keyes

James KezerCharles & Reida KimmelPaul & Judith KindelPhyllis KirkGary KishMark Kloepper &

Jaine RichardsSusan KoeElizabeth KohnLinda Kolakosky

J. Pierre KolischLawrence KoonsDavid KraigPhilip KrohnBob KruegerWalter KuciejMary KwartMatthew LaMarRick & Peg LaMartina

Jim & Nancy LandkamerKarl & Barbara Lange

Jim Langeland Jackie LanumScott Lape &

Theresa McCarthyPatti LaursenLawrence Reed

Moline, LTDPaul & Eileen Le FortEugene LebwohlMary LeckHelen LeesGary & Kaen LeeseDr. Robert LenobelBeverly & Lucinda LewisCarsten LienSteve LijekRichard & Kim LinsLittle Flower Garden Club

Jim LorentzenLarry & Margaret LousenBob & Ming LovejoyNena Lovinger &

Robert EmmonsLouise Tanner LunakLauri LundyWilliam LynchLinda ManduleyArlene & Thomas MarksDr. John & Martha MarksRon & Cay Marquart

Gwen MarshallDebra Martin & Bill Booth

Joseph & Diane MartinLori MasonOlive MayerMarylyn MayhewWootie McAdams

Janet McAlpinWilliam McCarronWendy McCobbBayard & Evelyn

McConnaughey Jeff McKayBeth & John McManusStew & Mimi McMillenDan MelinRob Messick

James MeyerLeonard Militello

Joseph Miller, JrLinda MillerMark Miller &

Susan SamuelsonRevel MillerSusan MillhauserSue Minton-EdisonIra & Nancy MintzMomis Montlake MotelKeith & Jennifer MoonPatricia MooreLaRue Moorhouse

James MoroneDon Morris

James & Pamela MortonDr. John & Ruth MortonPaul MossMichael & Candace

MuellerGlenn MuhrBernice & Charles MullerSarah MurdockBetty Murphy Jeanie MyklandCarl & Janet NelsonRichard Nelson &

Nita CouchmanNewmans Own

John & Ilse Nicholson Jane NovickCarl & Kimberly NurmiErnie & Marietta OByrne

James& Betsy OHalloranNancy OberschmidtGuy OramOrganic Consumers

AssociationPaula Orloff Lenora OrtunoDavid OwenGary Oxman &

Kathryn MenardVirginia & Jack PainePenny PalmerCarol PaoliTerrence ParetPatagonia, Inc.Paul Smith CollegeMark PauliKarl Payne

Judith PeabodyPeacetalk International

Joy Pendergrass &James Roehm Jeffrey PeppBetty PerlmanEugene PerrinDouglas & Heidi PetersDavid & Joanne PhillipsPhotography PlusMichael & Olivia PierceWilliam & Karne PierceDennis PilatDavid Pilz

Janice Pinhero &George Fardelmann

Sandy PolishukWilbert & Mabel PoolHelen & Robert PoseyPerry Powers

Joan PrewittDonald & Diethild Price

Janet & Jeff Propp Joseph PruettGreg PursleySue Racansky

John RadscheidCarol & Stephen RallRick Ralston &

Pam HillstromTodd Rambasek &

Michele GeraciAdrienne RandolGinger Raspiller &

Ken SwanbergHolly RawsonPerry & Carol RawsonDon Redell

Jane ReedEberhard & Ruth

ReichmannValerie ReutherRichard & Rhoda

Goldman FundAnna Marie RiderCarroll & Mratha

RitterBob du RivageLouis River &

Jacqueline Rivett-River

Adina RobinsonGreg & Karmel RobinsonSteven Robinson &

Janice CunyMarya Roddis

John & Elinor RodgersDr. J. Speed RogersMargaret RogersPhilip Rogers

Julia Elaine Romberger &Kevin De Pew

Lawrence Rose, M.D.David RosensteinMargaret RussellWilliam & Bernice RussellPeter RyanDr. & Mrs. Peter SafarIan SalsbergPatricia SamsSan Francisco

Public Library Jeffrey & Babette SandersFrances SargentMichael SauberLise SayerDavid Schaal &

Juanita SalisburyEdward & Bonnie ScheinGeorge & Janet SchemmRosalyn & Brian Scherf Alan SchickErich SchimpsHeidi Schor &

Daniel WinklerAlan & Christa Schorn

Jesse Schraufnagel Jake SchwartzCarl & Fai SchwarzenbergRobert SegalScott Selmanoff

Joseph & EleanorSendrowski

Joanne & Jill ShackelfordCarol Sharlip &

Stephen WhiteAllen & Wynne SheltonStuart ShermanDr. Fraser ShillingSallie ShippenLinda ShockeyKenneth Shults &

Kendall KicMichael & Heidi SilvaEliot & Dorothy SilvermanStan & Shirley Simon

Jeffrey & Barbara SkolnickSue Dornfeld SlaterPaul & Margaret SloanRobin SmithLaurie SnellKirsten SommerCarol SothLaura South-OryshchynMyrna StaffordBill Stallings

Janice StangerEdmund Stanley, Jr.State Historical Society

of WisconsinWilliam & Carol SteeleGuy & Edith SternbergAnna StettnerBarbara Stinson

Jim StoltzDr. and Mrs. Douglas

StoneN. Stewart StoneRobert StoneDr. Thomas Struhsaker

Jim StubblefieldLynn StullLen StuttmanSun Microsystems

FoundationBill Sutherland &

Judy Gilbert John & Gladys SwansonDr. Eric SwedaMarion SweeneyWesley SweitzerTony SzilagyeAnthony TabayoyongFreddie Taborda

Jason & Dana TamblynMary Tarlow

Joel & Ruth TatomKeith & Nancy TaylorKenneth & Ratana

TennyDr. Eugene Tennyson, Jr.Sandy & Berte Tepfer

Sylvia Tepper &Bobbie Bonnickson

Mary ThayerThe Childrens

Book ReviewElise Thibodeau &

Kevin ZorskCamilla ThomasonHelen ThompsonLane & Dorthy

Thompson John ThorntonTides FoundationRoderick & Debra TirrellPeter Toll

Joe ToyoshimaDouglas TrentTrillium Natural GroceryLiz TrojanMarlene TrunnellDr. Nathan TublitzTom & Han TurnerMrs. Mack Tyner, Jr.Alex Uber & Pam BrownMalcolm UlrichStephen UnfriedUniversity of MichiganKei UtsumiEdward Van EgriVermont Law

School LibraryGary & Donna ViaMichael Vickerman &

Pamela WiesenLucille VinyardMary VogelSteve VogelDouglas & Christine

VolkEdward Von BleichertRobert WagnerWilliam WagnerLarry WalkerCatherine WallingBernie WaltersFrank Wann

Jeffrey WeihWentworth, Hauser &

ViolichFrederick WestcottMrs. Hawk WestonWillard & Evelyn

WheelerWhidbey Environmental

Action NetworkCorinne WhiteGarv WhiteBrian WhitlockRobert & Barbara

WidmerDoug & B.J. WiegandAnnecoos WiersemaWild AlabamaWild Oats Markets, Inc.Glen WilliamsLloyd Williams & Lucia

ManeriRobert & Karen WilliamsRuth WilliamsVincent WilmarthBrian WilsonMarilyn & Jerry WilsonDoris Wimber

Judith Wink & MichaelZumoff

Jimmy WitheringtGeorge & Jane WithersDr. Bernard WitkopElaine Woodriff Steve& Wiletta

WoodsonWorking AssetsMichael WorshamDoug WrightDan WylieYKK A, Inc.Priscilla YatesDr. Susan & John YatskyDaniel YoungMichael YoungElisabeth ZallRobert ZoellmerEric & Naomi

Zwerling

10 Native Forest Council Annual Report 2002

Forest Council Members, 2001

Thank YouThanks to your support, werecontinuing to lead the fight for your publicly owned lands.


11/16


by Wendy Martin

John Borowski circles a two-inch space on the blank chalkboardat North Salem High School in Salem, Oregon. This wholechalkboard represents the native forest that we had whenChristopher Columbus came to a new world. He points at the

circle. This is what we have left. Now you mean to tell me that

those who destroyed these lands are responsible to say that weshould negotiate this last little sliver? The students look at him.They start to ask questions.

Borowski grew up in suburban Bloomfield, New Jersey. Hismother was an artist and always encouraged him to see things,not just to look at them, and his father loved flowers andnature. His grandmother worked as a railroad car cleaner. Shehad a weakness for tuna and cod fishing, says Borowski. Afterwork she would take a three-hour train ride out to sea for somefishing. I have a family that fostered a real love of whats outthere. Each summer his father would pack up the 56 Chevyand take the family to his grandmothers cabin in Maine. Idcome back to New Jersey after three weeks of vacation and myfriends would say, Oh no, Johns gonna tell his country storiesagain. They didnt believe it. You cant drink lake water, theydsay. No one sees bears, theyd say.

For the last 23 years, John Borowski has been teachingenvironmental science. He is also the environmental educationcoordinator for the Native Forest Council. I fell in love withteaching, he says. I realized that educations the ticket. Itsounds so easy. But talk to everyday people, and youll find

that we are woefully ignorant.In 1990 Borowski moved to Salem with his wife, Trish, anddaughters, Jillian and Jenna. He earned his B.S. in environmental

biology from Bloomfield College, and later his M.S. in scienceeducation from Oregon State University. His writing has beenpublished in the New York Times, Oregonian, UTNE Reader andother national publications. He has also made appearances onABC and national radio programs to speak about corporate PRcampaigns in our schools.

It struck Borowski how much children were separated fromnature when he was 21 and a naturalist intern at the Universityof North Carolina. He taught kids from kindergarten throughninth grade, and realized that many of them felt nature wassomething irrelevant. A child came up to him once and said,

Uh, John, Im really not into this nature stuff. He replied,Well, its nice to breathe air and drink water. Regardless of whatyoure told, you are into nature. You are part of nature.

Borowski is currently leading the Native Forest CouncilsChildren for an Honest Education Campaign, which attemptsto expose corporate interests in public education. The program,which officially began this March, is reaching out to schoolsacross the country. Kids are being fed a lot of lies. Thats whatis making our job hard, says Borowski.

Helping children learn the facts and value the environmentis Borowskis goal. He stresses that teaching is a job of citizenshipand not advocacy: Preaching is not teaching, he says. Hemakes a point not to express his personal opinions on issues,although it is evident that he is strongly committed to theenvironment. You must make your own decisions, he says tohis students. All I ask is that you know all the data.

Staff Spotlight: John Borowski

Borowski believes that environmental education shouldbegin in kindergarten with the concept of a trade-offcomparing

the benefits of cutting trees and extracting resources to what welose by doing so. Middle school should be a time when studentsare given critical thinking questions to consider. In high schoolthat critical thinking and knowledge should be combined toprovide students with the ability to investigate and draw theirown conclusions.

As a devout Christian, Borowski believes that God helpsthose who help themselves and that as elders, it is ourresponsibility to stop corporate-funded misinformationin our schools and lives. Whatever happened to the conceptof what you leave behind instead of what you take? he asks.Our current economic standards assign worth only in terms of monetary value. Why do we put a price on a two-by-four andyet we dont put a price on that tree standing up? he asks.

My own circle of environmental educators say Im strident;they say Im angry, Borowski says. When he was 15, his brotherwas diagnosed with melanoma cancer. In the hospital oneday, Borowski went into the childrens ward to make a phonecall and was terrified. He saw kids with amputated legs, withskin grafts on their face, with bald heads from chemotherapy.

Years later, a professor told him that approximately 70-90%of childrens cancer was the result of environmental problems.Im not so angry that Im seething to lash out, but Im angryat this injustice. No child should be a pawn for profit. Whencorporations knowingly have the information, and they pawnour childrens health, or the things they need for their health,youre damn right Im angry.

This combination of anger and dedication make Borowskia fighting force in the environmental education movement.Knowledge is power, he says. Saving the environment is notgoing to happen through violence; its going to happen throughthe power of knowledge. Back in the classroom, a student asksa question: Mr. Borowski, weve been taught a mantra, over andover again: We must have balance. It seems to me the balancehas been lost a long time ago. Borowski jumps up and downand cheers them on. I love it when you think!

Environmental science teacher gives students the facts, and works to educatechildren and the public about the environment and how to save whats left.

I fell in love with teaching, he says. Irealized that educations the ticket. It sounds

so easy but talk to everyday people, andyoull find that we are woefully ignorant.

No child shouldbe a pawn for

profit. Whencorporationsknowingly havethe information,and they pawnour childrenshealth, or the

things they needfor their health,

youre damn rightIm angry.

Although environmental education is becoming increasinglypopular (it is now required as part of the curriculumin at least 31 states), corporate influence on curricula is

growing. Chronically underfunded teachers who are ever pressedfor time often unknowingly accept slick packets of corporate PRmaterial disguised as lesson plans.

For the third year in a row, the Native Forest Council willattend a national convention sponsored by the National ScienceTeachers Association, one of the many industry front groupsworking to promote corporate interests in education. At theconference, industries and their front groups pass out materialsto teachersand ultimately to our childrenthat rationalizeeverything from deforestation to species extinction.

Last year, booths set up by industry groups and corporationsoutnumbered true environmental education presentations twentyto one. This March, John Borowski and other membersof Native Forest Council will again offer an alternative toenvironmental education curriculum produced by the verycorporations responsible for environmental problems.

Native Forest Councils booth at the National Science TeachersConvention in 2000 was the lone voice for the forests amid corporate

greenwash. From left to right: Council Regional Rep. Wayne Newton, Regional Rep. Robin Smith, member and teacher John Borowski and President Tim Hermach.

John Borowski and his daughter, Jenna, at Opal Creek in Oregon.

For more information onenvironmental education,including lesson plans,book reviews and a wealthof links to environmentalorganizations, please visit our website:www.forestcouncil.org .

Some other good resourcesfor parents and teachers:

Living in the Environment ,by G. Tyler Miller. Theoptimal go to book for lesson plans and organiza-tional ideas. Packed withenlightening charts, graphsand other visual aids.

State of the World (series),by World Watch Institute.

An excellent classroomreference, this series isthe most widely accepted source of environmentaldata. It is well organized and footnoted.

The Honest Education Campaign


12/16


Atremendous victory. A kick in the ass of the timberindustry. A huge step forward for native fish conservation.A win whose significance cannot be overstated. These arethe chest-beating sound bites that have been broadcast by a cadreof environmentalists to support their settlement of a lawsuitagainst the Forest Service over plans to clearcut thousands of acres in Montanas Bitterroot National Forest, along the spine of the Continental Divide.

But it turns out that the deal is much less than its cracked upto be by the green dealmakers. Indeed, the vaunted settlement,hatched with the Bush administration, will give a green light toone of the largest timber sales ever on public forest lands in theUnited States, in an area that is home to grizzlies, wolves andrare trout.

Heres the story.In the summer of 2000, fires raced across the Bitterroot

forests, charring trees, burning down houses, generating mediahysteria and whetting the appetite of the big timber companies,whove come to learn that when there are fires, cheap timbersales soon follow. Of course, summer fires are nothing new forthese Rocky Mountain forests. Its a fire-dependent ecosystem,the very forests themselves having evolved with fire. But theBitterroot valley is no longer a wilderness landscape, and you canput part of the blame for that on John Denver, whose song WildMontana Skies hit the airwaves in the 70s like a real estate ad forthis once sleepy valley. He was born in the Bitterroot Valley inthe early morning rain / Wild geese over the water headin northand home again. With these treacly lyrics, Denver launched a

land raid of rich back-to-the-landers, who now inhabit multi-million dollar hobby ranches at the edge of the wilderness. Theylike the view, but they dont like the rhythms of the ecology: theywant fire suppression, predator control, and privacy from hikers.After the fires, the locals wanted the scorched forests logged,buying into timber industry hype that clearcutting reduces firerisk. In fact, just the reverse is the case. Logged-over forestsproduce more and bigger fires than natural forests. But theForest Service was only too willing to comply. It quickly cobbledtogether what would be billed as the largest timber sale in US

history, offering at a bargain rate more than 190 million boardfeet of timber from 46,000 acres of forest. But it overreached.Anxious to please its financial backers in big timber, the Bushadministration issued an emergency ruling exempting the salefrom any kind of administrative challenge or appeal. The SierraClub and six other groups (Friends of the Bitterroot, The EcologyCenter, American Wildlands, the Center for Biological Diversity,Pacific Rivers Council, and the Wilderness Society) quickly filedsuit against the plan.

A huge victory was won in the courtroom of federal JudgeDon Molloy, who excoriated the Forest Service for traducingnumerous federal laws. A preliminary injunction against the

sale was handed down. The Forest Service took its appeal of the decision to the Ninth Circuit Court, which sent the caseback to Judge Molloy asking him to rule quickly on whethersome sales could proceed. In particular, the Forest Service wantedapproval to log 15 timber sales, before this winters snowsmelted. The judge ordered both sides to enter into a mediationprocess, overseen by federal Judge Michael Hogan. Hogan is anotorious right-winger and born-again Christian whose loathingof environmentalists is equaled only by his hatred of abortionproviders.

Its important to note that Judge Molloy did not order theparties to agree to a settlement, but merely to attempt to reach adeal. He was prepared to make a final ruling in the case withina week. But the environmentalists were apparently itching todeal. In a revealing story in the Missoulian , Sherry Devlin quotes

Sierra Club president Jennifer Ferenstein as saying the plaintiffsmet on February 3 and faxed a settlement proposal to the Bushadministration that included a concession that would allow areasto be logged within days. The signal we gave is that we arewilling to consider an option that put people out on the ground,Ferenstein said. We can be flexible.

This new sense of flexibility came after the enviroswere tweaked by Montana Senator Max Baucus, a conservativeDemocrat who is up for reelection in the fall. Baucus applaudedMolloy for knocking their heads together and urged the envirosto agree to a settlement that would permit some logging thiswinter.

The Bush administration said that the enviro proposal was agood starting point for negotiations. The opposing sides convenedfor a two-day session in Missoula and the deal was hatched. Itcalls for 60 million board feet of timber sales and clearcuttingon about 14,000 acres of land. The enviros signed away theright to challenge those sales, regardless of their environmentalconsequences.

Then came the blizzard of self-serving press releases. Thisis a great improvement for our wild forests, wildlife habitat,

native fish, and, perhaps most importantly, public participation,crowed Ferenstein, president of the Sierra Club. We havepreserved the right of the public to appeal Forest Service decisionsthat would harm the national forests they enjoy and want toprotect.

Once we were finally able to sit down and talk, we madesome real headway. It was the kind of productive discourse thatwould have been silenced had we not challenged the originalBitterroot plan, said Ferenstein. The original Bitterroot planwas a transparent attempt by the Bush administration to increasecommercial logging on our national forests, skirt public scrutinyand circumvent important environmental regulations.

Sell-Out in MontanaA Bitter Root To Swallow

Felled green pine at the Bear timber sale. After a week of denying that any green trees were being cut, the Forest Service admitted on March 1, 2002that numerous large green ponderosa pines had been illegally cut in the

Bear timber sale. Photo Wild Rockies Earth First!, February 2002.

As part of theForest ServicesBurned Area

Recovery Plan,60 million boardfeet of trees will

be cut from14,000 acresenough trees tofill 12,000 log

trucks lined upend to end formore than 100

miles.Environmentalistssigned away the

right to challengethose sales,

regardless of theirenvironmentalconsequences.

by Jeffrey St. Clair and Alexander Cockburn

The vaunted settlement, hatched withthe Bush administration, will give a

green light to one of the largest timbersales ever on public forest lands in the

United States in an area that is home togrizzlies, wolves and rare trout.

Dealing With The DevilThey tried to cut a deal with the Forest Servicebut ended up greenlighting thelargest timber sale in the nation. There aremany sides to this story, and we asked members of the groups that brokered thedeal to give their point of view. None could meet our deadline, but look for a different

perspective on the Bitterroot in our next issue. We want the Forest Voice to be anopen forum for different opinions, so feelfree to send in yours. Our goal? To learnfrom our mistakes and save public lands.

-ed.

Bitterroot National Forest

Montana

Idaho

Bitterroot N.F.

307,000 acres burned in

the Bitterroot N.F. during

the summer of 2000.

From 1990-1999, the

Forest sold 83 million

board feet. This sale

will at least double this

amount in 3 to 5 years.

This is the largest timber

sale in U.S. history.

The bull trout, an

endangered species, will

be adversely affected by

the recoveryproject,

along with many other

species.

12

Idaho

Montana

Montana

Idaho


13/16


14/16


A Little Perspectiveby Jenny Jackson

I hope that we shallcrush in its birth the

aristocracy of ourmoneyed corporationswhich dare already to

bid defiance to thelaws of our country.

-Thomas Jefferson, 1812

C orporate power has become so ubiquitous in Americanpolitics that it seems as if its always been there: apervasive, intransigent and a fact of life. Its hard todeny that money buys political influence. Too often, though,we forget that America hasnt always worked this way.

Citizens once controlled corporations. For a century after theAmerican Revolution, corporations were kept on a short leash,

governed by citizens, limited by charters and ruled by conditionsof operation. In fact, this was one of the guiding precepts inthe founding of our nation. Not only were colonists seekingsovereignty from the monarchy, they wanted freedom fromthe remote tyranny of the British Crown corporations,which were created explicitlyto exploit U.S. colonies. Statesgranted corporate charters toease the financial burdens of building roads, bridges or otherprojects for citizens.

Still quite wary of corporatecontrol after finally shruggingoff the yoke of Britishcorporations such as the Hudsons Bay Company, legislators werecautious about granting corporate charters. Few were conferred,and often after much debate. A charter was granted for a limitedtime and, unless it was renewed, the corporation dissolved.A corporation had to follow the conditions of its charter(which served only the public interest), and the charter

could be revoked if the

conditions werent metor if the corporationexceeded its authority

or caused publicharm.

Charters were revoked routinely in the nineteenth century,and Thomas Jefferson recognized the necessity of this tightcontrol, saying, I hope that we shall crush in its birth thearistocracy of our moneyed corporations which dare already tobid defiance to the laws of our country.

Over time, corporations accumulated money and power,persuading legislators to make charter laws more lax. They fought

in the courts, taking the power of eminent domain, a workersassumption of risk and the managerial prerogative. The tide wasturning on citizen control of enterprise.

In 1886, the rules of engagement changed forever:Corporations became people. The Supreme Court ruled that

a corporation was a naturalperson, protected by theFourteenth Amendment, ameasure that was supposed todefend freed slaves. Corporationswere given status as legal citizensbefore African Americans, NativeAmericans and women.A natural person is protected

by the law and the Constitution, meaning protection by thepolice and the military as well. Often, this protection is usedagainst human persons, those who attempt to halt the pollutionof our waters and wholesale destruction of public lands. Citizensare charged with trespassing or vandalism, while corporationsare free to do as they please under the protection of the law.

Corporations are also given First Amendment rights. This

means their voice in politics and society is equal to thatof another natural person. Corporations have vast financialresources and in our country, where expenditures have beendefined as free speech, that allows for a voice much louder thanthe average citizen.

This purchase of democracy is a theft of our freedom. Afterall, rights are for people. Corporations have privileges, but onlythose privileges that we bestow upon them. In this context,corporations should be under our control, not the other wayaround. In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt wrote a warningto Congress: The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the peopletolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes

stronger than the democratic state itself. That in its essenceis fascism: ownership of government by an individual, by agroup or any controlling private power.

Today, of the worlds 100 largest economies, more than half are corporations. Even after the recent stock market meltdown,

Bill Gates was worth $60 billion or so. These virtual nation-states traverse the globe with impunity, enjoying all the

rights of individuals, but they remain exempt from any of the responsibilities. As privatized central planning grows, freemarkets are stifled, and so is democracy. If we are to governourselves once again, we must revoke rights of personhood from

the artifact of law known as the limited liability corporation.We must question the legitimacy of this entitys claim to power.If a corporation has asserted power beyond that allowed in itscharter, it should be dissolved. There are still statutes in placeto revoke corporate charters. Its time to assert our power anddemand accountability.

Corporate control of democracy is not a given, but ourunalienable rights should be. And most Americans agree.According to a recent issue of Business Week (hardly a radicaljournal), 72 percent of Americans believe corporations havetoo much power over our lives. Seventy-three percent believeCEOs are overpaid. Granted, reclaiming our democracy is aformidable task. But its no more daunting than a bunch of colonists in the New World vanquishing Great Britain.

Program onCorporations, Law andDemocracy (POCLAD)PO Box 246South Yarmouth, MA02664603.473.8637www.poclad.org

CommunityEnvironmental LegalDefense Fund2244 Lindsay Lot Rd.Shippensburg, PA17257717.530.0931www.celdf.org

Reclaim DemocracyPO Box 532Boulder, CO 80306303.402.0105www.reclaim

For a century afterthe AmericanRevolution,

corporations werekept on a short

leash, governed bycitizens, limitedby charters and

ruled byconditions of

operation.

Throughout the nineteenth century,corporate charters were routinely revoked

by citizens. It wasnt until 1886 thatcorporations were granted the rights of a

natural person.

14

Jenny Jackson is a freelance writer in Eugene, Oregon. She is currently completing her thesis on the corporate culture of Nike.


15/16


Solutions: Election Reform?by Jenny Jackson

The campaign finance reform bill (H.R. 2356) passed by theHouse on Valentines Day is a valiant attempt to dividetwo age-old bedfellows: politicians and corporations. TheShays-Meehan bill may be well-intentioned, but there is noguarantee it will solve a problem perpetuated by the solutionmakers.

By a vote of 240-189, the House agreed to ban softmoney contributions (unregulated, unlimited donations fromcorporations, unions and individuals to national political parties).Stricter disclosure requirements are also part of the bill, in an

attempt to clean up and air out political fundraising activities.Also, limits on individual contributions would be raised. Thinkits the perfect prescription to cure what ails our depraveddemocracy? Youd be underestimating the severity of the disease.Although Shays-Meehan seeks to curb some specific forms of bribery, money will find other ways to shape politics.

Where theres a law, theres a loopholeAs the recent Enron debacle has shown us (only because the

companys hemorrhaging stock brought it under public scrutiny),theres often more going on in politics than meets the eye, andnew laws will merely divert the flow of ethical infractions frompublic attention rather than stanch the current entirely.

Where theres a law, theres a loophole. While Shays-Meehanwill tighten federal rules, big corporations will likely shift theirgiving to the state level. Also, contributors would still be ableto bundle, evading contribution limits by combining manyindividual campaign checks. The bundler gets political clout, butthe gifts are off the record.

Campaign finance reform affects only the actions of lobbyists,not their power. In fact, lobbying has grown as a lucrative

industry since laws were enacted in the 1970s. All too often,regulations are symbolic, forcing transactions into the dark, whilepower structures remain.

Fox guarding the henhouseThe Shays-Meehan bill contains no provision for an

independent regulation agency. Self-policing seems to be thelaw of the land with campaign finance, and once lobbying laws

As we await final approval of the first meaningful campaignfinance reform bill since Watergate, I just cant shake thisimagined scene from the future:Its late spring. President Bush has just reluctantly signed the

ban on soft money into law, and the supporters of reform havegathered for a victory celebration.

Savoring their historic achievement are the heroes of thebitter political battle: John McCain, Russ Feingold, Chris Shays

and Marty Meehan. Glasses are raised. High-spirited toasts aremade. To fighting the good fight. To the death of soft money.To restoring integrity to public life. Someone even raises a good-natured glass to uber anti-reformer Mitch McConnell.

Suddenly, the smile disappears from McCains face. Allright, he says, echoing the famous final line in The Candidate,What do we do now?

The thudding sound of reality collectively setting in fills thebar. The designated driver has sobered everyone up.

Because, as McCain told me after the historic House votelast month: This bill will only thwart the special interests for solong. Twenty years from now, they will have figured out ways toget around it, and another couple of senators will be fighting tobreak the endless cycle of corruption and reform.

But even before the lobbyists and the lawyers start ferretingout the new loopholes like pigs snorting for trufflesand it willtake them a lot less than 20 yearsthe ban on soft money is farfrom the end of the overwhelming influence of money on ourcampaigns. The fact is, soft money donations made up less than20 percent of the nearly $3 billion spent on the last round of federal elections, while hard money donations totaled roughly$1.75 billion.

In the meantime, politicians from both parties are trippingover themselves in a desperate stampede to cash in before softmoney goes the way of DDT, Dalkon Shields and the Pinto. Thefundraisers are revving up their Rolodexes and putting out thecall to fat-cat donors across the land: Gentlemen, start yourcheckbooks!

The next few months will see a Neroesque orgy of politicalfundraising. The juiciest morsel of bait in the Republican tacklebox is Rudy Giuliani who, in a particularly distasteful exampleof cashing in on Sept. 11, this week headlined a fundraiser forHouse Republicans touted as a Salute to Americas Heroes. Toparaphrase Todd Beamer: Lets bankroll!

So what, indeed, do we do next?Well, we need to work on many fronts at once. We should

immediately fortify the notoriously toothless Federal ElectionCommission with some real enforcement bite.

And we should demand that broadcasterswho, after all, aremaking massive profits using the public airwavesoffer political

candidates free TV time. In 1997, in an example of everythingthats wrong with Washington, Congress simply gave away thedigital spectrum to the broadcasters, a little gift now worthhundreds of billions of dollars. Asking them to help clean up ourpolitical system seems a small price to pay in return.

Ultimately, though, the only way to dramatically diminishthe corrupting influence of special-interest money is by adoptingthe Clean Money, Clean Election model, which replaces the non-

stop money-grab with full public financing of elections. Thinkof it: No hard money, no soft money, no endless dialing fordollars, no quid pro dough deals. Just candidates and electedofficials beholden to no one but the voters.

And this is no pie in the sky fantasy. Clean Money laws instates like Maine and Arizona have proven remarkably effective:reducing campaign spending, shrinking the influence of outsidemoney and encouraging more, and better, people to run.

So McCain and company need to finish their celebratorydrinks, pat each other on the back, settle the check and girdthemselves to join the fight anew: The tougher battles for reformlie ahead.

are passed and the publics cries for reform are appeased, thegovernment often lapses into a state of ethical apathy.

One example concerns House Majority Whip Tom DeLay,who requested large sums of money from lobbyists in exchangefor congressional favors and access. Although DeLay violatedcampaign finance laws, he was never punished for histransgressions. Under the new bill, he would not be heldaccountable either.

Do as I say, not as I do

The greatest cause for skepticism is when the bill will takeeffect: not until Nov. 6, 2002the day after Election Day. If legislators were serious, they would regulate their actions beforesecuring another term in office.

Eve

forest voice spring 2002

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