HomeMy WebLinkAbout5-27-2020 Public Comment - N. Ostle - Bozeman Municipal Watershed logging projectFrom:Chris MehlTo:AgendaSubject:FW: [SUSPICIOUS MESSAGE] Bozeman Municipal Watershed logging projectDate:Wednesday, May 27, 2020 4:19:25 PM
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Chris MehlMayor, City of Bozemancmehl@bozeman.net406.581.4992________________________________________From: Nancy Ostlie [nancyostlie@gmail.com]Sent: Wednesday, May 27, 2020 1:40 PMTo: Chris MehlCc: DeLuca, TomSubject: [SUSPICIOUS MESSAGE] Bozeman Municipal Watershed logging project
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Dear Chris,Thank you for all you have been doing as Bozeman Mayor during the coronavirus epidemic to keep our community well-advised of health recommendations. Great job!
I am writing today to inquire about the Bozeman Municipal Watershed (BMW) project, which is now set to proceed after an injunction on the sale was lifted. I have been in touch with some who were involved in the litigation tostop the project, because I have an interest in seeking the strongest possible protection for the roadless lands of the Gallatin Forest. The longtime conservationists in the community with whom I work are associated with or membersof Great Old Broads for Wilderness, Gallatin Yellowstone Wilderness Coalition and Gallatin Wildlife Association. We are united in wanting "best science" to guide our leadership. As you know from our talks, we favor an outcomemost like "Alternative D" in the upcoming Forest Plan Revision and we hope to convince Congress in the long run to support it.
That's the long way of saying we object to the extent of forest "restoration" work that is proposed under the BMW plan. We are just in a fact-finding stage since there may not be legal recourse within Forest Service rules at this timeafter the appeal by NEC and AWR failed. Based on the science produced since the inception of the BMW plan, including that published by Dr. Cathy Whitlock, logging would not reduce the risk of wildfire or protect our watershed,but endanger it. Logging this beautiful, healthy forest would lead to early runoff, drying of vegetation and other threats to the ecosystem on which the aquifer depends. Some in the Forest Service have compared the project to thaton Mt. Helena, but there a large number of beetle-killed trees covered the hillsides immediately next to downtown and residential neighborhoods. Our forests are thriving. Logging would irreparably harm them. For the wildlife,recreational benefits, real estate values and because the old-growth trees are not replaceable especially in this period of climate change we are facing, we should find alternatives to safeguard the Bozeman drinking water supply.Perhaps a temporary plan to draw water from our rivers could tide over the city's needs until reclamation were done after a fire. Treatments to protect homeowners are effective 200' from structures in the WUI, but the old-growthtrees don't burn; they are fire-resistant.
We would like to ask that the City of Bozeman to have the City Attorney and their water conservation staff review the city's own statutory rules about watershed protection and how new science since 2011 might show that the"restoration treatments" proposed ten years ago might actually HARM the watershed on which Bozeman depends and that we know is a limited resource that may not support our projected needs. Certainly it would be best for thecity to seek opinions on this BEFORE the logging proceeds. We know that public input in prior Bozeman meetings has appealed to stop or modify this project, though I personally have not been involved until now. I was hopingfor the 'best' outcome. I have heard it said that litigation is the ultimate public input. Hopefully we can bring improvements to forest protection with amicable negotiation.
I am not a scientist, but I was glad that you talked last week with University of Montana's Dean of Forestry Tom DeLuca. Though Tom and I had not discussed the BMW project's merits or flaws, we have had discussions aboutrecent fire science and timber management as part of the Governor's Montana Forest Action Advisory Council meetings this year.
We hope that we share the common goal of protecting the watershed and the wild areas so many in Bozeman use and enjoy every day. We are including references below of current science that merit the city's consideration for thepublic good and our common goals in preserving the watershed, reducing wildfire risks to structures, and being responsible stewards of our public lands.
Sincerely,
Nancy OstlieBozeman406-556-8118
http://secure-web.cisco.com/1RIyL0P2ZWyMXpbDxe2vgW6mG4ALD2yKiXivc8gjgKsznuYI2eicaEW7dnZYchCCTU-0BtnnAwPeTYM1HdbXnI4bElUXV1OiX21k22Et_i7JRjTkKELzQbudt5NpFTpqsBC7--ZoDERqmeOUTlt3Utbt7UeZZO37vpPM0gUURHTXpJXc_KWGKE-btIcXZ1rnGUTHaT7xfsX5g8O92QXhVI5TaL3F7j4i7v2c3CLXFpoZgLcXWtO_lx7VTS3ocplgs6lkkpb4TOgL_4OWlOqrOIV9QQhjPD578dMDOmRPV40RhYGVjB7hA5xq7pnxhiIQb81Utwdc8IjhOHBEkXhexIaDlxUyUxzakD6-rcplpuYSYErxSMfbfUIpyPQrpY2P5Q7cXH3o47pCrMyCyKyBEgQ/http%3A%2F%2Fmontanaclimate.org%2Fchapter%2Ftitle-page
Cathy Whitlock is a professor at Montana State University in the field of paleoecology and paleoclimatology. She is also the lead author of the Montana Climate Assessment , a collaborative project between Montana universities,non-profits organizations, State-Tribal Colleges, and federal-state agencies, that outlines the potential impacts climate change will have in Montana published in 2017. Dr. Whitlock was elected to the National Academy of Sciencesin 2018