WASHINGTON, DC (December 17, 2007) -- A broad coalition of forestry, sportsmen and conservation organizations applauded the Senate’s passage Friday of a bill that would create a new program aimed at helping communities conserve threatened forests for watershed protection, outdoor recreation, wildlife habitat, and sustainable forest management. The Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Program, authored by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) as part of the Senate version of the 2007 Farm Bill, now moves to a House conference committee, which is expected to consider the legislation early next year.

“This bill is aimed at bringing the woods closer to people,” says Wilderness Society Executive Director Bill Meadows – noting that more than 40 million acres are expected to be converted from forestlands to developments by 2030. The new program will provide 50-50 federal matching grants to local governments. “Few communities have the necessary capacity to conserve forestlands that protect their water supply, support a timber-based economy, or enhance recreational opportunities, scenic beauty and quality of life for local residents. The Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Program will give them a quality-of-life protection tool they’ve never had.”

Jad Daley, a spokesman for the Eastern Forest Partnership (http://www.easternforest.org), an alliance of fourteen national, regional and state conservation groups including The Wilderness Society, applauded Senator Leahy for his leadership.

“We are seeing communities across the nation take a leadership role for conservation,” Daley says. “Americans know that community forests and other open spaces will draw our kids into the woods and away from the TV, provide clean water to drink, and create opportunities for citizen-led forest stewardship. Thanks to Senator Leahy’s program, the federal government will have a new tool help communities purchase these lands and maintain our forest heritage.”

The new program will:

• enable communities to acquire forest areas that are economically, culturally, and environmentally important … areas that are threatened by conversion to non-forest uses
• establish forests that will be owned by communities
• have a management plan subject to a public process
• provide technical assistance to communities for community forest management
• be established under the U.S. Forest Service system and in cooperation with appropriate state and local units of government

The Senate bill authorizes creation of the new program, but The Wilderness Society and other supporters expect to seek appropriations the following budget year.

“The Senate joining the House in passing this bill is the first step in journey that helps protect forests near where people live,” Meadows says. “It’s an opportunity to mitigate losses caused by pending development, and one that enables communities to preserve land for uses ranging from forestry to wildlife habitat.”

Daley, meanwhile, points to a precedent of Congress starting key conservation initiatives with a simple authorization: The Forest Legacy Program began that way and has now funded protection of more than 1 million acres of land. The Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program, launched in 2002, has invested more than $175 million toward conservation projects in 25 states.

For More Information

• National Forests on the Edge, a Forest Service report documenting development pressures on America’s national forests and grasslands: http://www.fs.fed.us/openspace/  

Founded in 1935, The Wilderness Society is a nonprofit advocacy organization that works to protect America’s wilderness and wildlife. With the help of more than 310,000 members and supporters, The Wilderness Society seeks to ensure that future generations will enjoy the clean air and water, wildlife, natural beauty, opportunities for recreation and spiritual renewal provided by protected forests, rivers, deserts, and mountains.