In early June 2006, four former governors of Vermont, Philip H. Hoff, Governor 1963-69, Thomas P. Salmon, Governor, 1973-77, Madeleine M. Kunin, Governor, 1985-91, and Howard B. Dean, Governor, 1991-2003, sent a joint letter in support of wilderness designation to Vermont’s congressional delegation, Senators Patrick Leahy and James Jeffords and Rep. Bernard Sanders.
The Governors begin, “We are writing to express our support and appreciation for your proposal to establish additional wilderness on the Green Mountain National Forest. Additional wilderness will afford Vermonters and our visitors the opportunity to hike, camp, hunt, fish, swim, canoe, kayak, and cross-country ski in some of our state's few remaining big wild places where natural processes can predominate. Providing lasting protection for these wild places will be extraordinarily beneficial to the state's environment, economy, and people for many generations to come.”
In their letter, the Governors note Vermont's strong environmental tradition of protecting wilderness fostered by visionaries like former congressman and distinguished naturalist George Perkins Marsh; former state representative Joseph Battell, whose gifts of vast tracts of "wild" Vermont ridgeline, include Camel's Hump and Romance Mountain, forever changed Vermont; and former Senators George Aiken and Robert Stafford, widely recognized as two of the fathers of Eastern wilderness.
The Governors encourage Vermont’s congressional delegation to, “…make the most of this opportunity to create a living legacy for generations to come, and we wish you success in your efforts.”
Background
Vermont’s Green Mountain National Forest -- the state’s only National Forest -- forms the backbone of this idyllic, pastoral state. Visitors hike, ski, camp and explore in its rolling mountains. A little over a year ago, the Forest Service released its draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) for the Green Mountain National Forest plan. The Forest Service’s “preferred alternative” recommended only 17,000 acres as Wilderness -- less than a quarter of what Vermont’s citizens and conservation groups have long called for. At the same time, the Forest Service’s own analysis found more than 80,000 acres suitable for wilderness designation that could be created with virtually no impact on timber harvesting or motorized recreation on the forest.
After the announcement of the draft forest plan, the Forest Service received more than 10,000 public comments with over 90 percent calling for more wilderness recommendations. As a result of the public outcry, the Forest Service slightly improved the plan by adding 10,000 acres to their wilderness recommendations. However this fell far short of conservationist’s hopes. As a result local conservationists turned their attention towards the Vermont congressional delegation, which introduced legislation on April 6th to designate 48,000 acres as wilderness.
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