HomeMy WebLinkAboutSustainable Forest Action Coalition Letter Menchaca, Clarissa
From: Bennett, Robin
Sent: Thursday, April 27, 2017 8:56 AM
To: Hahn, Paul
Cc: Snyder, Ashley, Menchaca, Clarissa
Subject: FW: SRS request letter from SFAC
Attachments: SRS 4-19-17.pdf
Importance: High
FYI, see attached letter from Sustainable Forest Action Coalition (SFAC).
BOS correspondence....
Robin Bennett,
Executive Assistant
(530) 872-6304 rbennett@buttecounty.net Butte County Supervisor's Office Supervisor Doug Teeter, Board of
Supervisors, District 5
747 Elliott Road
Paradise, CA 95969
-----Original Message-----
From: Bill Wickman jmailto:billwickman@sbcglobal.net]
Sent. Tuesday,April 25, 2017 5:46 PM
Subject: SRS request letter from SFAC
The attached letter was sent to our congressional representatives asking their support of our rural counties.
1
Sustainable Forest Action Coalition
542 Main St., Placerville, CA 95667
WSIAINABid Organization Representatives
A C I it 1 0 N Laurel gent-Bumb: (530') 621 5885
COAJ 171(
" chamber@eldoradocounty.or0
Bill Wickman: (500)283 0973
billwickmansbcglobal.net
109 Cottonwood Ct. Quincy
Participating
Representation from
the following:
April 18, 2017
CALIFORNIA
Amador a Butte The Honorable Senator Diane Feinstein
Calaveras The Honorable Senator Karrnala Harris
Del Norte The Honorable Senator Dean Heller
El Dorado The honorable Congressman Doul;LaMalfa
Glenn * Humboldt The Honorable Congressman Tom McClintock
lnyo The Honorable Congressman Ami Bara
Lassen The Honorable Congressman,teff Denharn
Madera * Modoc The Honorable Congressman Levin McCarthy
Nevada The Honorable Congressman Devin Nunes
Placer The Honorable Congressman dared Huffman
Plumas The Honorable Congressman Mark.Amodei.
Sacramento
Shasta • Siskiyou
Sierra Dear honorable Senators and Congressman:
Tehama
Trinity The Sustainable Forest Action.Coalition (SFAC) supports 2.2 counties in California.,
Tuolumne seven Counties in Southern Oregon and Western Nevada, We also work:with groups in
Yuba Idaho and Washington State, These supporters come frond a large cross section of
elected officials, Chambers of Commerce, Farzrn.Bureaus, Fire Safe Councils, Timbers-
OREGON Industry,Water Agencies, Education and individuals who have voiced an interest in our
Coos ® Curry efforts.
Douglas a Jackson
Klamath SFAC is hopeful that Congress will work with the Schools Coalition and support
Josephine • Lake groups such as ours to not only continue your support of the SRS program, but to
recognize the urgent need to address the efforts to make change in current regulations
NEVADA that restrict the proper management of our public lands. The Secure Dural Schools
Nye program was intended as a safety net for forest communities in 41 states. SRS
WASHINGTON
payments are based on historic precedent and agreements beginning in 1908 removing
federal lands frorn local tax bases and frorn full local community economic activity.
Skamania The federal government and Congress were expected to develop a long term systern
based on sustainable active forest management. It is only through reasonable change in the current
regulations that we can all return our Forest to a healthy condition while also increasing revenues, creating
jobs and revitalizing our Iocal rural economies. Currently we continue to see an ever increasing loss of these
resources due to wildfire as well as insect and disease. All to often, these fres and dramatic insect outbreaks
due to the current over crowded condition of our forests,destroy the very resource that historically has been
the support base for our schools. On March 7,Congress failed to act on SRS and forest management,
resulting in the National Forest Service issuing 25 %payments of timber receipts to states based on the
original 1908 Act. The 2016 payments, actually based on timber receipts, are well below Secure Rural
Schools funding. They were also cut 6.9%by sequestration. 775 Counties and over 4,400 schools serving 9
million students in 41 states now directly face the grim financial reality of budget cuts and the loss of county
road, fire and safety services, and reductions in education programs and services for students.
Congress must continue the historic national commitment to the 775 rural counties and 4,400 schools in
rural communities and school districts served by the SRS program. Without immediate Congressional action
on forest management and SRS, forest counties and schools face the loss of irreplaceable essential fire,
police, road and bridge, community and educational services.
Congress must also work in keeping or increasing the budgets for our natural resource agencies to address
the fire and insect issues due to the unhealthy and over crowded conditions of our public land forests. It will
be a certain death sentence for our counties if both SRS and the budgets for both the Forest Service and
Bureau of Land Management are reduced in both timber and fire management budget line items. Without
maintaining the budget in these critical areas,the Agencies can not accomplish the needed restoration of our
public forests and watersheds. This restoration and the revenue that can be generated through the products
removed are critical to the revenue flow to our counties.
The SFAC requests your consideration, as stated above, for support and extension of the Secure Rural
Schools and Community Self-Determination Act(SRS)program until such time that responsible changes
can be made in current regulations. Such changes would allow for actively managing the watersheds and
forests to assure that our ecosystems do not continue to burn up, but continue to produce the products and
water that our State and Nation need. This is the only way that social and economic stability can be
maintained, or increased within our counties.
It is the SFAC hope and desire that we can continue to work with all of you to bring awareness as well as
recommendations on the changes discussed above.
Sincerely,
Bill Wickman and Laurel Brent Bumb
Co-Spokespersons for SFAC