PEARCE ATTENDING EMERGENCY TREE CUTTING IN LINCOLN NATIONAL FOREST
Otero County “Emergency Plan” Launches Local Environmental Resource Management
Cloudcroft, NM (August 26, 2011) Congressman Steve Pearce will participate in Otero County’s emergency tree cutting plan on September 17, 2011. Cutting will take place on one acre of the Lincoln National Forest near Cloudcroft in efforts to clean up the forest and decrease the spread of fires.
“This is an important day for New Mexico,” said Pearce. “I look forward to joining in this effort to restore common-sense forest management to New Mexico. It has been an uphill battle to begin logging again in New Mexico, but September 17th will mark the beginning of increased public safety and local environmental resource management. Fires have devastated overgrown forests, and it is time to take back our forests and protect our families. I commend the Otero County Commissioners for their efforts to bring the power back to local government.”
The Otero County Commission voted in June to create an emergency plan, allowing the county to forego U.S. Forest Service policy and cut trees in the event of an emergency. They created an 80,000-acre plan that calls for responsible management to protect local watershed and prevent fires that have threatened Cloudcroft for many years.
Otero County Commissioner Ronny Rardin has spearheaded efforts to thin the forest around Cloudcroft. “This is not just about a tree,” said Rardin. “It’s about the fact that our county has been in a declared state of emergency for quite some time now because of severe drought. Our forest has been overcrowded for too long. We are going to show the world what an acre of forest land should look like.”
The public is invited to attend the event, which will take place during Cloudcroft’s annual “Lumberjack Day” festivities at 12:00 noon on September 17th.
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Hidalgo County Cowboy Dinner and Dance Postponed in Support of Otero County’s Emergency Tree Cutting Plan
Animas, NM (August 30, 2011) The 3rd Annual Hidalgo County Cowboy Dinner and Dance, scheduled for September 17, 2011 in Animas, NM will be postponed in support of Otero County Commission’s emergency action plan to assume responsibility of forest management in Lincoln National Forest. Cutting of the first tree is planned on September 17, 2011.
“For years Otero County has been trying to get the U.S. Forest Service to properly manage National Forest lands in their county. Now they’re drawing a line in the sand. Either the Forest Service starts actively managing the National Forest in Otero County or the county will”, states Judy Keeler, President of Hidalgo County Cattle Growers and one of the sponsors of the dinner/dance. “We’ll be there to show our support on September 17th when Congressman Peace and the Otero County Commissioners cut down the first tree” she
declares.
The music for the fourteen Cowboy Dinner and Dances held since August 2008 has been provided by Joe Delk and Bucky Allred with The Delk Band and other musical friends. The events are held in honor of rural families, rural traditions and our rural heritage. There has never been an admission charge for these events. Financial support is only through donations.
“The multiple-use of our federal lands is crucial for our local economies and counties have got to stand up and assert their authority to insure involvement in the management decisions of federal agencies, especially when it impacts the socio-economic fabric of the community. Hidalgo County folks will gladly forgo this year’s dinner/dance fundraiser to stand up for Otero County’s decision to take back their forest” states Delk.
Cowboy Dinner & Dance fundraisers are held to support the efforts of the Gila Livestock Grower’s Association and the Catron County’s Americans for Preserving our Western Environment to raise funds to fight the actions of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Mexican Wolf Reintroduction program. The citizens of Catron County are bearing the disproportionate share of the socio-economic burden of this absurd program.
Judy Keeler says, “Come to Cloudcroft on September 17, 2011 to show your support”!
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2 comments:
To bad Pearce has to promote breaking the law thus promoting potential violence. Maybe he should be brought in front of the ethics committee again.
If Pearce wants to make a positive difference he should find ways to update laws that bind the US Forest Service such as the endangered Species act, the National Environmental Policy Act, among others.
Maybe Otero County should take the $80,000.00, yes $80K, they paid for some half baked plan to thin the forest and put it toward a common goal, supported by many people in the local communities, with a neighboring county...see link...
http://www.ruidosonews.com/ruidoso-breaking_news/ci_18791485
Otero County commissioners are becoming part of the problem in stead of the solution....yes otero county tax payers $80k that could have gone towards something worth while in the county....someone there should cry foul!
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