Groups find agreement on logging issues

Following a Sept. 16 meeting of the minds between Congressman Steve Pearce, Bryan Bird of WildEarth Guardians and representatives from the U.S. Forest Service and Mescalero Tribal lands, an avenue of cooperation has been opened between groups that typically promote opposing agendas. "The general push of this (meeting) was to look at the fire, talk about forest management and fire ecology, all of that," said Quentin Hays, wildlife biologist and assistant professor at Eastern New Mexico University-Ruidoso who also attended the visit. "It was really good that both the congressman and (Bird) were there. Meeting face to face and realizing there's people behind these issues is beneficial for everyone. I was very appreciative of the fact that (Pearce) listened very closely to a lot of what we had to say and left with a lot of the take-home messages we'd like for him to see." Hays added that he had volunteered to help Pearce, as needed, with consultation on current fire ecology or other issues that concerned both poles on the conservation field. "I'm happy to talk with (Pearce) any time," he said. "I'm very appreciative of the congressman, of Bryan Bird and his folks for setting this (meeting) up. Nobody wants to see homes burned down, we have to come to a consensus and work together to get things done, and that's what we're doing." The current drought, which actually "occurs regularly" in the southwest, has caused a buildup of fuels to dangerous levels, threatening communities through the southwest, Pearce said in June 21 speech to the House of Representatives. He added that fire, a preferred forest service method for forest treatment, was a natural process in a forest that is in balance, but, "the forest is desperately out of balance right now."...more