Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Save the Shawnee!!!
As you may or may not know, the Shawnee National Forest holds a very special place in my heart. I usually use this blog to share personal experiences rather than calls to action -- but now is a time for action. Now is the time to act if we want our voices to be heard in deciding the future of the Shawnee. Even if you don't live in Southern Illinois, this is a National Forest, so read on!
Heartwood, a wonderful ecological defense organization, has set up the following website to provide you with a way to take action on what I'm about to talk about:
http://www.heartwood.org/alerts.php?id=34
All forests and other natural areas are precious to me. The Shawnee, though, is the living ecosystem that almost certainly defines the bioregion that I have chosen to call my home. It's the first place where I had a direct and personal encounter with anything even approaching wilderness, and it's the place where I first felt that the Earth was a divine living home rather than a lifeless stage for the unfolding of human dramas. It's the place where I found myself, and a place where I found the strength and inspiration to devote my life to an Earth-centered spiritual path that at times includes service in the defense of the health and integrity of our living ecosystems.
Beyond my personal reverence for this place, the Shawnee is a national -- and international! -- treasure. It's home to many plant and animal species and natural areas that make it a place of historic ecological importance. It stands at a unique social, ecological, and geographical confluence in the Heartland of our wondrous continent. From its lowest wetlands to its highest ridges, the Shawnee is a wonder of the natural world, breathtaking and irreplaceable even in its current state of widespread fragmentation.
And as we speak, the fate of this Forest is in our hands!
The Draft Plan for the Shawnee National Forest and the Draft Environmental Impact Statement have been released for public comment. While some aspects are to be commended, such as the prohibition of all off-road vehicles, the plan still leaves much to be desired. Therefore, I urge you to sign a petition and/or send a letter concerning the future of the Shawnee National Forest.
I know that it can be difficult sorting through bureaucratic jargon, and much of the Draft Plan is encoded in such jargon. However, members of the Student Environmental Center and Southern Sustainability, and more recently Heartwood, have forwarded me a petition and talking points for a letter, both of which were sent their way by long-time active members of the regional environmental community. I've read through as much of the Draft Plan as I could, and their suggestions all sound very reasonable and often very urgent.
Do we really need commercial timber harvests and oil, gas, and mineral leasing on the Shawnee? I don't think so. Should we really reject wilderness designation for the ecologically precious proposed wilderness areas? I don't think so. Can we in good conscience fail to enforce and improve the already existing protections for Lusk Creek and other high quality streams and natural areas in the Shawnee? I don't think so. Yet as the Draft Plan stands, these fates and more would befall the Shawnee.
This is where you come in.
The Shawnee is a National Forest, so anyone in the U.S. can comment on this plan. I know that it can be boring, loathesome, and sometimes intimidating to grovel to public officials and federal organizations for help in protecting our living ecosystems. But in this case, your comments may significantly influence the Forest Service response on these issues, and thus change the course of history for this wonderful forest.
So please, if you take one action to defend the Earth today, take some form of action to help shape the future of the Shawnee National Forest. Write a letter; send in a petiton; tell all of your friends about how they can help to protect this amazing natural landmark. Just do whatever it takes to let the world know that you care. You'll be glad that you did!
Once again, here's the link to the Heartwood page on the subject:
http://www.heartwood.org/alerts.php?id=34
Some day, all of the world may be recognized as our living ecological home, worthy of the utmost respect and protection. Maybe then, all human infrastructure will be informed by the lessons of permaculture and bioregionalism, and people like you and I can take a nap or tend to the garden instead of writing letters and signing petitions. But until that day, it's up to you and I to take whatever actions are necessary to insure that our remaining pockets of wilderness and natural areas don't fall to the ax and axle of our ailing human societies.
Thanks for listening, and thanks for caring!
When you finish THAT letter... the lands and people of Appalachia could still use your help too in the effort to end mountaintop removal mining:
http://appvoices.org/
But then, once you take a look at that, seriously -- go out and enjoy the sunshine... you've been staring at this computer too long... :) Enjoy the sunshine, and I hope to see you at one of the stops on my Revolution of One Tour!
0 comments
Heartwood, a wonderful ecological defense organization, has set up the following website to provide you with a way to take action on what I'm about to talk about:
http://www.heartwood.org/alerts.php?id=34
All forests and other natural areas are precious to me. The Shawnee, though, is the living ecosystem that almost certainly defines the bioregion that I have chosen to call my home. It's the first place where I had a direct and personal encounter with anything even approaching wilderness, and it's the place where I first felt that the Earth was a divine living home rather than a lifeless stage for the unfolding of human dramas. It's the place where I found myself, and a place where I found the strength and inspiration to devote my life to an Earth-centered spiritual path that at times includes service in the defense of the health and integrity of our living ecosystems.
Beyond my personal reverence for this place, the Shawnee is a national -- and international! -- treasure. It's home to many plant and animal species and natural areas that make it a place of historic ecological importance. It stands at a unique social, ecological, and geographical confluence in the Heartland of our wondrous continent. From its lowest wetlands to its highest ridges, the Shawnee is a wonder of the natural world, breathtaking and irreplaceable even in its current state of widespread fragmentation.
And as we speak, the fate of this Forest is in our hands!
The Draft Plan for the Shawnee National Forest and the Draft Environmental Impact Statement have been released for public comment. While some aspects are to be commended, such as the prohibition of all off-road vehicles, the plan still leaves much to be desired. Therefore, I urge you to sign a petition and/or send a letter concerning the future of the Shawnee National Forest.
I know that it can be difficult sorting through bureaucratic jargon, and much of the Draft Plan is encoded in such jargon. However, members of the Student Environmental Center and Southern Sustainability, and more recently Heartwood, have forwarded me a petition and talking points for a letter, both of which were sent their way by long-time active members of the regional environmental community. I've read through as much of the Draft Plan as I could, and their suggestions all sound very reasonable and often very urgent.
Do we really need commercial timber harvests and oil, gas, and mineral leasing on the Shawnee? I don't think so. Should we really reject wilderness designation for the ecologically precious proposed wilderness areas? I don't think so. Can we in good conscience fail to enforce and improve the already existing protections for Lusk Creek and other high quality streams and natural areas in the Shawnee? I don't think so. Yet as the Draft Plan stands, these fates and more would befall the Shawnee.
This is where you come in.
The Shawnee is a National Forest, so anyone in the U.S. can comment on this plan. I know that it can be boring, loathesome, and sometimes intimidating to grovel to public officials and federal organizations for help in protecting our living ecosystems. But in this case, your comments may significantly influence the Forest Service response on these issues, and thus change the course of history for this wonderful forest.
So please, if you take one action to defend the Earth today, take some form of action to help shape the future of the Shawnee National Forest. Write a letter; send in a petiton; tell all of your friends about how they can help to protect this amazing natural landmark. Just do whatever it takes to let the world know that you care. You'll be glad that you did!
Once again, here's the link to the Heartwood page on the subject:
http://www.heartwood.org/alerts.php?id=34
Some day, all of the world may be recognized as our living ecological home, worthy of the utmost respect and protection. Maybe then, all human infrastructure will be informed by the lessons of permaculture and bioregionalism, and people like you and I can take a nap or tend to the garden instead of writing letters and signing petitions. But until that day, it's up to you and I to take whatever actions are necessary to insure that our remaining pockets of wilderness and natural areas don't fall to the ax and axle of our ailing human societies.
Thanks for listening, and thanks for caring!
When you finish THAT letter... the lands and people of Appalachia could still use your help too in the effort to end mountaintop removal mining:
http://appvoices.org/
But then, once you take a look at that, seriously -- go out and enjoy the sunshine... you've been staring at this computer too long... :) Enjoy the sunshine, and I hope to see you at one of the stops on my Revolution of One Tour!
0 comments
