3/18/2018 0 Comments Sliding into the ConversationWe began Sunday with our first meeting with a member of the White Mountains community. Frank Robey was once an electrical engineer and volunteer fire fighter in the southern forests. Now, he lives on the border of the White Mountains National Forest and dedicates his time to the hefty task of holding both the logging companies and the Forest Service accountable for breaking their own rules about the sustainable harvesting of wood. We appreciated his overview of the issues facing the Forest, including the National Environmental Assessment Act, the Forest Service's Impact Assessment Reports, and the Wilderness Act. He characterized his view of the Forest Service's relationship with logging, lamenting in particular that the Service did not have enough personal to monitor the logging sites as closely as he believes is necessary. He showed us numerous photographs of damage done over or near streams, which is not supposed to happen. Robey, despite wishing more of the many thousands of people who visit the White Mountains would comment on the Impact Assessment Reports which shape the Forest's future, has personally had success in raising public participation. And, though often turned away, he has persevered and sometimes been victorious in using his photographs as evidence in cases against harmful logging. In addition to nuanced perspectives on the National Forests, and his inspiring dedication to conservation, we liked his international take on forests. A huge motivation for his opinion that no logging should be carried out comes from the fact that he knows greenery is a carbon sink, which will be incredibly important worldwide going towards 2050. He showed us this website which charts global logging: www.globalforestwatch.org/. Also please see this group in which Robey participates: www.facebook.com/groups/232644090251839/about/. After reflecting on what we had learned and perceived, we piled in the car to go shopping at the local Walmart to shop for our week's rations, then hurried back for our afternoon activity. We caught a glimpse of the breathtaking Mount Washington along the ride. Eager to get in on the action on the slopes, we spent the afternoon snow tubing at a small local resort. Though not as graceful as skiing, we got our share of powdery exhilaration.
-Remi Shaull-Thompson
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Mission:We aim to investigate, with our participants, how public lands influence communities and vice versa. To fulfill this mission, we will explore how various issues and politics of conservation, recreation, and development (et cetera) converge in influencing the discussions and social implications of public land use. After this exploration we hope that our participants will gain an appreciation of the role of public land in communities and landscapes, be more informed about the implications of land management decisions, and be able to find ways to continue to engage with this topic at home and on campus. ArchivesCategories |