Flickr: Forest Images
The Forest Image Registry, F.I.R., began as an awareness-building project on the eve of the piecemeal sale of our National Forest lands in early 2006. Using satellite imaging and mapping technology, the project will build a visual record of the forest lands as they are today, before private development.We would like to encourage Americans to send copies of their personal photos, images of the forests they’ve visited, etc. Adding your pictures to the F.I.R. project and sharing them freely with the world will perhaps help us learn to appreciate America’s National Forests before they are changed forever.
Missouri’s Attorney General Jay Nixon is formal objecting to the sale of land in the Mark Twain National Forest to pay for rural education funding.
And Treehugger: Selling Public Lands: Bad. Take Action!
The Bush administration wants us to sell 300,000 acres of public lands to fund rural schools and county governments in 35 states and, maybe, pay off some of our national debt.
Is there a large-scale public debate over this issue? Shouldn’t there be a vote on this large of a sale of public land and National Forest? Isn’t this another very short-sighted move? We spend billions on a war abroad and then sell our land and trees to pay for it?
Most of these issues are not very much publicized as to avoid any debates. By the time the general public becomes aware of these decisions, it’s too late to change them. Ottmar, thanks for bringing up these issues and directing us to these links. You are doing a great public service to educate people. Some of these decisions are going to effect us now and our future generations. The damage might become irreversable.
Wow! I didn’t know anyone in the government thought a thing about paying off the National debt. A good start would be for all of us to be more fiscally responsible…and nobody knows how or wants to begin.
The 07 budget, which contains the proposal to sell 300,000 acres of public land, hasn’t passed yet. Something called a budget resolution has passed the budget committees in Congress, but each section of the budget will be looked at in detail in the coming months before the budget is finalized. So there is still time to contact your representatives in Congress. The Treehugger link in this post has information on how to do that.