Everyday Erinyes #184

Experts in autocracies have pointed out that it is, unfortunately, easy to slip into normalizing the tyrant, hence it is important to hang on to outrage. These incidents which seem to call for the efforts of the Greek Furies (Erinyes) to come and deal with them will, I hope, help with that. As a reminder, though no one really knows how many there were supposed to be, the three names we have are Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone. These roughly translate as “unceasing,” “grudging,” and “vengeful destruction.”

The Project on Government Oversight (POGO) is requesting personal reminiscences from citizens (and probably from anyone and anyone regarding United States National Forests Here’s the email explaining why:

This summer, the U.S. Forest Service proposed a rule change to how it plans and implements projects. The biggest part you need to know is that the proposed change essentially eliminates your ability to voice concerns over projects right in your backyard.

POGO is concerned that the proposed rule to eliminate public comment periods for some projects would erode transparency and accountability by significantly reducing public involvement in and environmental assessments of future projects in our national forests.

Nothing to do with the post. Just s mnemonic pun.

But this isn’t just about the environmental impacts on our national forests—this is about listening to the public and being transparent. That’s why we want you to tell us: why does public input matter to you? Do you have a special connection to our national forests?

In one case, a local community raised concerns over how a proposed project would affect the security of their private property by allowing trespassers on their land. Another raised concerns that a river dredging project would threaten the habitat of an endangered species.

Both of these concerns were originally overlooked by the Forest Service—without the public’s input, homeowners might have feared for their safety in their own backyards, or the U.S. might have lost a valuable species.

And these are just two examples of countless others. That’s why POGO must continue to fight for preserving public input—local communities often have specialized knowledge. That’s why we want to hear from you now: why should we continue to advocate for direct public input in projects like these?

[signed]
Pam Rutter
Community Engagement Strategist
Project On Government Oversight 

I would say that it boggles my mind, or at least flabbers my gast, to think that the National Forest Service, which exists to manage public land (public, you know, belonging to the people) would even consider any policy change or rule change or any change at all without requesting public input. I would say that, except, you know, it’s this administration, and this administration might do anything (except govern).

I personally have spent a lot of time in national forests and related public land, starting in childhood with the Stanislaus and Sierra National Forests, and then after leaving military service I have lived in Colorado, near the Rio Grande National Forest, and now near the Pike National Forest, and have spent happy time in both. But one memory in particular stands out for me.

When I was a young lieutenant in the Marine Corps I was transferred from MCRD San Diego to MCAS Cherry Point. My family then lived in the San Francisco Bay Area, so I went there first. I had decided to drive. It was July, and I didn’t want to go through extreme heat on the southernmost route, but I did want to see the Grand Canyon on the way. So I took what is now I-80 and made a right at Salt Lake City.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has called that area “the great alkali plain,” and it was a pretty good description. As a lover of forests, I found it bleak. But that all changed when I came to the Kaibab National Forest. This forest includes mostly parts of northern Arizona, but it does extend into Utah, and that is where I entered it.

I have only been there once, but I will not forget it. It was like being embraced by the forest and told by the trees that I was home. It was almost as if I had been holding my breath, and now could breathe again.

I am now old and decrepit, and never expect to get there again, but I cringe to think what could happen to this forest, or any forest, if the Forest Service is allowed to make major decisions, or any decisions, without public input. I would hope that Americans entering this or any other national forest could find the same refreshment I found for many generations to come.

If that sounds a little different in tone from how I generally write here, it’s because that is my comment which I have sent to POGO. But if the tone is different, the sentiment is real.

I’ve linked to their comment site a couple of times as POGO did in the quoted email. But here it is again. I strongly encourage anyone who has any memories to share them with POGO. If, like me, you can remember interactions with national forests of which you have forgotten the names (it’s not like there are only a few of them), here is a Wikipedia article with information on that. Or you can google (or DuckDuckGo) the names by state (And, if you don’t have any strong memories, you can still tell them why decisions made about public lands require public input, for heaven’s sake.

Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone, besides jogging our memories and helping us to share, I hope you will get on the the Forest Service like ugly on a naked mole rat. They cannot be allowed to do this.

The Furies and I will be back.