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Saying �no� to road ban Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Mary Griffin of Coos Bay stands against the backdrop of the American flag during Saturday�s protest rally at the Red Lion Inn in Medford. More than 1,000 turned out to voice their disapproval of President Clinton�s recent decisions to place thousands of acres of roadless areas off limits to road building and most logging. Forest protection plan�s foes rally in Medford By Damian Mann Rumbling up Highway 99, a cavalcade of vehicles joined a rally in Medford Saturday to denounce President Clinton�s decision to bar road building and most logging on 2 million acres in Oregon. "Stop Clinton�s war on the West," declared a banner on a semi-truck. Other signs pronounced, "Don�t Lewinski our land," and "Don�t Monica our mountains." In what could be one of the last chances to bash the outgoing president, sentiment at the rally ran high against a forest-protection plan that places stringent requirements on 60 million acres nationwide. On Friday, 81,417 roadless acres on the Rogue River forest and 287,063 roadless acres on the Siskiyou were officially declared off limits to road building. Hailed by environmentalists, the plan has drawn fire from opponents who claim it will further hurt the timber industry and prevent access to wilderness areas. The rally at the Red Lion Inn, attended by more than 1,000 people, was organized to draw attention to the negative impacts of forest protection. A small group of supporters of the new forest regulations also showed up, standing across the street from the hotel. Symbolically, many of the larger vehicles in the rally carried all-terrain vehicles, snowmobiles and motorcycles to demonstrate how Clinton�s legacy will prevent them from gaining access to their favorite wilderness areas. Kurt Stark, president of the Jackson County branch of Frontiers of Freedom/People for the U.S.A., said that instead of protecting forests, the plan could prove an environmental disaster. "There is a lot of overstocking of trees. It is ready for a catastrophic fire." Stark, whose group helped organize the protest, said selective logging, including some clear cutting, is necessary to keep forests healthy. But Stark, who owns 263 acres near national forest land, acknowledged that he and other opponents don�t want to revert to the environmentally unfriendly Reagan years. "We need a sensible middle ground." Asked if it would be easy to overturn Clinton�s executive decision, Stark said, "I think the king of England had that same thought. It�s amazing what the people can do if they set mind to it." Second District Congressman Greg Walden, a Republican from Hood River, said last week it would be an uphill fight by Congress or the Bush Administration to overturn the president�s declaration. Charlotte Holzkamper, outgoing chair of the Rogue Group Sierra Club, said the idea that selective logging is environmentally healthy for a forest is an "old saw." That these trees have survived for centuries, she said, proves that many of them have been veterans of fire. "If want a good fire retardant, you basically leave it alone." She believes the main opponents to the preservation plan are miners, loggers, some landowners, farmers, ranchers and off-road vehicle enthusiasts. The forests in Southern Oregon need protecting, she said, because they are some of the last places that have been left in a pristine condition in the world. "It�s a shame to let cows eat on it and motorcycles bounce over it." Many of the protesters at the rally considered Clinton�s signature on the forest plan democracy without representation. Diamond Lake Resort president Steve Koch said his livelihood could be jeopardized if the forests are essentially locked up. "This is one of the worst things Clinton�s done," he said. "He�s acting like a dictator. And there has been no congressional oversight." Koch, who blames his business� decline on other environmental rules near his 80-acre resort, said, "This is why we live and work in Oregon � for its recreational opportunities." Robert Gustafson, owner of Mt. Bailey Snowcat Skiing, said his business is dependent on access to forest lands. "The problem with a roadless forest system is that it is eroding our ability to use our lands." Celeste Krambeal of Eagle Point said, "What�s been done is not legal. People don�t want that." Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.