Link to video.
From back in June:
A Congressman who puts it on the line.
Otero County, NM (June 9, 2011) Congressman Steve Pearce praised the efforts of the Otero County Commission for voting on Tuesday to create an “Emergency Forest Plan” that could lead to the logging of trees in the county as early as this fall.
On Tuesday, Otero County Commissioners Ronny Rardin, Tommy Herrell, and Susan Flores approved a proposal to create the plan and tell the federal government that the county intends to log approximately ten to twenty thousand acres near the community of Cloudcroft.
“I commend the Otero County Commission for their efforts for responsible forest management,” Congressman Pearce said. “I thank Commissioners Rardin, Herrell, and Flores for putting the safety of New Mexicans first, and for choosing a course of responsible forest management.
In March of this year, Congressman Pearce submitted legislation to restore the thousands of jobs that once existed in New Mexico’s timber industry.
“Somebody has to draw a line in the sand, step back from the federal government’s stranglehold and take responsibility for ourselves,” Rardin said at the public meeting in Alamogordo. “We are responsible for the health, safety and well-being of our citizens, and the current conditions of the forest warrant this emergency action.”
Dr. Lawrence Garrett, former Dean of the College of Eco-Science at Northern Arizona University, testified before the commission on Tuesday that forest health conditions and fire danger in and around Otero County are some of the worst he has seen in the southwestern portion of the United States. He will work with federal agencies on behalf of the county to create the plan to allow for the cleanup of the forest areas, including commercial logging.
“We will use the approach of restoration at the watershed level,” Dr. Garrett told the commissioners. This is an extremely important period in the history of management of this forest. We must take an aggressive approach to restoration and making the communities in this area safer from high wildfire risks.”
Dr. Garrett told the commissioners that he hoped to have an Emergency Forest Plan for a critical area of the forest ready for the Commissioners to implement by September.
That was then, this is now:
PEARCE ATTENDING EMERGENCY TREE CUTTING IN LINCOLN NATIONAL FOREST
Otero County “Emergency Plan” Launches Local Environmental Resource Management
Aug 26, 2011 Issues: Economy and Jobs
Cloudcroft, NM (August 26, 2011) Congressman Steve Pearce will participate in Otero County’s emergency tree cutting plan on September 17, 2011. Cutting will take place on one acre of the Lincoln National Forest near Cloudcroft in efforts to clean up the forest and decrease the spread of fires.
“This is an important day for New Mexico,” said Pearce. “I look forward to joining in this effort to restore common-sense forest management to New Mexico. It has been an uphill battle to begin logging again in New Mexico, but September 17th will mark the beginning of increased public safety and local environmental resource management. Fires have devastated overgrown forests, and it is time to take back our forests and protect our families. I commend the Otero County Commissioners for their efforts to bring the power back to local government.”
The Otero County Commission voted in June to create an emergency plan, allowing the county to forego U.S. Forest Service policy and cut trees in the event of an emergency. They created an 80,000-acre plan that calls for responsible management to protect local watershed and prevent fires that have threatened Cloudcroft for many years.
Otero County Commissioner Ronny Rardin has spearheaded efforts to thin the forest around Cloudcroft. “This is not just about a tree,” said Rardin. “It’s about the fact that our county has been in a declared state of emergency for quite some time now because of severe drought. Our forest has been overcrowded for too long. We are going to show the world what an acre of forest land should look like.”
The public is invited to attend the event, which will take place during Cloudcroft’s annual “Lumberjack Day” festivities at 12:00 noon on September 17th.
Folks, there's no way I can get out to NM for this except in the unlikely event somebody lets me hitch a ride the 1230 miles to Cloudcroft, but if any of you are a bit closer you might want to consider attending. I mean, when's the last time you saw a Congressman commit civil disobedience for liberty and property?
7 comments:
Wish he would run for President.
It's time for the individual states to start claiming states rights and telling the feds to put it where the sun don't shine. The faster the states start taking control of their own destinies and getting the feds off their backs the quicker this country will turn around.
The area around Cloudcroft is some of the prettiest country God ever put on this earth. Been through there a couple of times and the people were so friendly I thought we had somehow overshot and gone back to Texas.
If I had the money, I would build my bolt hole near Cloudcroft. You could create a damned fine place to take a stand in those mountains.
Now, let's see how the feds respond to this provocation. Should be interesting.
have you noticed that ever since the eco-freeks gained sway in congress our forests have suffered huge fires.we need to through these eco-commies out of government and in to jail with the rest of the bongo gang of criminals.
I am attending! Thank goodness for Otero County Commissioners standing to beautify and restore our horribly overgrown, ready to burn down, forest!
I'll be there. Thank goodness for Otero County Commissioners restoring our forest to a healthy state.
I'm attending. The forest is a mess, the forest service dosen't do anything. Their nice folks that don't clean the forest. My kids go to school up there, I work up there, I can see the mess. I'm grateful for Cong. Pierce. They are within their rights!
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