It is time - for me to work my public statements regarding the composition of the Management Program for the Giant Sequoia National Monument (GSNM) as regards to the current Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) of August 2010. Since 2000, I have been to numerous public meetings discussing the issues surrounding this monumental job of managing the Giant Sequoia ecosystem for resiliency and ecological integrity.have written around this a list of different times here on my blog - see the blog articles under the mark of Giant Sequoia National Monument.If you prefer to, you, too, can make comments on the Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan before the Notice Period ends on November 3rd, 2010. You can post comments to (they want to be postmarked November 3, 2010):Anne Thomas, Team LeaderGiant Sequoia National Monument1839 South Newcomb StreetPorterville, CA 93257- Or Fax them to (559) 781-4744 (which is what I am doing) or go to the Limehouse Portal, join online and have your comments within that format online.Here are my comments on this subject that is so crucial to me - for my blog!After attending public meetings regarding the management of the Sequoia National Forest, the formation of the Giant Sequoia National Memorial and the growth of its management plan - and studying various pieces of data that I learned either by listening to discussions and presentations or reading documents regarding managing the Giant Sequoia ecosystem, including regeneration of Giant Sequoias - and now having reviewed the Alternatives presented in the current Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the GSNM, I have do to my own decision on what is better for this Management Program for the Giant Sequoia National Monument.This is my own conclusion - not offered by anyone to me specifically - and this is a subject of personal integrity for me, as I look with the options available and the management direction that will get the results I am hoping for - it is the only choice.My prize is Alternative C - not the Preferable Choice of the Forest Service, Alternative B. I am not sure what the Forest Service will do, so in my comments, in gain to stating that I want Alternative C, I am stating some of the specifics of it that I like - so that these specifics can be incorporated into a change of Alternative B, if that is what is done.Here I am going to cite the "Alternative Theme" for Alternative C from the DEIS and several key statements regarding it exactly:"Alternative C would protect the objects of worry and manage Monument resources to promote resiliency, adaptability to climate change, and heterogeneity across ecosystems. This alternative responds to the issues of managing the Monument like Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and fire spread to tribal lands. It was developed to wield the Monument similar to SEKI in a way that is uniform with Forest Service regulation and the way of the Clinton proclamation. It was set that some management policies or management from the SEKI would not be applicable to the Memorial because of conflict in law, regulation, and insurance for the two federal agencies. In this alternative, restoration activities would center on area that have been affected by human use and occupation."And hither are I am going to cite some specific statements from the Alternative C details - as these details are why I suppose this will take the best Management Program for the Giant Sequoia National Monument."Protection of Objects of Interest: "Alternative C focuses on allowing natural processes, limiting treatments to areas of human use and influence. To address fuels buildup, it allows limited mechanical treatments, with diameter limits for tree cutting, and submit to the restrictions in the Clinton proclamation and focuses treatments on both prescribed fire and naturally occurring fire. _.""Promotion of Resiliency: Alternative C would emphasize resource conservation that allows natural processes to prevail and focuses on the return of natural processes to areas altered by human use by employing tactics that denigrate the tools used for restoration.""Promotion of Heterogeneity: Alternative C focuses on allowing natural processes, limiting treatments to areas of human use. To promote heterogeneity, it would use both positive and naturally occurring fire.""Recreation Opportunities: _. The alternative proposes to alter the current recreation opportunities by focussing on developed recreation sites with new growth in recreation opportunity areas."Here are 2 more quotes from the "Resource Areas" section of the Point on Alternative C, detailing the position of The Home Park Service, which is what this Alternative C is based on (from page 89 of the DEIS):"The National Park Service uses the best available technology, within availableresources, to reinstate the biologic and physical components of these systems, accelerating both their recovery and the recovery of landscape and biological community structure and function. _. When a green development is damaged or destroyed and renewal is necessary, the growth will be replaced or relocated so as to push the return of natural resources and processes."" The [Home Park] Service will attempt to take human-disturbed areas to the natural conditions and processes characteristic of the ecological zone in which the damaged resources are situated."My determination is based on the fact that, based on scientific discussions I have heard and read, I feel the following points are highly important in managing the Giant Sequoia National Monument - and that Alternative C incorporates them and operates per them the best.1. Ecosystem management2. The only way to achieve resiliency for the ecosystem (and sub-ecosystems) that the Giant Sequoia National Memorial is, is through constant and flow on-going site-specific analysis and research to develop current, new science, as needed - using the methodology of adaptive management to do actions on the land.3. Fire is the First Instrument of Choice - and that includes managed wildfire of unplanned ignitions (also called Wildland Fire Use). You can read the characteristics of the Mediterranean Climate that the Giant Sequoia National Memorial is character of to see this more fully.4. Though there are definitely trade-offs between vegetation management, fire and fuels management and wildlife and plant habitat management, I find that The Home Park Service direction to take human-disturbed areas to the natural conditions and processes is the better and will answer in the most optimum balance between all managements and less negative impacts to the Wildlife and Plant (including trees) Habitat on the GSNM.5. Though Recreation and Scene are crucial for Tourism and the masses who see the GSNM, I find that the Ecological Integrity and Resiliency of the ecosystem is of higher importance overall and that when setting priorities, Ecological needs should outrank Recreation and Scenery - otherwise, I am afraid we would end up with a trampled forest, not a healthy forest. I suggest reading The Land Ethic by Aldo Leopold in his book, "A Sand County Almanac"!6. There definitely needs to be current scientific criteria for determining which trees are to be removed so that the Clinton Presidential Proclamation is complied with: "Removal of trees except for personal use fuel wood, from inside the memorial area may only take place if clearly needed for ecological restoration and care or public safety (Clinton 2000, p.24097)."7. Dr. Nathan Stephenson, who has many days of live in restoration and regeneration, including on-going research, in The Redwood and Kings Canyon National Park Service, stated during the discussions of the Scientific AdvisoryBoard Meetings in March 2003 (I was there personally and heard it and noted it) that gaps for regeneration result in more successful regeneration of Giant Sequoias - if you cut the hole (gap). As Giant Sequoias are "shade-intolerant" species and requirea certain number of lighting and ardor for ecological health, burning the hole (gap) for regeneration accomplishes both - of course, it inevitably to be through in good conditions.Since the 1980`s, I have spent time in what is now the Giant Sequoia National Monument Lands - unfortunately I saw huge trucks with heavy logs on them from logging operations; I saw a slashed clear-cut on a second road of the Southern Part of the Giant Sequoia National Memorial west of the Western Divide Highway and e of the Tule River Indian Reservation. I have seen and photographed re-planted areas that seem like orchards of trees - looking all the like age (even-aged), looking all the same species (homogeneous) - in the neighborhood of Nobe Young Meadow on the "Route to Windy Gap" - not too far from the Peyrone Giant Sequoia Grove.I have been going to forests since I was a child - in other days with my family, in after age on my own or with friends. I know from personal experience what a real forest or wood are. Due to the preceding history of logging, homogeneous planting and fire suppression in the Sequoia National Forest, there are areas of the Giant Sequoia National Monument that are not, from my own personal observation, "real" forest. With no personal offence to the current managers of the Giant Sequoia National Monument, I am concerned for the wellness of this forest ecosystem, hence my choices and opinions above.My ardent wish is that we can "fix" some of the mistakes of the preceding and fix the whole ecosystem to a level of health in our current climate conditions, so the forest continues to survive, as the scientists and Forest Services calls it - be resilient - for our joy and our health!The Giant Sequoia National Memorial is a vast mix of living organisms that react to current conditions and need certain conditions to be healthy, just wish you and me. I consider that it will get downward to a large number of continued current on-going, on-site, site-specific analysis and explore to see what works NOW!I find that managing the Giant Sequoia National Monument as close as possible like the Redwood and Kings Canyon National Park - and collaborating and co-operating with them and their scientists - is the alone right way to do it. After all - the Giant Redwood National Monument and the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park are physically "intertwined" and are both part of the whole Giant Sequoia ecosystem.PLEASE NOTE: The above is not just my official Comment Letter on the 2010 DEIS for the Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan. Some of the statements in this blog post are duplicated in my Comment Letter or reflect my statements in it.ALSO: For data on the Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan public process - the Science Data including many documents - and the comments of the Science Review Panel with Sequoia National Forest Responses - click on the linking phrases!If you get read all of this - I desire you get found this informative - and interesting - this is all the notion of Ruth Sandra Sperling (no one else and I do not be any organization). Why??? Because the Giant Sequoias are crucial to me - and I wish to parcel it with the world!!
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