7/30/04

ACTION ALERT

JACKSON FOREST BILL UP FOR IMPORTANT COMMITTEE VOTE

Redefining the purpose of Jackson State Forest is an issue Forests Forever has devoted a lot of time and energy to this past year. Now the fate of the bill could be decided as early as next Wednesday.

On May 25, the State Forest System Reform bill (SB 1648) by Sen. Wesley Chesbro (D-Arcata) passed the Senate on a vote of 23 to 13. Senate Bill 1648 would change the official purpose of California’s eight taxpayer-owned forests– chief among them 50,000-acre Jackson State Forest in Mendocino County– from timber production to restoration logging, education, recreation, and research. The bill was amended in the Senate to add protections for old growth.

The bill has already passed through two Assembly committees, and will come up before the Appropriations Committee on Aug. 4.

Forests Forever campaigned for the state-forest / Jackson Forest reform legislation throughout most of 2002 and 2003. If you are one of the thousands of our supporters who wrote or called your legislators on this bill, you deserve a hearty thank-you for the role you played in helping us get this far!

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Contact your assemblymember and tell him or her to support SB 1648, Sen. Chesbro’s bill to change the purpose of California’s eight state forests.

You can find contact information for your assemblymember at:
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html

Fax Assemblymember Judy Chu, Chair of the Assembly Appropriations Committee and urge her to vote YES on SB 1648.

Assemblymember Judy Chu, Chair, Assembly Appropriations Committee, Rm. 2114, State Capitol, Sacramento, CA 95814. Fax: 916/319-2181.

Phone numbers and e-mail addresses for members of the Assembly Appropriations Committee can be found on the California Assembly website at:
http://www.assembly.ca.gov/acs/newcomframeset.asp?committee=43

SAMPLE MESSAGE (please feel free to rewrite in your own words)

RE: Support SB 1648, the State Forest System Reform bill

Dear Assemblymember ____________________:

I am writing to ask you to support Senator Wesley Chesbro’s bill, SB 1648, the State Forest System Reform bill, which will broaden the purpose of our state forests to a mix of uses including forest management demonstration and research, restoration, recreation, education, and public enjoyment.

This bill also includes protections for mature and old-growth forest, and would minimize destructive clearcutting in Jackson State Forest.

Our state forests belong to everyone and should be restored and preserved for future generations of Californians, not intensively logged for agency revenue.

I urge you to vote YES on SB 1648, the State Forest System Reform bill.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Your Name
Address
City, State, Zip