Wilderness Society

Alexander Cockburn is correct in accusing us in his recent column (Commentary, Aug. 10) of working with the Clinton Administration in an effort to resolve the issue of ancient forest protection. Working with Congress and the White House to advance our agenda to improve protection of public lands is what we do every day, without apology. It’s how we managed to protect about 96 million acres in the National Wilderness Preservation System during the past 25 years, along with millions more as national parks, monuments, recreation areas, wildlife refuges and marine sanctuaries.

But have we surrendered to the White House, as Cockburn so cavalierly claims? No, not a chance. Had he checked with us, Cockburn could easily have obtained a copy of our letter to Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt and Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy stating in unequivocal terms our opposition to the preferred Clinton ancient forest plan.

No final decisions have been made on the Clinton ancient forest proposal, which is currently open to public comment until the end of October.

The Wilderness Society, along with 11 other local and national conservation groups, is part of the process to determine whether any timber sales currently enjoined by a federal court order would be made available for harvest. No deals have been made to release any timber, only an agreement to consider, on scientific grounds, whether some timber sales would be eligible to be freed from the injunction. In return for this good-faith effort, the Administration has pledged to oppose any attempt in Congress to impose unsustainable logging levels in ancient forests, or worse, insulate the Clinton plan from appropriate and legal environmental or judicial review.

Our overriding goal has been, and remains, permanent protection of the remaining ancient forests on public lands throughout the Pacific Northwest. And that, unlike the claims of Cockburn, is the truth.

KARIN SHELDON, Wilderness Society, Washington