[pct-l] More damage to PCT in Oregon

[Suzanne Courteau]

While it might seem like a great idea for the Forest Service to obtain
its variance in order to helicopter in its excavator in order to patch
the PCT, that is exactly the behavior we as outdoorspeople should
DIScourage. A variance for an excavator in one Wilderness area can
then be a variance for mining equipment in another (like the bulldozer
at the top of the Inyos), or 4WD access on historic roads, and so on:

http://tinyurl.com/285vr -- for the ten most threatened wilderness
areas in CA, as filed by the California Wilderness Coalition

Suzanne Courteau
"Bedouin"


> In a push to get the Pacific Crest Trail open this summer, the Forest
> Service is asking for a variance from federal rules prohibiting
> mechanized equipment in designated wilderness.
>
> "We've proposed to use a small excavator that's just trail-width wide,
> and we've asked to be able to do some blasting, because we're expecting
> to run into pieces we won't be able to move, even with the excavator,"
> Stewart said.
>
> "We'll want to encourage those out of our way with blasting. And we've
> asked for permission to fly the excavator in by helicopter."