Houston Regional Group - News

Forestry Notes

Brandt Mannchen

1) The Lower Neches Valley Authority (LNVA) is trying to acquire 33,000 acres of land along the Neches River from International Paper (IP) so it can build Rockland Reservoir. This twin to Sam Rayburn Reservoir will drown 160,000 plus acres of precious bottomland hardwoods and upland forests. LNVA is hell bent on selling water to the Houston Area to increase its political and economic power. The water is not needed by Houston or anyone in East Texas due to the large surplus of water that still has not been used in Sam Rayburn and Toledo Bend Reservoirs. It is not surprising that IP is considering the sale of its land to LNVA. Large timber companies have a history of proclaiming that they are protectors of forestland. However, when economic times get tough or when land prices near urbanizing areas get high, the large timber companies often sell out to developers. This does not seem like a good way to run a business.

2) In late 2000 the Houston Sierra Club (HSC) discovered that the Texas National Forests and Congressman Jim Turner had worked to get a bill passed in Congress to sell off 57 acres of Sam Houston National Forest to the Gulf Coast Trades Center. When the HSC expressed concerns about the impact this sale would have on the federally endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker (RCW) and sought information and an explanation about why this occurred, the U.S. Forest Service stated in a May 2001 letter that, “… district personnel conferred with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service who agreed that because use of the property by the Gulf Coast Trade Center would continue as it has for the last 30 years, the sale would not have a significant impact on RCW habitat.” Recently, the HSC received a letter to the U.S. Forest Service from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service which states that, “We have no record of any discussions with any U.S. Forest Service personnel about this land sale, nor were we ever advised of any aspect of this proposed action prior to January 15, 2002.” It appears the U.S. Forest Service is willing to mislead both the HSC and the federal agency that protects endangered species when it comes to slick backroom deals to sell off the public’s National Forest lands. Shame on you!

3) Recently, the HSC visited several blackland prairies in Sam Houston National Forest (SHNF). We so enjoyed our visit that we wanted to give something back. We wrote the District Ranger of SHNF and urged that special consideration go to protecting these areas by burning them on a regular basis to keep shrubs and other non-prairie vegetation from growing. The HSC offered to conduct low impact maintenance on the prairies which would have consisted of using loppers, saws, and similar hand tools to clear some of the shrubs and small trees that are growing in the prairies. The U.S. Forest Service response was, “You have requested permission to conduct prairie maintenance … Prior to vegetation management such as this, the area would need to be inventoried and would have to go through the NEPA process. At this time, the district lacks the resources to complete this process.” Offers like this ought to be pursued

4) HSC member and Lone Star Chapter Forest Practices Chair George Russell, has donated a conservation easement to the National Area Preservation Association on part of his The Great Spirit Wilderness on Lake Livingston. There are over five miles of shoreline protected along with several hundred acres of native prairie and mature hardwood-pine forests over rocky hills. The total acreage of The Great Spirit Wilderness is 2,200 acres. There is an abundance of wildlife in the preserve including deer, rabbits, squirrels, coyotes, raccoons, foxes, river otters, beavers, pelicans, eagles, herons, ducks, and warblers. Sometime this year the HSC will visit this important preserve. God bless you George!

March 2002

Last updated:  10/02/2005.   Content © 1999-2001 by the Sierra Club.