CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY
BECAUSE LIFE IS GOOD

Protecting endangered species and wild places through
science, policy, education, and environmental law.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, September 19, 2005
Contact: Todd Schulke, Center for Biological Diversity, 505.574.5962

Center for Biological Diversity Forest Director Chosen for National Roadless Advisory Committee

Todd Schulke, Forest Program Director for the Center for Biological Diversity, was selected to sit on the Roadless Area Conservation National Advisory Committee that was authorized under the Bush administration’s recent Roadless Rule. The committee was organized to provide advice and recommendations on implementation of state petitions outlining inventoried roadless area protection and management strategies that are submitted by governors of states with roadless areas.

“Protection of roadless areas is one of the country’s highest conservation priorities.” said Schulke. “We hope this committee will offer a fair and honest opportunity to ensure that our last unprotected pristine areas are saved to allow for clean water and open places for people to hike, hunt and see wildlife.”

The Bush administration Roadless Rule repealed a Clinton administration rule that protected all the inventoried roadless areas on national forest land in the United States. The Bush administration rule created a process that allows governors the chance to petition for changes in management and protection for inventoried roadless areas within their states. USDA will accept state petitions until November 13, 2006.

Schulke is from Silver City, New Mexico and has worked on forest protection and restoration issues for 15 years. He sits on the Western Governors’ Forest Health Advisory Committee, Arizona Governor Napolitano’s Forest Health Oversight Committee, Senator Bingaman’s Collaborative Forest Restoration Program Advisory Committee, and the New Mexico Forest & Watershed Health Planning Committee.
He is also on the board of directors of American Lands Alliance, New Mexico Wilderness Alliance, and Sky Islands Alliance.

He also oversees on-the-ground forest restoration projects on three national forests in the Southwest and is on the board of Gila WoodNet, a community-based forestry group dedicated to ecologically sound forest restoration prescriptions, implementation techniques, and utilization of restoration by-products.

Other members of the committee are:

State Elected Official Representative
Darin Bird, Assistant Director of the Utah Department of Natural Resources

Local Elected Official Representative
Robert Cope, Lemhi County Commissioner, Idaho

Developed Recreation Representatives
Adena Cook, Public Lands Director for the Blue Ribbon Coalition
Geraldine Link, Director of Public Policy for the National Ski Area Association

Commercial Interest Representatives
Jeff Eisenberg, Director of Federal Lands Policy, National Cattlemen Beef Association
James Riley, President of the Intermountain Forestry Association

Organized Labor Representative
Denny Scott, Director of Research, United Brotherhood of Carpenters & Joiners

Conservation Organization Representatives
Chris Wood, VP Government Affairs for Trout Unlimited
Todd Schulke, Center for Biological Diversity
Paul Hansen, President, Izaak Walton League
Ray Vaughn, Executive Director of Wild Law
Dale Harris, Great Burn Study Group

For more information about the National Roadless Committee go to http://www.roadless.fs.fed.us/.
For more information about protecting roadless areas go to http://www.ourforests.org/.

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