Chloride-Gold is not a gold-standard project

Located on the southeast corner of Pend Oreille Lake, the Chloride-Gold project salts the healing wounds from past logging projects.

This project proposes to log 12.5 square miles of forest and add 23.8 miles of new road to a highly impacted ecosystem. Shelterwood and seed tree clearcuts will remove intact forests on a third of Declaration Creek and 37% of Gold Creek increasing the risk of rain-on-snow events destabilizing the watersheds.

Shelterwood and seed tree units are clearcuts in disguise. The trees that initially remain after logging are later removed, resulting in a clearcut. The Feds are requesting 43 over 40-acre openings from the Regional Forester, yet the IPNF refuses to designate 40-plus acre old growth recruitment stands even though sufficient (30-35%) old growth is not present. Mature and old forests are crucial for the fisher, flammulated owl, clustered ladyslipper, carbon storage and microclimate buffering.

The roadless expanse, areas with roadless characteristics next to roadless areas, must be added to existing roadless areas. Instead, they are being proposed for logging. Fire scare tactics are used to push this logging collaborative approved project through. Instead of logging distant areas, use a fire-safe structure design with buffers that will protect residences.

C-G is part of a million-acre logging project area extending from Clark Fork to Hayden Lake. Please contact the Sandpoint Ranger District and request an EIS.

PAUL SIERACKI

Priest River