Sen. Maria Cantwell should look for devils in the details of proposed wilderness plan

Editor, The Times:

More details would be nice regarding the proposed wilderness deal in northeast Washington [“Familiar foes unite in wilderness fight,” page one, July 28]. While new wilderness is appealing, let’s hear more details beyond the brief mention of “tripling” of logging levels on the Colville National Forest, which seems to be the price for it. Supposedly the increased cutting will come from “overgrown” areas — a word that, in my experience, can mean just about anything.

Maybe it’s a price worth paying, maybe not. Other deals in other places have protected rocks and high barren areas in exchange for logging of lush, lower-elevation forests. Washington’s timber industry has in recent years transitioned away from publicly subsidized logging on public lands, to far more sustainable levels of cutting on private lands.

Let’s hope that Sen. Maria Cantwell looks long and hard for any devils buried in the details here, before signing on to any mandates for increased cutting on public lands, even if wilderness is part of the deal.

— Rick McGuire, Seattle

An unprecedented collaboration that should be celebrated

I am happy to see The Seattle Times put the spotlight on the unprecedented collaboration between environmentalists and the timber industry to develop a plan for managing and protecting lands in the beautiful and unique Columbia Highlands area of northeastern Washington.

Today, less than 1 percent of the protected wilderness in Washington state is in the northeast quarter of the state. Wilderness designation under the Wilderness Act of 1964 permanently protects our wildest country from development and destructive off-road vehicle abuse. This preserves rare wildlife and safeguards our natural heritage so that our children will have the same opportunity to enjoy outdoor traditions like hiking, wildlife watching, berry picking, hunting, fishing and camping.

So often the debate around designation of wilderness areas focuses on the fear of “locking up” the land so that no extractive industry can occur. While the proposed Columbia Highlands wilderness will provide critical protection for some of the few remaining pristine lands in our state, it is part of a larger proposal that includes areas for restoration, sustainable logging and outdoor recreation.

With environmentalists and loggers finding common ground, the time is right to protect quality wilderness lands in the Colville National Forest.

— Ted Hart, Redmond

Initiative is an all-inclusive approach

Our family applauds The Times for Wednesday’s article highlighting the good news in the Colville National Forest with the collaborative Columbia Highlands Initiative. Working for wildlife — and for the beautiful lands in the northeastern part of our state — this effort brings together different constituencies (conservationists, loggers and ranchers) in a laudable win-win approach.

The boundaries of the Colville fall right between the Cascades and the Rocky Mountains, which offer prime habitat for extremely rare species in Washington such as lynx, grizzly bear and caribou.

As the Colville straddles two major mountain ranges in our state, it gives animals the best route for moving between different habitats, providing connectivity for our wildlife residents with other parts of the western U.S. And, it is well known that movement corridors are essential to keeping wildlife populations healthy for seasonal migration and for providing access to other populations for genetic exchange.

A centerpiece of this coalition’s efforts — designating portions of the Colville as wilderness — is key to aiding these species with their migrations, especially as development, land conversion and climate change continue to progress. This initiative is an approach that works for everyone.

— Paul and Donna Balle, Carnation