April 10, 2000

P R E S S   R E L E A S E

For more information -
Bob Dale 541/484-2692
Gary Guenther 760/934-6801
Julia Olson 415/561-2222 x 118

Three conservation groups filed a federal lawsuit today challenging Forest Service mismanagement of the Ansel Adams and John Muir wildernesses - two popular wilderness areas along the spine of the Sierra Nevada in California.

The High Sierra Hikers Association, Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics, and Wilderness Watch claim that the Forest Service has failed to properly limit commercial uses of the wilderness areas to protect their values.

These two wilderness areas are extremely popular and are greatly prized and appreciated by backpackers, hikers, horse packers, and fishermen. The Sierra's high-elevation meadows, lakes, and stream systems are fragile and highly susceptible to environmental damage due to overuse. Beginning in the 1970s, the Forest Service began requiring wilderness permits and instituted entry limits, known as daily trailhead quotas, that were supposed to be applied to all visitors in high-use zones of the Ansel Adams and John Muir Wilderness areas.

However, the Forest Service has illegally allowed commercial outfitters and guides, such as pack stations and mountain guides, to be exempt from the quotas. And the Forest Service even allows outfitters and guides to issue their own wilderness permits to their clients, while at the same time cutting back on the numbers of private citizens who can visit the areas. These practices allow commercial outfitters and guides to increase their business and have resulted in extreme spikes in wilderness recreational use on summer weekends and holidays. Ultimately, the Forest Service's failure to limit commercial uses led to unacceptable damage to mountain meadows and popular lake basins.

"The Inyo and Sierra national forests have consistently demonstrated an unwillingness to limit wilderness commercial use even though the law requires it," said Gary Guenther, a former wilderness ranger in the Inyo National Forest and now with Wilderness Watch. Guenther resigned from the Forest Service in 1995 in part because of his concerns about the agency's illegal permitting practices.

Peter Browning of the High Sierra Hikers Association added "The public has caught on to the game being played here. People are upset and with good reason. The current system is not only blatantly unfair, it is illegal."

Last year, Bob Dale of Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics contacted the supervisors of the Inyo and Sierra National Forests, and asked them to obey the law and adhere to the requirements of their own wilderness management plans. The agency has since refused. "The Forest Service appears to be dragging its feet in an attempt to avoid making the difficult, sometimes controversial decisions needed to protect wilderness areas from overuse," said Dale.

Browning, Dale, and Guenther are optimistic that the legal complaint filed jointly by their organizations will lead to a favorable outcome. Dale stated, "I have confidence in much of the Forest Service. However, this time the agency has forced us to litigate to ensure that the law is followed."

The High Sierra Hikers Association, located in Berkeley, Calif., is a nonprofit public benefit organization that educates the public about issues affecting the High Sierra and works to protect wilderness values in the High Sierra for the public benefit. Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics, based in Eugene, Ore., is a nonprofit conservation and education organization that works to forge a socially responsible value system within the U.S. Forest Service through a unique partnership of citizens and agency employees. Wilderness Watch, headquartered in Missoula, Montana, is a nonprofit conservation association that provides citizen oversight to ensure the long-term preservation of America's wilderness and wild and scenic rivers.

Plaintiffs are being represented by Julia Olson of San Francisco, Calif., and Pete Frost of the Western Environmental Law Center in Eugene, Oregon.

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