As a local of Eastern Madera County, I am raising this petition against the designation of Sierra National Forest as a 'Range of Light National Monument'. The beautiful Sierra National Forest is a sanctuary where I and fellow locals take pride and solace. The proposal to change its status to a 'monument' could bring about dire consequences.

Our local tourist industry might suffer a crippling blow as the mass land inclusion could restrict access and activities currently enjoyed by visitors. The risk of forest fires could rise, given the possible imposition of improper mitigation and management practices. The proposal could severely limit recreational activities for people with disabilities, under the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act due to limited access roads and required street legal mobility vehicles. 

The livelihoods of many are at stake. The rights of private property owners within the 1.14 million acres proposed for inclusion are threatened. The proposal could also mean jobs losses within the US Forest Service and the local cattle ranching industry.

The Sierra National Forest is more than just a forest; it is the lifeblood of our community. It is the beating heart of Eastern Madera County, and any alterations to its status will profoundly affect us all. We ask for your support to oppose the Range of Light National Monument and protect our home, livelihoods, and the natural beauty of the Sierra National Forest. Please sign this petition to express your opposition to the Range of Light National Monument designation.

Director Deanna Lynn Wulff of Unite the Parks claims that logging is destroying our forests and their natural habitats. Her direction to stop logging in the Sierra National Forest does not take into account that logging has been significantly diminished and is used as a fire mitigation tool with the USDA under the USFS in its limited capacity. Wood permits are required to gather dead and fallen trees to help maintain clearance within high designated risk zones. According to USDA.gov, “Before you collect any firewood you are required to obtain a firewood cutting permit. Permits are available at Forest Service offices and at some seasonal offices during the summer. (https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/sierra/passes-permits/?cid=fsbdev7_018118

The permit authorizes the signer of the permit to gather a specified amount of dead and downed wood, for his or her personal use, from any portion of the Sierra National Forest open to woodcutting.” The USDA in cooperation with the USFS also implores mechanical, prescribed burning, and cooperates with local cultural groups to further mitigate high fire hazards, within our forest, focusing on recent wildfires that burned hotter and faster with increased fuel loads. The shutdown of local mills allowed for high growth and dense population of trees, per acre, during California’s pattern of high water availability followed by relentless years of drought. The competition for water, in these dense populations, created a high tree mortality rate. The bark beetle also contributed to the decline. The Creek Fire was an example of the effects of a high fuel load on wildfire that prevented many challenges for fire fighters including controlling the rapid rate of spread. Wulff’s ideology of planting more trees is admirable at best, but without using the trusted science already in place, can put us at risk of repeating the cycle for future generations. 

According to Yeng Chen et. al, “We identified 91.4 million dead trees over 27.8 million hectares of vegetated areas (16.7-24.7% underestimation bias when compared to field data). Among these, a total of 19.5 million dead trees appeared isolated, and 60% of all dead trees occurred in small groups ( ≤ 3 dead trees within a 30 × 30 m grid), which is largely undetected by other state-level monitoring methods. The widespread mortality of individual trees impacts the carbon budget and sequestration capacity of California forests and can be considered a threat to forest health and a fuel source for future wildfires.” (Cheng, Y., Oehmcke, S., Brandt, M. et al.Scattered tree death contributes to substantial forest loss in California. Nat Commun 15, 641 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-44991-z

Cal Fire also promotes fuel management, “Dead and dying trees significantly heighten wildfire risks, acting as fuel that can accelerate the spread of fires. Removing these trees is a crucial step in wildfire preparedness, especially in areas prone to dry, hot conditions.” (Calfire.org)

Destroying our home would further harm our area. If there’s strict recreational requirements, limiting recreational use would cause tourism to decline. Eastern Madera County businesses depend on active tourism to support their local businesses. Cattle ranchers have helped to maintain overgrowth through cattle permits and grazing. This monument will stop all cattle grazing permits allowing for more overgrowth and less accessibility with more fire risk. Private property owners would also be at an increased fire risk. Closing accessible roads in the proposal is dangerous and reckless. I encourage you to oppose HR 9600 for its reckless ability to balance safety, fire mitigation, and free exploration and recreation for our people.