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Jewish Coalition Applauds President Clinton's Bold Action to Protect National Forests

Mark X. Jacobs
Executive Director

New York, NY (January 5, 2001) - The Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL), a collaboration of 29 major American Jewish organizations, applauds President Clinton and the US Forest Service for protecting more than 58 million of acres in our National Forests from development - one of the boldest conservation initiatives in American history. The final rule, which will effectively prohibit commercial logging and oil and gas development in all roadless areas in our National Forests, is considerably stronger than previous proposals put forth by the Forest Service. 

"Through this bold action, the President and Forest Service have enabled all Americans to fulfill our collective responsibility as stewards of creation," said Mark X. Jacobs, COEJL's executive director, in a statement released today. "We are most grateful that the President and Forest Service listened to the outpouring of popular support for the strongest possible protections of the remaining wild portions of our National Forests. When Jews around the US gather soon to celebrate Tu B'Shvat, the Jewish New Year of the Trees, we will rejoice in the protection of millions of acres of wild forests." 

Protecting unspoiled federal lands from development and degradation is supported by a diverse cross-section of the American public, including a broad diversity of America's faith communities. Over the past fourteen months, through several comment periods and over 600 public hearings, the Forest Service received four times more official comments on management plans for roadless areas in National Forests than for any previous rule-making process in US history.

 Jewish activists across the country were among more than one and a half million Americans who formally commented in favor of a strong policy to protect roadless areas in National Forests. Spearheaded by COEJL, national and local Jewish institutions have taken up the strict protection of remaining wild forest areas as a key strategy in fulfilling the biblically-based Jewish imperative to protect and restore creation. COEJL and its national and regional member agencies have been among those calling for a ban on all road-building, logging, and mining in all remaining National Forest roadless areas, including Alaska's resplendent Tongass Rainforest.

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 THE FULL TEXT OF MARK JACOBS' STATEMENT FOLLOWS:

"For thousands of years, Jewish tradition has taught that the earth does not belong to humans, but to God. As the Psalmist teaches us, 'The Earth is the Eternal's.' We are tenants in God's world. We have a responsibility to our common Creator to protect the earth. And we have a responsibility to leave a living world to future generations.”

 "Protecting remaining roadless areas in National Forests is a vital strategy in preserving, and eventually restoring, biodiversity in North America. Road-building, logging, and other destructive activities have already destroyed and degraded millions of acres in our National Forests-forests that belong to the American people. Indeed, 96% of our old growth forests have been lost - threatening critical habitats for thousands of endangered creatures and plants and the clean water sources for millions of Americans. And, in an increasingly developed and degraded world, ancient forests serve as refuges for the human spirit.”

 "Through this bold action, the President and Forest Service have enabled all Americans to fulfill our collective responsibility as stewards of creation. We commend President Clinton for his efforts to preserve the American landscape as a legacy for generations to come.  We are most grateful that the President and Forest Service listened to the outpouring of popular support for the strongest possible protections of the remaining wild portions of our National Forests. We are enormously grateful to the leadership of the Forest Service in moving that agency toward a mission of conservation of our public lands, and we urge the incoming Administration to continue this new direction that has such widespread support among the American people.”

 "When Jews around the US soon gather to celebrate Tu B'Shvat, the Jewish New Year of the Trees, on February 8, we will rejoice in the protection of millions of acres of wild forests. And we will rededicate ourselves to the sacred task of preserving and restoring the Creator's magnificent handiwork."

The Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life, a coalition of 29 national Jewish organizations spanning the spectrum of Jewish religious and communal life, serves as the voice of the organized Jewish community on a wide array of environmental issues. COEJL is the Jewish member of the National Religious Partnership for the Environment.