KISATCHIE FOREST

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@igc.org>]

KISATCHIE LAND GRAB

Once again, the U.S. military is launching an assault on Louisiana's 
only National Forest - the Kisatchie - and this time it is advancing on 
three fronts. The Kisatchie National Forest, established in 1930, 
covers about 600,000 acres in west central Louisiana. According to the 
Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund (SCLDF), its upland longleaf pond 
ecosystem "boasts more plant species per square meter than any other 
habitat in North America." It host one of the world's largest 
populations of the endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker and several other 
sensitive species. The forest also hosts a variety of recreational 
activities.

In 1996, Louisiana's two senators, J. Bennett Johnston and John Breaux, 
almost won passage of special legislation to transfer to Army ownership 
some 85,000 acres of national forest now used by Fort Polk under 
special use permits. Proponents were business interests and politicians 
in the Fort Polk area who saw expansion as a defense against closure. 
They were beaten back by public opposition, but the Army has initiated 
environmental studies to obtain the property through normal channels.

The Air Force, for its part, is seeking to add 1,300 to 4,500 acres to 
its 3,200-acre Claiborne Bombing and Gunnery Range. It wants B-52's 
based at Barksdale (Shreveport, Louisiana) to be able to drop 500-pound 
concrete practice bombs locally. The Wild Azalea scenic trail - the 
only nationally recognized scenic trail - lies within a half-mile of 
the range.

Finally, the Louisiana National Guard is seeking ownership, rather than 
permitted use, of 10,000 more acres.

Esther Boykin of SCLDF (New Orleans office) concludes, "Because of the 
three simultaneous military assaults on the Kisatchie, the future of 
Louisiana's only national forest is uncertain. In considering any of 
these scenarios, it is necessary to consider all of them. The 
cumulative impacts to the Kisatchie National Forest, and to the public, 
are significant. The Kisatchie National Forest is a prime example of 
the natural heritage held in our public lands, a heritage which should 
be preserved for the use and enjoyment of future generation - a 
heritage which should not be needlessly sacrificed."

For more information, contact <scldfnawlins@igc.org>. Or write SCLDF, 
400 Magazine St., Suite 401, New Orleans, LA 70130.

Lenny Siegel