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• threats to our last wild forests
  
  
• forest access preserved for recreation
  
  
• little impact on logging
  
  
• polling shows strong bipartisan support
  
  
• conservation will not hurt energy production

Polling Shows Strong Bipartisan Support For Wild Forest Protection

With More Than Half of National Forests Open to Logging, Mining, and Drilling, The Balance Must Be Protected

1994 A national poll by the Forest Service finds that 58 percent of Americans expressing an opinion on this issue oppose all commodity extraction on National Forest lands.

July 1999 A survey by Republican pollster Frank Luntz shows that 88 percent of Americans worry that many of the nation’s natural treasures will be lost unless the government acts to protect them.

August 1999 Two public surveys, commissioned by the Forest Service and conducted by researchers at the University of Vermont for the Green Mountains and White Mountains, indicate that 94 percent of those responding support protection of all remaining undisturbed, unroaded areas. Similarly, 71 percent urge management of these areas for ecological integrity, and 78 percent oppose emphasizing timber production in New England’s National Forests.

June 1999 A national poll conducted by the Mellman Group, a Democratic polling firm, reveals that 63 percent of Americans favor protecting all wild national forest areas of 1,000 acres or more. In contrast, only 6 percent feel that too much land is being protected.

January 2000 A poll conducted by Responsive Management for the Teddy Roosevelt Conservation Alliance finds an overwhelming majority of anglers (86 percent) and hunters (83 percent) support protections for remaining wild areas in National Forests.

January 2000 A survey by Republican pollster Linda DiVall reveals that 76 percent of Americans (including 62 percent of Republicans) support a policy to permanently protect the remaining wild areas in America’s National Forests from development, and preserve them as an important legacy for future generations.

March 2000 A series of eleven state-wide polls, conducted by seven different polling firms, finds wide public support for protecting the remaining wild areas of America’s National Forests, mirroring national results. Individual state results are: