Slash Piles Moved to Wetlands Indicate More Problems to Come

As we reported here, the Forest Service recently moved a number of slash piles created in the course of implementing the first phase of the Upper Echo Lake Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project.  Below is a picture of one of the piles. The dark stained area of granite above the pile indicates seasonal waters flow directly into the area where the pile is now located the pond before moving downstream into the Upper Echo Lake basin.

This action by the Forest Service -- in violation of a stipulated order and without consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service -- is harmful to the local ecosystem.  Unfortunately, the Forest Service still intends to implement the second phase of the Project, which may actually increase rather than decrease local fire risk and which is certain to result in further environmental impacts that the agency did not disclose to the public or analyze under the National Environmental Policy Act.