GOSHAWK MANAGEMENT PLAN AND OPEN HOUSE! 2/99

The Forest Service has initiated a proposal to develop management direction that will maintain or restore northern goshawk habitat on Utah’s national forests, the primary place where goshawk resides. The management plan will be in place until forest plans are revised. The goshawk is a medium sized, rarely seen, forest dwelling bird-of- prey with a wing span of 38- 45 inches. Adults have a slate blue back and black head with a distinctive white line over the eye. Underparts are pale blue-gray with fine black barring.

COMMENTS ARE DUE MARCH 10 at the N. Utah Goshawk Team, Uinta National Forest, P.O. Box 1428, Provo, UT  84601. You can e-mail comments to goshawk3/r4_uinta@fs.fed.us. An OPEN HOUSE WILL BE HELD 25 FEBRUARY, 12-2 PM and  again from 6-8 PM at the Department of Natural Resources Building, Room A-B, 1594 West North Temple in SLC. You can obtain information from the homepage, www.fs.fed.us/r4/goshawk.

While the proposal has many good management ideas, there are 4 crucial factors that you should consider:

1. Goshawk is dependent upon old growth forests for nesting and rearing of young;
2. Goshawk require large territories of diverse ecologically integral forest types which must be isolated from human activity;
3. Goshawks have never prospered in areas where timber is harvested, clearcuts or selective harvesting;
4. Natural fires are essential in maintaining these integral and diverse forests.

The best management strategy for goshawk is to allow ecological processes to work, including natural fires. GOSHAWKS DON’T NEED ROADS, SAWS, AND LOGGING!

Dick Carter