HomeMy WebLinkAboutresolution.council.096-07RESOLUTION # '" ~ lC~
(Series of 2007)
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ASPEN
SUPPORTING THE COLORADO FOREST MANAGEMENT
IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2007, ENCOURAGING THE
CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION OF THE STATE OF COLORADO
TO ACTIVELY CONTINUE THEIR UNIFIED AND BI-PARTISAN
SUPPORT OF THE BILL AND TO PUSH FOR RAPID APPROVAL BY
THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES.
WHEREAS, An infestation of bark beetles has killed and is killing hundreds of thousands
of acres of lodgepole pine and other species in the State of Colorado; and
WHEREAS, The dead trees threaten human life, safety, dwellings, businesses, and
municipal and county govenunent facilities, along with their associated jurisdictions;
critical infrastructure (including but not limited to: municipal, agricultural, and
commercial water collection and distribution systems; high pressure gas transmission
pipelines; inter- and intra- state electrical transmission lines; micro-wave and radio
broadcast and relay facilities; and highways and other public and private roads); entire
watersheds, including those of the headwaters of the Colorado River and its tributaries;
valuable tourism destinations, including ski areas, scenic view corridors, lakes and
reservoirs, and other amenities natural and manmade that are essential to the economic
health of Colorado; wildlife through increased risk of catastrophic wildfire due to dead
timber and the related massive fuel loading; and associated post-fire erosion,
sedimentation, debris flows and the associated costs to mitigate the resultant damages;
and
WHEREAS, Insect killed trees are susceptible to "blow down" by high winds, on large
and small scales, and that such blow down endangers the health and welfare of people,
property, and infrastructures in and around the effected forests; and
WHEREAS, The entire Congressional Delegation of the State of Colorado has
recognized the magnitude of the problem, the lack of resources of local jurisdictions to
address the situation, that policies of the federal land management agencies need to be
altered to allow more immediate and long term actions to mitigate the consequences of
the insect infestation and to provide for means to reduce the likelihood of such infestation
in the future, and have addressed this problem in a bi-partisan and unified fashion by
introducing the aforementioned Act to the 110`h Congress; and
WHEREAS, There is a sense of urgency that the provisions of this Act become available
as rapidly as possible in order to forestall the negative consequences of the infestation
and to make use of the forest materials before decay renders them valueless.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE ASPEN CITY COUNCIL
applauds the Colorado Congressional delegation for their bipartisan introduction and
unified support of the Colorado Forest Management Improvement Act of 2007. The
delegation is urged to promote the Act, to gain support in the Congress, and to actively
pursue its passage as soon as possible; and that the Aspen City Council does hereby
affirm support to the Colorado delegation in this matter.
Dated: ~~ ~/~/it~j/z~.2AJ c~ ~ ~ ~ , y 9/~d'~a3';t'/
Michael C. Ireland, Mayor
I, Kathryn S. Koch, duly appointed and acting City Clerk do certify that the foregoing is a
true and accurate copy of that resolution adopted by the City Council of the City of
Aspen, Colorado, at a meeting held November 26, 2007.
Kathryn S. K ,City Jerk