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PLUM CREEK LAND EXCHANGE - POLICY ISSUES AND CONCEPTS

The Role of Environmental Groups

Environmental groups had a large influence on the public aspects of the policy debate. The environmental groups did not act as a single block during the negotiations of the Plum Creek Exchange. At various times, some groups were supportive and other opposed to the current deal. When the first land exchange was signed into law, the Sierra Club and Alpine Lakes Protection Society supported the deal, in part due to the transfer to the public domain of high-elevation lands near Alpine Lakes, which are valued by hikers. Other groups, such as the Western Land Exchange Project and The Wilderness Society, opposed the deal because some "old-growth" forests were being transferred to Plum Creek and because the public had limited input into the land-exchange process. This demonstrates that environmental groups represent a wide range of interests and have different goals. Support by large, well-known environmental groups, such as Sierra Club, was an important to gaining public favor for the two deals.