There's still time to weigh in on the Bush administration's proposal to sell off [1] 300,000 acres of national forest land to fund rural schools. The public comment period has been extended, and meanwhile two Western senators have come up with a plan they say funds the schools without selling off public lands.

Democrats Max Baucus of Montana and Ron Wyden of Oregon proposed cutting a tax loophole that lets some government contractors avoid paying taxes. Closing this loophole would bring in $2.6 billion over the next decade, the senators say, more than tripling the amount expected to come from the public land sale.

An interactive map [2] shows the lands that could go on the block if the Bush administration plan goes forward. To comment on the proposed forest sale, send an email to SRS_Land_Sales@fs.fed.us [3].

Photo credit: WyomingTourism.org [4]