Read the comments.

My name is Nancy Foster and I live in Durango, CO. I am submitting this public comment today to strongly urge the USDA to select Alternative A – the No Action Alternative – in the 2001 Roadless Rule Rescission Draft Environmental Impact Statement. This Alternative would preserve the 2001 Roadless Rule. I worry about the many public resources safeguarded by roadless areas like clean drinking water, wildlife habitat, recreation access, and cultural and archaeological sites. I camp, hike ride and paddle in these areas and there is nothing left in our country like them. When money is the driver everyone loses except for the companies and the government taking advantage of the land. Native people have been taken advantage of and this is one more invasion of their culture. My boys are climbers and this will impact their ability to climb. There aren't many places left people can afford to go or that they are so popular it is impossible to get permits. This will make it even more difficult. I ask the USDA to address all of the following problems before any decision is made: Vital for America’s Drinking Water: The US National Forests are the headwaters of our great rivers and the largest source of municipal water supply in the nation, serving over 60 million people in 3,400 communities in 33 states. Recreation Spots at Risk: Since 2001, protected roadless areas have offered abundant outdoor recreation opportunities such as hunting, fishing, camping or other activities. Every year, millions of people take advantage of the free (or extremely affordable) access to these public lands. According to maps from Outdoor Alliance’s GIS Lab, roadless areas protect 11,337 climbing routes and boulder problems, more than 1,000 whitewater paddling runs, 43,826 miles of trail, and 20,298 mountain biking trails. Large sections of the Continental Divide, Pacific Crest, and Appalachian National Trails traverse protected roadless areas. Important for Protecting Migration Corridors and Game Habitat: Roads fragment habitat and degrade migration corridors that game species like elk and mule deer rely on. Protected roadless areas help ensure these migratory game corridors remain intact and protected from roads and the industrial development roads enable. Millions Support the Roadless Rule: The Roadless Rule is a highly popular policy that is often celebrated as one of America’s most successful conservation measures. Prior to its enactment, more than 600 public hearings were held nationwide, and 1.6 million Americans weighed in to call for protection of these forestlands. More recently, more than 45 members of the House and Senate have signed onto legislation that would codify the Roadless Rule so that in the future, it could not be rolled back without an act of Congress. Policy Has Built-In Exceptions: The Roadless Rule is extremely flexible and allows for necessary forest management and the construction of roads as needed to address fires, floods, or other catastrophic events, and other circumstances like the need to connect communities. National forest managers routinely conduct forest stewardship activities within roadless areas such as prescribed burning and wildlife habitat improvement activities. Sign off! For these reasons, I urge the USDA to select Alternative A and retain the existing protections for Roadless Areas. Thank you for considering my comment. Nancy Foster Durango, CO

My name is Joe Peloquin, I live in Southwestern Colorado and I regularly access both protected wilderness areas and wild areas with roads. I ask the USDA to address the following problems before any decision is made: Vital for America’s Drinking Water: The US National Forests are the headwaters of our great rivers and the largest source of municipal water supply in the nation, serving over 60 million people in 3,400 communities in 33 states. Recreation Spots at Risk: Since 2001, protected roadless areas have offered abundant outdoor recreation opportunities such as hunting, fishing, camping or other activities. Every year, millions of people take advantage of the free (or extremely affordable) access to these public lands. According to maps from Outdoor Alliance’s GIS Lab, roadless areas protect 11,337 climbing routes and boulder problems, more than 1,000 whitewater paddling runs, 43,826 miles of trail, and 20,298 mountain biking trails. Large sections of the Continental Divide, Pacific Crest, and Appalachian National Trails traverse protected roadless areas. Important for Protecting Migration Corridors and Game Habitat: Roads fragment habitat and degrade migration corridors that game species like elk and mule deer rely on. Protected roadless areas help ensure these migratory game corridors remain intact and protected from roads and the industrial development roads enable. Millions Support the Roadless Rule: The Roadless Rule is a highly popular policy that is often celebrated as one of America’s most successful conservation measures. Prior to its enactment, more than 600 public hearings were held nationwide, and 1.6 million Americans weighed in to call for protection of these forestlands. More recently, more than 45 members of the House and Senate have signed onto legislation that would codify the Roadless Rule so that in the future, it could not be rolled back without an act of Congress. Policy Has Built-In Exceptions: The Roadless Rule is extremely flexible and allows for necessary forest management and the construction of roads as needed to address fires, floods, or other catastrophic events, and other circumstances like the need to connect communities. National forest managers routinely conduct forest stewardship activities within roadless areas such as prescribed burning and wildlife habitat improvement activities. The roadless rule is a reasonable policy and am personally against any senseless blanket repeal of it. I and my community have benefited greatly from roadless areas. Whether hunting or simply enjoying relatively undisturbed wilderness. There are plenty of wild areas already accessible by road and this repeal smells like yet another attack on our public lands. For these reasons, I urge the USDA to select Alternative A and retain the existing protections for Roadless Areas. Thank you for considering my comment. Joseph Peloquin Mancos, CO

Millions Support the Roadless Rule: The Roadless Rule is a highly popular policy that is often celebrated as one of America's most successful conservation measures. Prior to its enactment, more than 600 public hearings were held nationwide, and 1.6 million Americans weighed in to call for protection of these forestlands. More recently, more than 45 members of the House and Senate have signed onto legislation that would codify the Roadless Rule so that in the future, it could not be rolled back without an act of Congress Roadbuilding Drains Taxpayers: Even with the Roadless Rule in place, the Forest Service already has a 370,000-mile road system twice as long as the national highway system crisscrossing national forests. This forest road infrastructure is already so big that the Forest Service can't afford to properly maintain it, triggering a maintenance backlog that has ballooned to billions in needed repairs. Taxpayers have subsidized this already unwieldy road network and would be stuck footing the bill for any new roads built in backcountry forest areas following this rollback. Old Growth Loss: Many roadless areas are sanctuaries of the last remaining fragments of old growth forests. While the biggest ones are found in the western US and Alaska, the tiny fragments that remain in our eastern national forests can be as small as a few thousand acres. Many of these areas have remained roadless because they are not suitable to extractive industries, often having steep slopes and poor soil. We must protect the few precious fragments of old growth that we have left.

I live in Durango, Colorado. I am submitting this public comment today to strongly urge the USDA to select Alternative A – the No Action Alternative – in the 2001 Roadless Rule Rescission Draft Environmental Impact Statement. This Alternative would preserve the 2001 Roadless Rule. I have found time spent in these areas, hiking, camping, and backpacking, to be critical to connection and restoration. The quiet and wilderness help me understand myself, connect with the natural world, and come back better able to connect with my community and be effective and productive at work. In addition to my own time spent in these places, they are critical for clean drinking water and wildlife, and the ecosystems we depend on. I ask the USDA to address the following problems before any decision is made: Vital for America’s Drinking Water: The US National Forests are the headwaters of our great rivers and the largest source of municipal water supply in the nation, serving over 60 million people in 3,400 communities in 33 states. Recreation Spots at Risk: Since 2001, protected roadless areas have offered abundant outdoor recreation opportunities such as hunting, fishing, camping or other activities. Every year, millions of people take advantage of the free (or extremely affordable) access to these public lands. According to maps from Outdoor Alliance’s GIS Lab, roadless areas protect 11,337 climbing routes and boulder problems, more than 1,000 whitewater paddling runs, 43,826 miles of trail, and 20,298 mountain biking trails. Large sections of the Continental Divide, Pacific Crest, and Appalachian National Trails traverse protected roadless areas. Important for Protecting Migration Corridors and Game Habitat: Roads fragment habitat and degrade migration corridors that game species like elk and mule deer rely on. Protected roadless areas help ensure these migratory game corridors remain intact and protected from roads and the industrial development roads enable. Millions Support the Roadless Rule: The Roadless Rule is a highly popular policy that is often celebrated as one of America’s most successful conservation measures. Prior to its enactment, more than 600 public hearings were held nationwide, and 1.6 million Americans weighed in to call for protection of these forestlands. More recently, more than 45 members of the House and Senate have signed onto legislation that would codify the Roadless Rule so that in the future, it could not be rolled back without an act of Congress. Policy Has Built-In Exceptions: The Roadless Rule is extremely flexible and allows for necessary forest management and the construction of roads as needed to address fires, floods, or other catastrophic events, and other circumstances like the need to connect communities. National forest managers routinely conduct forest stewardship activities within roadless areas such as prescribed burning and wildlife habitat improvement activities. For these reasons, I urge the BLM to select Alternative A and retain the existing protections for Roadless Areas. Thank you for considering my comment. Christie Durango, CO

My name is Nathan Knecht, and I live in Boulder Colorado. I am submitting this public comment today to strongly urge the USDA to select Alternative A – the No Action Alternative – in the 2001 Roadless Rule Rescission Draft Environmental Impact Statement. This Alternative would preserve the 2001 Roadless Rule. Born & raised in Colorado the roadless areas have preserved pristine wilderness experiences you can't find in may of the the lower 48 states. those experiences have shaped me as a human and as a father. they have served as a spiritual guide to me and my children. I find it abhorrent that we would, as a nation, consider reversing course to once again seek to extract resources from these places. it is a step back into a darker time that lacked the clarity of natures intrinsic value to us as stewards. I ask the USDA to address the following concerns before any decision is made: Roadless areas are Vital for America’s Drinking Water: The US National Forests are the headwaters of our great rivers and the largest source of municipal water supply in the nation, serving over 60 million people in 3,400 communities in 33 states. in my state, colorado, any cuts to roadless areas put recreation Spots at Risk: Since 2001, protected roadless areas have offered abundant outdoor recreation opportunities such as hunting, fishing, camping or other activities. Every year, millions of people take advantage of the free (or extremely affordable) access to these public lands. According to maps from Outdoor Alliance’s GIS Lab, roadless areas protect 11,337 climbing routes and boulder problems, more than 1,000 whitewater paddling runs, 43,826 miles of trail, and 20,298 mountain biking trails. Large sections of the Continental Divide, Pacific Crest, and Appalachian National Trails traverse protected roadless areas. Roadless areas are Important for Protecting Migration Corridors and Game Habitat: Roads fragment habitat and degrade migration corridors that game species like elk and mule deer rely on. Protected roadless areas help ensure these migratory game corridors remain intact and protected from roads and the industrial development roads enable. Millions Support the Roadless Rule: The Roadless Rule is a highly popular policy that is often celebrated as one of America’s most successful conservation measures. Prior to its enactment, more than 600 public hearings were held nationwide, and 1.6 million Americans weighed in to call for protection of these forestlands. More recently, more than 45 members of the House and Senate have signed onto legislation that would codify the Roadless Rule so that in the future, it could not be rolled back without an act of Congress. The Policy already has Built-In Exceptions: The Roadless Rule is extremely flexible and allows for necessary forest management and the construction of roads as needed to address fires, floods, or other catastrophic events, and other circumstances like the need to connect communities. National forest managers routinely conduct forest stewardship activities within roadless areas such as prescribed burning and wildlife habitat improvement activities. For these reasons, I urge the BLM to select Alternative A and retain the existing protections for Roadless Areas. Thank you for considering my comment. Nathan Knecht Boulder, Colorado local business owner, father of 3, & wilderness advocate

My name is Phil May, and I live in Durango, Colorado. I am submitting this public comment today to strongly urge the USDA to select Alternative A – the No Action Alternative – in the 2001 Roadless Rule Rescission Draft Environmental Impact Statement. This Alternative would preserve the 2001 Roadless Rule. PERSONALIZE THIS SECTION – Your Connection to Roadless Areas I am a hunter and a mountain biker and have appreciated the beauty and integrity of the Roadless Areas across the West for the past 50 years. Additionally I value the many public resources safeguarded by roadless areas like clean drinking water, wildlife habitat, recreation access, and cultural and archaeological sites. I have camped, hunted, fished and hiked in the Roadless Areas and this is one of the reasons that I live here in the West. I ask the USDA to address the the following problems before any decision is made: 1. Vital for America’s Drinking Water: The US National Forests are the headwaters of our great rivers and the largest source of municipal water supply in the nation, serving over 60 million people in 3,400 communities in 33 states. 2. Recreation Spots at Risk: Since 2001, protected roadless areas have offered abundant outdoor recreation opportunities such as hunting, fishing, camping or other activities. Every year, millions of people take advantage of the free (or extremely affordable) access to these public lands. According to maps from Outdoor Alliance’s GIS Lab, roadless areas protect 11,337 climbing routes and boulder problems, more than 1,000 whitewater paddling runs, 43,826 miles of trail, and 20,298 mountain biking trails. Large sections of the Continental Divide, Pacific Crest, and Appalachian National Trails traverse protected roadless areas. 3. Important for Protecting Migration Corridors and Game Habitat: Roads fragment habitat and degrade migration corridors that game species like elk and mule deer rely on. Protected roadless areas help ensure these migratory game corridors remain intact and protected from roads and the industrial development roads enable. 4. Millions Support the Roadless Rule: The Roadless Rule is a highly popular policy that is often celebrated as one of America’s most successful conservation measures. Prior to its enactment, more than 600 public hearings were held nationwide, and 1.6 million Americans weighed in to call for protection of these forestlands. More recently, more than 45 members of the House and Senate have signed onto legislation that would codify the Roadless Rule so that in the future, it could not be rolled back without an act of Congress. 5. Policy Has Built-In Exceptions: The Roadless Rule is extremely flexible and allows for necessary forest management and the construction of roads as needed to address fires, floods, or other catastrophic events, and other circumstances like the need to connect communities. National forest managers routinely conduct forest stewardship activities within roadless areas such as prescribed burning and wildlife habitat improvement activities. For these reasons, I urge the BLM to select Alternative A and retain the existing protections for Roadless Areas. Thank you for considering my comment. Phil May Durango, Colorado Public lands user

I ask the USDA to Alternative A and retain the existing protections for Roadless Areas due to: - Vital for America’s Drinking Water: The US National Forests are the headwaters of our great rivers and the largest source of municipal water supply in the nation, serving over 60 million people in 3,400 communities in 33 states. - Recreation Spots at Risk: Since 2001, protected roadless areas have offered abundant outdoor recreation opportunities such as hunting, fishing, camping or other activities. Every year, millions of people take advantage of the free (or extremely affordable) access to these public lands. According to maps from Outdoor Alliance’s GIS Lab, roadless areas protect 11,337 climbing routes and boulder problems, more than 1,000 whitewater paddling runs, 43,826 miles of trail, and 20,298 mountain biking trails. Large sections of the Continental Divide, Pacific Crest, and Appalachian National Trails traverse protected roadless areas. - Important for Protecting Migration Corridors and Game Habitat: Roads fragment habitat and degrade migration corridors that game species like elk and mule deer rely on. Protected roadless areas help ensure these migratory game corridors remain intact and protected from roads and the industrial development roads enable. - Millions Support the Roadless Rule: The Roadless Rule is a highly popular policy that is often celebrated as one of America’s most successful conservation measures. Prior to its enactment, more than 600 public hearings were held nationwide, and 1.6 million Americans weighed in to call for protection of these forestlands. More recently, more than 45 members of the House and Senate have signed onto legislation that would codify the Roadless Rule so that in the future, it could not be rolled back without an act of Congress. - Policy Has Built-In Exceptions: The Roadless Rule is extremely flexible and allows for necessary forest management and the construction of roads as needed to address fires, floods, or other catastrophic events, and other circumstances like the need to connect communities. National forest managers routinely conduct forest stewardship activities within roadless areas such as prescribed burning and wildlife habitat improvement activities. For these reasons, I urge the BLM to select Alternative A and retain the existing protections for Roadless Areas. Thank you for considering my comment.

My name is Erin Murphy, and I live in Durango, Colorado. I am submitting this public comment today to strongly urge the USDA to select Alternative A – the No Action Alternative – in the 2001 Roadless Rule Rescission Draft Environmental Impact Statement. This Alternative would preserve the 2001 Roadless Rule. PERSONALIZE THIS SECTION – Your Connection to Roadless Areas Public lands are what make the United States special and have allowed this country to thrive. I ask the USDA to address the following problems before any decision is made: Vital for America’s Drinking Water: The US National Forests are the headwaters of our great rivers and the largest source of municipal water supply in the nation, serving over 60 million people in 3,400 communities in 33 states. Recreation Spots at Risk: Since 2001, protected roadless areas have offered abundant outdoor recreation opportunities such as hunting, fishing, camping or other activities. Every year, millions of people take advantage of the free (or extremely affordable) access to these public lands. According to maps from Outdoor Alliance’s GIS Lab, roadless areas protect 11,337 climbing routes and boulder problems, more than 1,000 whitewater paddling runs, 43,826 miles of trail, and 20,298 mountain biking trails. Large sections of the Continental Divide, Pacific Crest, and Appalachian National Trails traverse protected roadless areas. Important for Protecting Migration Corridors and Game Habitat: Roads fragment habitat and degrade migration corridors that game species like elk and mule deer rely on. Protected roadless areas help ensure these migratory game corridors remain intact and protected from roads and the industrial development roads enable. Millions Support the Roadless Rule: The Roadless Rule is a highly popular policy that is often celebrated as one of America’s most successful conservation measures. Prior to its enactment, more than 600 public hearings were held nationwide, and 1.6 million Americans weighed in to call for protection of these forestlands. More recently, more than 45 members of the House and Senate have signed onto legislation that would codify the Roadless Rule so that in the future, it could not be rolled back without an act of Congress. Policy Has Built-In Exceptions: The Roadless Rule is extremely flexible and allows for necessary forest management and the construction of roads as needed to address fires, floods, or other catastrophic events, and other circumstances like the need to connect communities. National forest managers routinely conduct forest stewardship activities within roadless areas such as prescribed burning and wildlife habitat improvement activities. For these reasons, I urge the BLM to select Alternative A and retain the existing protections for Roadless Areas. Thank you for considering my comment. Erin Murphy, Public lands user

I strongly urge the USDA to select Alternative A - No Action - in the 2001 Roadless Rule Decision draft EIS. This will preserve the 2001 Roadless Rule Act. Reasons for my opinion are as follows: 1. Important for Protecting Migration Corridors and Game Habitat: Roads fragment habitat and degrade migration corridors that game species like elk and mule deer rely on. Protected roadless areas help ensure these migratory game corridors remain intact and protected from roads and the industrial development roads enable. 2. Millions Support the Roadless Rule: The Roadless Rule is a highly popular policy that is often celebrated as one of America’s most successful conservation measures. Prior to its enactment, more than 600 public hearings were held nationwide, and 1.6 million Americans weighed in to call for protection of these forestlands. More recently, more than 45 members of the House and Senate have signed onto legislation that would codify the Roadless Rule so that in the future, it could not be rolled back without an act of Congress. 3. Policy Has Built-In Exceptions: The Roadless Rule is extremely flexible and allows for necessary forest management and the construction of roads as needed to address fires, floods, or other catastrophic events, and other circumstances like the need to connect communities. National forest managers routinely conduct forest stewardship activities within roadless areas such as prescribed burning and wildlife habitat improvement activities. Thank you for considering my viewpoints. Edward DeFrancia Ridgway, CO

The Roadless Rule is a highly popular policy that is often celebrated as one of America’s most successful conservation measures. Prior to its enactment, more than 600 public hearings were held nationwide, and 1.6 million Americans weighed in to call for protection of these forestlands. More recently, more than 45 members of the House and Senate have signed onto legislation that would codify the Roadless Rule so that in the future, it could not be rolled back without an act of Congress.

he US National Forests are the headwaters of our great rivers and the largest source of municipal water supply in the nation, serving over 60 million people in 3,400 communities in 33 states. Roads are a major cause of water pollution. Because it protects these headwaters, the 2001 Roadless Rule is vital for maintaining clean drinking water for communities across the country. Major U.S. cities including Los Angeles, Portland, Denver, and Atlanta receive a significant portion of their water supply from national forests.Taxpayers on the Hook: Building more roads in national forests would be a drain on taxpayers. Even with the Roadless Rule in place, the Forest Service already has a 370,000-mile road system – twice as long as the nation’s highway system – crisscrossing national forests. This forest road infrastructure is already so big that the Forest Service can’t afford to properly maintain it, triggering a maintenance backlog that has ballooned to billions in needed repairs. Taxpayers have subsidized this already unwieldy road network and would be stuck footing the bill for any new roads built in backcountry forest areas following this rollback.Millions Support the Roadless Rule: The Roadless Rule is a highly popular policy that is often celebrated as one of America’s most successful conservation measures. Prior to its enactment, more than 600 public hearings were held nationwide, and 1.6 million Americans weighed in to call for protection of these forestlands. More recently, more than 45 members of the House and Senate have signed onto legislation that would codify the Roadless Rule so that in the future, it could not be rolled back without an act of Congress.