“Secretary Rollins, I urge you not to rescind the Roadless Rule. The 45 million acres of remote, wild and…”

Secretary Rollins, I urge you not to rescind the Roadless Rule. The 45 million acres of remote, wild and roadless forests across our country are the few pockets of unbroken forest where nature can flourish undisturbed. The longer that forests are left alone and the longer that trees are left to grow, the more time a fully-fledged, interconnected forest ecosystem has to develop. The older trees in these forests support endangered wildlife and while filtering and storing clean water that downstream communities depend on. Habitat connectivity is one of the most important functions of intact, roadless forests, providing migration corridors for species such as elk, deer, fishers, and salmon. Rescinding the Roadless Rule would fragment these landscapes, cutting off wildlife from breeding grounds, food sources, and seasonal ranges, and diminishing the ability of older forests to sustain resilient ecosystems and buffer against climate change. People rock climb, hike, bike, hunt, fish and ski in these remote places. These forests also provide cultural, recreational, and ceremonial value for communities and Tribes who depend on intact landscapes for traditional practices, gathering, and ceremony. Rolling back the Roadless Rule will not protect communities from wildfire and may in fact lead to more wildfires. Wildfires are four times as likely to start in areas with roads than in roadless forest tracts and 90 percent of all wildfires nationwide started within half a mile of a road. We shouldn’t jeopardize the wildlife, habitat connectivity, recreation and clean water that these beloved intact forests provide by opening them to road-building, commercial logging, mining and drilling. Please leave America’s last wild forests alone. Sincerely, Alfredo Cervantes