“As a lifelong Wyoming resident and someone who cares about our roadless forests in Wyoming, I urge the Forest…”

As a lifelong Wyoming resident and someone who cares about our roadless forests in Wyoming, I urge the Forest Service to retain the 2001 Roadless Rule by adopting the “No Action” alternative. I strongly oppose rescinding the Roadless Rule because: Wyoming’s roadless areas provide some of the best fish and wildlife habitat in the country, including core habitat for elk, mule deer, grizzly bear, and other iconic Wyoming species. Roadless areas provide some of the best opportunities in the country for backcountry recreation. From fly fishing to camping to backcountry skiing — public lands users know the opportunities for both solitude and adventure often improve the further you get from roads. Roads contribute to erosion, sedimentation, and contaminants flowing into waterways. More roadbuilding in roadless areas could impact aquatic habitat, putting our world-class trout fisheries at risk. Additionally, many Wyoming communities depend on clean water from roadless areas. Rescinding the Roadless Rule is fiscally irresponsible: The USFS already services roughly 370,000 miles of roads, and maintenance is costly. The deferred maintenance cost the Forest Service faces already exceeds $10 billion. Removing Roadless Rule protections and adding roads will increase the already-massive maintenance backlog and likely increase the risk of wildfire ignitions. Research shows that fires are much more likely to occur where there are roads. The Roadless Rule was developed through years of public participation and has wide-reaching public support — 99% of the public support the rule. The Roadless Rule protects some of our nation’s most important forests and wild places. I strongly oppose the rescission of the Roadless Rule and urge the U.S. Forest Service to adopt the “No Action” alternative.