“Keep the 2001 Roadless Rule Intact (Docket FS–2025–0001 or RIN 0596-AD66) Dear U.S. Forest Service, I am…”

Keep the 2001 Roadless Rule Intact (Docket FS–2025–0001 or RIN 0596-AD66) Dear U.S. Forest Service, I am writing to urge you to keep the Roadless Rule in place and oppose the proposed rescission. Instead of an overly broad repeal, the agency should pursue targeted improvements to the Roadless Rule that strengthen wildfire resilience and recreation access, while keeping its strong safeguards in place. I care deeply about roadless areas because I specifically left the state of Florida due to the irresponsible destruction of wildlife habitat to build strip malls and mansions. I love the Sierra because it provides places of peace and wellbeing. Everyone is especially courteous when you meet them in nature. There’s a reason for that! We NEED it - we are part of it - we can’t live without it. These places are irreplaceable for wildlife, clean water, cultural values, and humans. The lands protected by the Roadless Rule were identified for their critical role in safeguarding clean water, providing wildlife habitat, preserving Tribal cultural resources, and offering cherished backcountry experiences. They also sustain thriving recreation economies while supporting community safety through wildfire prevention, firefighting access, and road maintenance. I am particularly concerned that the Forest Service’s emphasis on greater “local flexibility” does not necessarily mean greater local engagement. In the Eastern Sierra, for example, the Forest Service is again considering exploratory gold drilling near Hot Creek, a popular recreation and fly-fishing area. Yet the process this time does not require a public comment period. Removing the Roadless Rule does not guarantee stronger local control. Instead, it would shift significantly more responsibility to local plans and project-level decisions at a time when agency capacity and opportunities for public involvement are declining, many forest plans are outdated, categorical exclusions are being used more broadly, and federal priorities are pushing for increased resource extraction. The Forest Service already manages roughly 380,000 miles of roads across the National Forest System, much of which it does not have the resources to maintain. More roads could increase forest fragmentation, erosion, invasive species, and wildfire risk. In California, about 86% of wildfires are human-caused, with ignition risk four times higher near roads. The Roadless Rule strikes the right balance: it allows managers to reduce fuels and protect communities while maintaining a consistent national safeguard against unnecessary new roads. Please reject this broad repeal and preserve the Roadless Rule.