MountainTrue

To the U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Forest Service: I am writing to convey my strong opposition to any efforts to rescind, weaken, or roll back the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule. These areas are critical for the economic and ecological health of our nation. We are witness to the devastating impacts of deforestation on lands across Europe and. In my region of the country, the economic and ecosystem value of North Carolina’s 32 Roadless areas to communities throughout our state is priceless. People from across the country come to North Carolina to visit our Roadless areas throughout the year; their visits to our state are vital to our local economies, especially in Western North Carolina where our area is still recovering from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene in September of 2024. Disrupting these well-visited natural areas would wreak havoc on our local economies. Protecting the unfragmented roadless landscapes of North Carolina is deeply personal to all of us that live here. I have been hiking and visiting these areas of our Blue Ridge Mountains for over 10 years. These are some of the wildest places we have left, and the public overwhelmingly supports their protection. The remaining pristine lands and habitats across our nation are economic and ecological lifelines that are vital to our very survival. I urge the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to abandon the proposed rescission and instead maintain full protections for all currently designated inventoried roadless areas. Thank you for the opportunity to provide public comment. Please do the right thing!