am writing as a resident of Western North Carolina to express my strong opposition to rescinding the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule.
This proposal is not an abstract national policy issue for those of us who live in Western North Carolina. The Roadless Rule protects roughly 152,000 acres within the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forestsplaces that are part of the landscape, identity, water systems, wildlife habitat, recreation opportunities, and outdoor economy of our region.
These protections encompass or affect some of the places Western North Carolinians know and love, including Graveyard Fields and Graveyard Ridge, Laurel Mountain, South Mills River, the Black Mountains, Tusquitee Bald, Cheoah Bald, Overflow Creek, Wilson Creek, Woods Mountain, Snowbird, Sam Knob, Chunky Gal Mountain, and areas surrounding the Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock and Linville Gorge wildernesses.
I am particularly concerned about the consequences of allowing substantially more road construction and associated development in these landscapes. Forest Service research has recognized that fragmentation of previously uninterrupted forests can harm wildlife habitat, while roads can contribute to erosion and impacts to water quality. Roadless forests also provide large, connected habitat and headwaters that are increasingly difficult to replace once fragmented. ?
Clean water is especially important in the Southern Appalachians. These mountains contain headwaters and tributaries that feed communities throughout Western North Carolina. For example, the Little Indian roadless area contains headwaters of the Nantahala River and tributaries draining toward the Little Tennessee River watershed. Protecting undeveloped headwaters and limiting erosion and sedimentation should remain a priority.
The Forest Service should keep the Roadless Rule intact exactly as it is. Do not weaken or repeal this critical policy.
National forests are the heart of our public lands. The Roadless Area Conservation Rule protects some of the wildest forests we have left, forests that protect critical wildlife habitat and drinking water for millions. Revoking the Roadless Rule puts landscapes, wildlife, and communities at risk.
Not only is the Roadless Rule good policy, it's also wildly popular across the country, with over 600,000 people submitting comments to the US Forest Service last year in support of keeping the rule in place. And more than 20 years ago, the American people overwhelmingly called for our national forests to be protected for future generations. Revoking the Roadless Rule would destroy the natural inheritance we leave for our children.