I write in support of the Roadless Rule and against its reversal. More than 400 endangered or threatened animals and plants across our country will be pushed closer to extinction if the Roadless Rule that has kept bulldozers and logging roads out of wild lands and open spaces for decades is reversed. Creatures such as spotted owls, mysterious Humboldt martens, rare Pt. Arena mountain beavers and struggling Coho salmon rely on these unroaded forests and wild rivers to survive. The roadless areas also provide places to hike, birdwatch, fish and hunt — as well as clean water and air to all of us.
For 25 years, roadless publicly owned lands have remained safe from clear-cutting, roadbuilding, mining, and oil-and-gas drilling. Now we must stop extractive industries from forcing their way back in.
About half of California’s 4 million acres of roadless areas are found in Northern California. In Mendocino National Forest, nearly 30,00 acres of roadless lands border the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument. Another 154,332 acres surround the remote Yuki, Yolla Bolly and Sanhedrin wilderness areas that serve as critical wildlife corridors.
Further North, more than 1 million acres of roadless habitat around Mt. Shasta and into the Trinity Alps allow bears, mountain lions, deer and other wildlife to thrive. The Klamath and Six Rivers National Forests hold tracts of redwoods and old growth along with free running rivers adding roughly another 1 million acres of roadless land.
THE ROADLESS RULE MUST BE PROTECTED.