“opening the door to logging, oil-and-gas drilling, and other development”
“Repeal of the roadless rule will negatively impact all of those things”
The comment
Dear U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz,
I’m writing to urge you to choose Alternative 1 and keep the 2001 Roadless Rule intact. For 25 years, the rule has safeguarded nearly 45 million acres of backcountry across U.S. national forests. These roadless areas provide numerous benefits to the American public, from clean air and water to vital wildlife habitat and diverse recreation opportunities — all while still allowing responsible forest management.
My family lives next to wilderness areas in Tucson, AZ. The integrity of these protected lands provide our clean drinking water in the upper watersheds, protect dark skies at night so we can view stars and the milky way, sustain wildlife that we enjoy viewing, helps our property value, and supports the economy of this area which depends on recreation. Repeal of the roadless rule will negatively impact all of those things that my family cares deeply about.
Rescinding or altering this rule puts these lands at risk by opening the door to logging, oil-and-gas drilling, and other development. It will also fragment habitat, introduce invasive species, increase wildfire risk, and bring noise and light pollution. This proposal does not have my support. I urge you to choose no-action and uphold the Roadless Rule. If you do not, our children will inherent public lands in significantly worse shape than we did and that could take generations to repair.
Sincerely,
Emily Hartley
11701 E Saint James Rd Tucson, AZ 85748-7929
em.ferngrotto@gmail.com