FS-2025-0001-481097

Over 230,000 of a total 800,000 acres in the White Mountains are protected by the Roadless Rule. These protected areas include some of the country’s most cherished hiking destinations, including my own. I have hiked the Welch-Dickey loop, where every turn is a new beautiful view that is protected by the Roadless Rule. I have experienced the silence and awe of being in a remote wilderness on the edge of Kings Ravine. I have shared high fives with out of breath friends on the summits of the Franconia Ridge, and have had the pleasure of teaching backcountry skills to women who have never before spent a night outside, only to learn what happens when you hike miles and miles into the woods without the sound of cars or light pollution from town, witnessing a forest breathe with its natural rhythm. I value many other areas in the nation protected by this rule, such as Harper Creek and Mt. Mitchell in North Carolina, Maple and Easy Pass in the North Cascades, trails surrounding Mt. Bachelor in Oregon, and the sweeping vistas on the peaks of remote Montana wilderness, though I have found work, entrepreneurship, and endless joy and comfort in the Roadless Rule areas surrounding me and my community in the White Mountains. So I will voice several of my concerns with rescinding the rule that protects these places for the following reasons: Our Lands: Lands protected by the Roadless Rule include old growth forests that are priceless and should be protected at all costs. They occupy only 1% of our forests, even though they regularly change the microbiome temperature by 2.5 degrees. They have multi layered canopies, undisturbed healthy topsoil, provide more net carbon storage than many other uses of land in the U.S., and hold religious and cultural significance. Additionally, our old growth forests can resist severe wildfires better than young or industrial tree plantations due to their thick bark, high moisture, and high canopies. Our Animals: The Roadless Rule in the White Mountains also supports the area's imperiled species like the northern long eared bat, Bicknell’s thrush, brook trout, Canada lynx, and American marten. Having continuous forest allows these species to remain undisturbed by structures, human interaction, and degradation of their current habitat and territories. Our Water: According to the EPA, over 600,000 people, including over 7% of NH residents, use the Merrimack River for drinking water, and it consists of water runoff from the unfragmented sections of the White Mountains. Keeping roads out of these areas helps prevent toxic runoff and heavy sedimentation from leaching into these crucial public water supplies. Our Economy: According to a study from 2017, outdoor recreation in the NH economy generated about $4.2 billion in direct output and directly supported over 33,000 jobs, making up a total of 3.5% of our state's GDP. It is also worth mentioning here that the Forest Service currently has over $10 billion in road maintenance backlog. If we reduce the quality of recreation with unnecessary construction, trail closures, or other unnatural nuisances, there is a lot of money on the line, and as a future business owner in the outdoor industry myself, I rely on this economy to open my doors in mid 2027. I am aspiring to open an outdoor recreation learning center and consignment outfitter. If our roadless areas in the western part of the WMNF are disturbed enough, it would not be possible for me to open my doors. New England Would Know: We have experienced what it is like to have cars, people, hotels, cafes, and stores at the summit of a mountain. In some ways, it is lovely that there is a way for less able bodied people to experience the alpine environment, though in most ways, it's a battle and the delicate alpine environment is quickly losing. There are plants, such as Diapensia lapponica, Bigelow sedge, Robbins cinquefoil, mountain cranberry, and mountain bilberry, on Mt. Washington and dozens of other surrounding alpine peaks that adapted to withstand rime ice, short growing seasons, 200 mph winds, snow, freezing rain, hail, etc. What these plants have not adapted to is footprints. Studies have shown the degradation of these plants and their struggles with overcrowding due to the introduction of human trampling and invasive species such as dandelions and 74 other non native plant species that are now found on these summits. It is as simple as walking in a yard with these plants and hopping in the car to take the auto road to where the seeds on your shoes can spread on the mountain. When no roads are present, one must hike from the base of the mountain and climb through less delicate terrain before approaching the fragile alpine plants, in which scenario the invasive seeds will most likely fall off before you get to the fragile areas. There is already enough access for necessary services, our ecosystem needs human reprieve and restoration instead of additional construction and roads.