My name is Sarah Joy Maule, and I live in Idyllwild, California, a small mountain community surrounded by the San Bernardino National Forest. The surrounding public lands aren't simply beautiful scenery for those of us who live here—they are fundamental to our community's identity, quality of life, and local economy.
People travel from across California, the country, and around the world to experience the San Jacinto Mountains. They come to hike, camp, climb, mountain bike, watch wildlife, and experience landscapes that remain relatively wild and undeveloped. The Pacific Crest Trail passes through the roadless areas surrounding our community, bringing hikers who regularly come into Idyllwild to resupply, eat a hot meal, stay overnight, replace equipment, and rest before continuing their journey. Those visitors spend money at our restaurants, inns and Airbnbs, markets, coffee shops, and other locally owned services and establishments. Tourism and outdoor recreation help sustain jobs and small businesses throughout our community.
That means decisions about nearby roadless areas don't affect some distant piece of federal land—they affect the landscape that makes Idyllwild a destination and helps sustain the community where my family and I live. Protecting the wild character of these mountains is also an investment in the long-term economic health of communities like ours.
My family experiences that connection personally. We regularly hike in these mountains, including at Humber Park and Black Mountain. We camp at Idyllwild Regional Park and Marion Mountain and fish at Lake Fulmor and Lake Hemet. Our community is also home to the world-class Idyllwild Arts Academy, where the surrounding natural landscape is part of what makes this such a unique place to live, learn, and create.
I also support maintaining the Roadless Rule because these landscapes provide benefits that extend far beyond recreation. Relatively intact forests and watersheds provide wildlife habitat, help protect water quality, and preserve connected landscapes in a region where wildfire, drought, and development are ongoing concerns.
For all of these reasons, I oppose the proposal to fully or partially rescind the Roadless Area Conservation Rule and strongly support the No Action Alternative. I urge the U.S. Forest Service to maintain the current protections for our nation's inventoried roadless areas. For communities like Idyllwild, protecting these lands isn't an abstract conservation issue. These forests are part of our home, our economy, our water, our way of life, and the inheritance we leave to future generations.