Dear Chief Tom Schultz:
As a hunter and angler, the country the rule covers isn't excess — it's the part of the public-lands estate that still functions as designed. The proposal doesn't add anything that justifies what it takes away.
Regarding the Oakey Mountain in the Talladega National Forest, Alabama:
Quiet, undeveloped recreation on roadless lands supports local economies through tourism, outfitting, hunting, and fishing.
Road noise reaches deep into protected areas. Anthropogenic noise doubles background sound levels in 63 percent of U.S. protected area units and produces a tenfold increase in 21 percent of them. Elevated noise was found in habitats of endangered species, with 14 percent of critical habitats experiencing a tenfold sound increase. Noise pollution in protected areas is closely linked with transportation, development, and extractive land use (Buxton et al. 2017). — Buxton et al., 2017 (https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aah4783)
Rescinding the Roadless Rule would open the Oakey Mountain, Talladega National Forest to road construction and associated ground disturbance. The direct and indirect effects of that activity are precisely what makes a specific comment about this area necessary.
Our wild places should remain wild. Do not allow roads to be placed there.
Rescinding the Rule opens the door to damage that won't be undone. Don't open it.
Yours truly,
CommentID: RLC-20260930-SSXNW7