FS-2025-0001-525027

Dear Special Areas: Roadless Area Conservation, Dear I am writing to say I am not in favor of U.S. Department of Agriculture's announcement that it is proposing a complete rollback of the 2001 Roadless Rule. I am surprised that this is even on the agenda, The Roadless Rule to protect millions of acres of national forest lands and the headwaters of some of the nation's most critical drinking water sources. There is no national emergency that would justify breaking into the resources that we have kept in trust for generations. It is almost certain that we will have a water shortage in the future. Global warming, droughts, downpours, fire, is ripping the fabric of our agricultural lands. The Oglalla aquifer, the Great Salt Lake, the Colorado River, are drying up, as is the Otter Tail River on which my community depends. We are spending our children's inheritance. Daily the flames of discontent, fear and anger are fanned to justify a political agenda that has no room for basic human needs. Disrupting more than 80,000 miles of rivers and streams, and fish and wildlife habitat they protect, is irresponsible, We need to helping ensure clean drinking water for more than 25 million Americans, including residents of Denver, Atlanta, and Bozeman. Please hear us when we say there is no basis for this dramatic and drastic action Here's what we need from you. We need farmers who are not weighed down with debt under the constant pressure of having to be more productive is driving the return on their labor continuously down. That is an emergency! We need to farm our dump sites, which are ever-growing, with effective recycling to reclaim precious metals. We need clean water to drink that isn't contaminated by hormones, pesticides and micro-plastics, That is an emergency. We need wind and solar energy that doesn't threaten our planet. That's the real emergency. We need more parks to accommodate the crowds of visitors that recreate in our natural environment. We need to stand up to the idea that free-enterprise is more important than social cohesion and environmental health in America. The Founders built a government that was wise, flexible and responsive to what brings happiness for the most people, not how we could make the most money by exploiting every inch of our beautiful and wild land. I see a generation coming up that loves the outdoors, that wants to test themselves, be it in a kayak down a wild river, or rock climbing up a mountain in the pine scented forests. Wealth has a way of take care of themselves, They are blindly governing our nation by their ideology to short sighted and dangerous ends. Leave the Roadless Rule as it is: a significant protection for rivers, clean water, and wildlife across the country. Because in a year, or five years, or even twenty, we will stand in a broken country, knowing that we allowed this thievery, and trying to figure out how to put it back together and clean up. Sincerely, Deb Wallwork 30 S. Washburn Ave Minneapolis, MN 55405 debmn@mac.com Sincerely, Deb Wallwork