My name is William Meserve and I’m a resident of Falmouth, Maine. I am writing to oppose the proposed recission of the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule.
I am now in my eighties, but for the past seventy years or so, I’ve spent an incredible number of hours hiking, backpacking and camping in the roadless areas of northern New England — sometimes solo and often with my wife, children, grandchildren and brothers. I’ve carried each of my three children and most of my grandchildren over beautiful trails to fabulous summits before they were even two years old, and ever since this early introduction, they all have continued to hike and enjoy their time in the outdoors. These excursions in various roadless areas from Caribou - Speckled in Maine to the Sandwich Range, Pemigewasset, Presidential-Dry River, and the Great Gulf Wilderness in New Hampshire have been memorable for all of us and helped strengthen family bonds. We have all enjoyed immensely the scenic beauty and tranquility of these magical places. They should not be destroyed. Please reconsider your proposed recission of the roadless area conservation rule and preserve or, if anything, enlarge these protected areas so that my children and grandchildren, among millions of others, can continue to enjoy them.
Over one hundred years ago much of the forest in New Hampshire, in particular, was heavily logged. Fabulous scenery was destroyed, fires became rampant because of the resulting slash, and erosion clogged many of the rivers that originate in mountainous terrain. Then the Weeks Act was adopted creating the White Mountain National Forest. The wanton destruction of the forest stopped. It’s taken a hundred years for much of it to regrow, but that revival has created incredible recreational activities for many while providing some peace and tranquility to others who are trying to escape the worries of the everyday world. These roadless areas are a priceless resource, and they have had the added benefit of generating increased economic activity in nearby towns and cities.
Many years ago, I worked as a logger for a large timber company on National Forest land in Idaho. I witnessed first-hand the incredible damage that is caused by heavy logging machinery and trucks, the wasteland created when an area is logged too intensively, and the extensive destruction of valuable habitat for both animals and birds. While timber resources are certainly important, indiscriminate cutting and disruption of our forests should not be permitted.
A principal mission of the Department of the Interior is to preserve and protect our natural resources, including national parks and monuments as well as the numerous areas that have previously been designated as roadless. Please fulfill your fundamental mission by withdrawing your proposed rule that will, if implemented, cause incredible and long lasting damage to these very special places.