I vehemently oppose the repeal of the Roadless Area Conservation Rule. As an avid outdoorsman and research ecologist the repeal of the Roadless Rule will directly and dramatically impact the places and wildlife that I care about and study. In my opinion we should be increasing, not decreasing, the protection of the nation's roadless areas from industrial forestry and resource extraction interests.
Specifically, very near my home in Mt. Shasta CA, there are several roadless areas where I frequently recreate (hike, backpack, botanize, and trail run) that would lose protection if this short-sighted repeal goes into effect: The Mt. Eddy IRA (7,232 acres); the Mt. Shasta B IRA (2,809 acres); Castle Crags B IRA (1,619 acres); West Girard IRA (37,515 acres); and the East Girard IRA (27,893 acres). The Mount Eddy IRA is of particular personal importance to me: this area includes the Mount Eddy Research Natural Area (RNA) on the Shasta-Trinity National Forest (Cheng, 2004). Within the Roadless Area, the RNA is extremely diverse supporting nearly 300 species of plants, providing critical habitat for 8 California Native Plant Society Listed plant species, and including one of the highest quality and most intact stands of the high-elevation Foxtail Pine (Pinus balfouriana) on Earth. This is a precious and irreplaceable ecosystem.
In addition to destroying habitat, repealing the Roadless Rule would negatively impact my community, change its character, threaten our clean water and air, and damage our economy (dominated by tourism-associated recreation a $730 Billion dollar / year industry in the US, far greater than the timber industry). If the Roadless Rule is repealed, the watershed that provides clean water to my town will be exposed to additional resource extraction and degradation and new roads will increase our risk of wildfire, thereby threatening the very existence of our town.
Finally, repealing the Roadless Rule will impact all of the citizens of the United States, not only those in my small town. For instance, Roadless Areas provide drinking water to approximately 60 million Americans and development in these watersheds threatens the integrity, safety, and quality of our water. Furthermore, the landscapes protected by the Roadless Rule provide critical habitat for over 1600 threatened species across the country.
Please listen to the will of the majority of concerned Americans and preserve the Roadless Area Conservation Rule.
Sincerely,
Shane Lishawa
Citation:
Cheng, S., 2004. Forest service research natural areas in California. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-188. Albany, CA: Pacific Southwest Research Station, Forest Service, US Department of Agriculture. 338 p., 188.