I would like to express my disagreement and disappointment with the U.S. Forest Service proposed rule to rescind in its entirety the National 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule.
My family and I are avid nature lovers. We would rather be outside than inside. We prefer to experience the wonders of our nation's outdoors in their natural surroundings. We walk, hike, backpack and camp using Leave No Trace ethics.
We admire the changes in nature during the 4 seasons: the new life of Spring, the active growth of Summer, the preparations of Fall, the resting time of Winter. I remember seeing more than 2 dozen varieties of wildflowers blooming during the last week of March on a Spring Break camping trip in Hoosier National Forest, IN. During a Summer backpacking trip in Superior National Forest, MN, I watched the emergence of a dragonfly crawling out from its final stage and making its way to a rock, where it rested and dried itself in the sunshine, gaining strength to fly away. Having grown up in the Chicago Metro area, my first trip to Shawnee National Forest in downstate IL was a wonderful awakening to the fact that Illinois is not made up of just farmland and cities...Downstate IL is Forest!
My family has traveled throughout all 50 United States. From White Mountain National Forest, NH, across to Sequoia National Forest, CA, up to Chugach National Forest, AK, over to the Forest Reserves of Hawaii, and many forests in between, our National Forests provide us with un-surpassing beauty, solitude, diversity, and peace. The busy National Parks are crowded with tourists visiting the wonders of our country. Many National Forests border these Parks, providing undisturbed habitat and access to the land. Our children, grandchildren, and future generations deserve the opportunity to seek out the amazing wonders of our unique natural spaces in solitude and peace.
My husband and I recently spent time camping and hiking in our nation's first National Forest, Gila NF, NM. The strip mining area outside Silver City, NM, is an ugly example of what happens when the forest and land are destroyed. Opening up NF land to the possibility of new roads being built and private business taking over is not in our nation's best interest. We have an unknown number of species that have not yet been discovered and cataloged. Their survival depends on unique characteristics and habitats found only in the small amount of pristine, untouched, old growth forests we have left. When their habitats are destroyed, species we have never observed will be gone from Earth forever. We can't get them back.
Please do not rescind the National 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule.
Thank you