To Whom It May Concern at the U.S. Forest Service:
In my experience on public land, what makes the roadless areas different isn't scenery — you can have scenery with a parking lot — it's the absence of the infrastructure that changes the relationship between the land and whoever's in it.
As a 4th generation North Carolinian, the mountain region is my escape, and the place my family chooses time and time again because it quite literally soothes our souls. Opening up swaths of protected national forest to new roads would have such a detrimental impact on some of our most beloved places.
Our kids go to summer camp in one area of Pisgah, and while they were there this past summer my husband and I rented a cabin in Linville gorge and spent a long weekend hiking and exploring one of the very regions that is currently under threat. We kept remarking at the utter quiet surrounding us, such a rare treasure these days. And one to guard!!
Regarding the Linville Gorge Addition in the Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina:
Quiet, undeveloped recreation on roadless lands supports local economies through tourism, outfitting, hunting, and fishing.
Rescinding the Roadless Rule would open the Linville Gorge Addition, Pisgah 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.
I find it hard to believe that anyone thinking critically about this situation could see anything other than unnecessary destruction. Please listen to the voices speaking for this cause- we have seen so much harm come to our precious ecosystems both far and near and urge you to protect this land that is our collective treasure.
Yours sincerely,
Julie Smith