Roadless Rule Public Comment BCHVH
The Back Country Horsemen of the Virginia Highlands are opposed to rescinding the Roadless Rule and are in agreement of Alternative #1. The Back Country Horsemen of the Virginia Highlands is a chapter of the Back Country Horsemen of America, a volunteer organization maintaining trails on America’s public lands. We contribute over 1000 volunteer hours a year maintaining the trails in the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area, a part of the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest in southwest Virginia. The Back Country Horsemen represent the historical tradition of pack and saddle stock use on public land. Protection of roadless areas is fundamental to preserving this heritage for the future.
The back country, trails, and the outdoor experience are very important to us as horseback riders and stewards of the land and we believe these lands should be protected from additional road construction and the subsequent extraction industries that will have a profound impact on these forests. Unlike the West’s vast landscapes, the forests of the East are much smaller and scattered about and roadless areas insure that these places remain available for quiet back country recreation and solitude. Many roadless areas contain the headwaters of streams and rivers that provide clean water for fish, wildlife, communities, and downstream users and provide intact habitat that wildlife needs to survive and thrive. Roads fragment wildlife habitat. They alter drainage patterns, increase disturbance and can open the door to further development. They require construction, maintenance and eventually taxpayer dollars to keep them open. The USFS current road maintenance backlog on its 380,000 miles of existing roads is in excess of 10 billion dollars. Does it make sense to build more roads?
We feel strongly that it is important to preserve these roadless areas for future generations so our children and grand children can enjoy and experience the same opportunities and landscapes that we value today. Roadless areas are among the last places in the country where people can experience undeveloped landscapes and a sense of solitude, once they disappear, they are lost.
Protect the Roadless Rule. Protect the backcountry. Protect the trails and landscapes that
make our mission possible.