Roadless Rule
Last year I journeyed on horseback to the most remote place in the lower 48 – Hawks Rest, in the Thorofare region of Wyoming. This remoteness is defined by distance from the nearest road – 30 miles. Everywhere in the contiguous United States you are less than thirty miles from a road. Even venturing into the backcountry, the furthest you can get from a road thirty miles from a road.
The Thorofare is one of the most special places in the world, and should not be compromised. It is as pristine an area as one can find in this country. It contains the headwaters of the Yellowstone River, a watershed that provides critical habitat for wildlife and supports fishing, hunting, farming and recreation. These lands are multi-use; right now they provide opportunities for hunters to harvest game, and for photographers to capture wild scenery; for scientists to study wildlife and for local residents to hike the outdoors. Adding more roads threatens all of these uses.
In Wyoming, roadless areas provide critical habitat for wildlife - from wolverines to elk to cutthroat trout. The available land for these species seems to shrink every year. We build more houses and more roads, and the area they have to thrive, and even survive, shrinks.
Managing wildlife in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is complicated and fraught with nuance. Take grizzly bears - they encroach on human areas partially because their rangeland decreases. Construction of new roads through their critical habitat will only increase conflict as they are further pushed out.
Removing protections from areas of the Shoshone National Forest, and others similar to it is short-sighted and irresponsible. This land is ours - all of the people who use it regularly. And we do not want to see it disappear. Reducing regulatory burden is not automatically a good thing, as it removes the guardrails put forth to protect roadless areas.
Finally, one of the key arguments put forth for rescinding the rule is that it will reduce wildfires. In fact, Dr. Sean Healey, Research Ecologist with the Forest Service’s Rocky Mountain Research Station has an article indicating that it will not. His research shows that forest in roadless area and areas with roads burn at similar rates. However, constructing roads negatively impacts ecosystem health through things like the spread of invasive plants.
For these reasons, I oppose the proposal to rescind or alter the Roadless Rule. There is little evidence that it will decrease wildfires, but plenty of evidence that it could negatively impact wildlife, flora, and recreation opportunities.