I beg you to NOT rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule and instead, keep it intact so that by law our nation’s remaining beautiful wild areas will continue to be protected.
I live in the lovely state of North Carolina. Here, where the Appalachian Mountains cover the western part of our state, beautiful oforests comprise much of the land. Many acres of these lands had to recover from early 20th century timber-cutting and have been able to recover at least in part to such conservation rules and laws. There are millions of people such as myself who benefit from these gorgeous new growth forests and the old growth forests that were, thankfully, lovingly protected in the nick of time. Areas such as the Pisgah National Forest and the Nantahala National Forest provide ample opportunities for all types of outdoor recreation and are very worthwhile examples of conservation efforts DONE RIGHT. There are entire small towns in western NC whose economies depend almost entirely on people coming from near and far to enjoy the untouched forest lands nearby. There, communities are thriving on tourists who come to the areas to partake in the various outdoor recreation. They come to get away from bustling cities with their noise, overpopulation, traffic, and polluted air. They come to hike the trails of pristine, unspoiled woods, to raft down the rapids of swift-moving rivers, to tent camp under the stars, to canoe along quiet waterways, and to feel “one with nature”. If the mountain lands in these national forests were to go unprotected from roads, mining and timber harvesting, these areas would be open to actions that would seriously curtail their value to the citizens of this state and the many tourists who travel here precisely for the entertaining opportunities provided there.
I’m sure the reasons I’ve outlined here apply in the same way to all of the other national forest lands throughout the U.S.
Another place where any possible change resulting from the rescission of the 2001 Roadless Rule would be absolutely devastating is in the state of AK, this nation’s incredible “last frontier” of wilderness perfection. The Chugach land is an incredible pristine wilderness! Any CHANCE of potential damage to it would be not only horribly heartbreaking but a devastating travesty against nature. It could endanger needed water watersheds to industrial development, pose potential harm to grizzly and moose habitats there and open literally millions of acres of pristine land to road-building ….and to what purpose? Nothing that is worth those extreme costs, The potential of damage to the Tongass rainforest of AK is especially frightening to even consider, what with the danger of clearcutting oldgrowth Sitka Spruce trees, the logging potential, and the endangerment it could bring to salmon spawning and the Alexander Archipelago wolf’s near-extinction.
I BEG you to PLEASE reconsider what could be a disastrous decision for the immense beauty of our nation’s national forests, to thousands of small communities’ economies, dangerous climatic impacts, clean drinking water watersheds, animals already extremely adversely affected by loss of habitat and the millions of U.S. citizens who depend on our government to provide them with beautiful, protected lands in which they can recreate. We all know the immense greed that can overtake some people’s appropriate decision-making so I guarantee that no sooner than this conservation rule be rescinded, that greedy developers and mine owners and logging companies will be making plans for destruction for their own purposes.
PLEASE don’t open the door to this devastation by rescinding the 2001 Roadless Area conservation rule.
Thank you.
As you can see from maps of the areas currently covered by this conservation rule, there are very few areas under this protection in the southeastern region of the United States. PLEASE do not allow even the possibility of damage of any kind to these most special and beloved areas (and others in NC as well as other southeastern states such as SC, GA, KY, WV and VA) by reneging on a conservation promise made 25 years ago.