I am commenting on the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) proposed rule to fully rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule. Considering the alternatives suggested by the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), I strongly urge that the rule be left in place. I am a conservationist who enjoys hiking, hunting and fishing in the National Forests that have been protected by the Roadless Rule for the past 25 years. The exclusion of road construction, reconstruction and timber harvesting has allowed some of our most pristine forests to flourish and remain intact for generations of Americans to enjoy. I live on the east coast and travel 2 out of every 3 years to the western states to recreate in National Forests throughout the Dakotas, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana. I am recharged after spending time in these special places, and I would not want to see changes in the way they are managed in regard to forest roads and timbering.
While camping in the Bitterroot National Forest in Montana last summer, I hiked the Nee-Me-Poo Trail to the top of Gibbons Pass. This steep trail gains 1780 feet of elevation over the two mile hike. A section of this trail is historically significant as it follows both the Nez Perce National Historic Trail and the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail. As I hiked the trail, I could see areas on surrounding mountains where the timber had been harvested and logging roads had been cut in that traversed back and forth across the steep slope of the mountain. It's very possible that this fate could befall the trail that I was hiking on if it was not protected. At the top of the pass, I stood on the edge of millions of acres of the wildest, most rugged land in the lower 48 States - it was a magnificent sight! I camped in the "Indian Trees" campground in the Bitterroot National Forest and slept under the huge ponderosa pines. Some of the largest pines bore the scars from when native Americans peeled the outer bark off the tree to reach the sweet cambium layer below. This was food that kept them alive. The peeling took place on these pines between 1835 and 1890. So much history blended with natural wild beauty. I felt fortunate to be able to experience these mountains and this place.
When the Federal Government weakens protections for these special areas, they are not making them more accessible for the public, but more so they are endangering them. These lands are our heritage and should be protected without a second thought. They are already accessible to the public and if anything, the government should be doing more to protect them. Providing enough staffing would enable the Forest Service to properly maintain the forests and allow the work that needs to be done to manage proactively for fires. The Forest Service cannot keep up with maintaining the 370,000 miles of roads that it already manages, why would it expand and construct more roads than it can handle? I don't understand the logic behind making this change and I want to see the Roadless Area Conservation Rule remain in place.