FS-2025-0001-584856

Dear Ms. Rollins: As someone who's most treasured and life changing moments have taken place in roadless public land, I'd say this rule has done more for what I value about those places than any other single policy. I want to live and raise my child in a world where there are diverse habitats and life forms where ever we look. I don't want to live in a world that is quiet, devoid of the sounds of bugs or birds. I want to preserve these spaces that can support dwindling wildlife and keep them aloft. I explore the Cleveland National Forest area, and I know it's home to many threatened and endangered species like the California Gnatcatcher or the dwindling arroyo toad. Listening to the sounds of birds on a walk with my daughter we captured a bird call on our Merlin app and saw that it was a California Gnat catcher, a rare and endangered bird. We were ecstatic and felt so bless to have found such an illusive creature. These birds, plants, and ecosystems are barely hanging on with the limited space that we've given them to thrive. The roadless rule allows us to hold on to these wild places, visit them, learn from them, and support not just endangered species, but entire ecosystems that are connected and depend on each other. Regarding the Eagle Peak in the Cleveland National Forest, California: Federal land protections slow habitat loss for imperiled species. Imperiled species lost the least habitat (3.6 percent) on federal lands, compared to more than twice that rate (8.1 percent) on private lands without conservation easements. The Endangered Species Act's protective effect is strongest on federal lands (Eichenwald et al. 2020). — Adam J. Eichenwald, Michael J. Evans, Jacob W. Malcom, 2020 · Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment (https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.2177) My objection is on the record. My request is that the Department take it seriously and preserve the Roadless Rule. Sincerely,