I oppose the proposal to fully or partially rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Plan. I urge the agency to select the No Action Alternative and keep the rule intact. One key point I keep coming back to is the fact that roadless national forests filter and supply clean drinking water to roughly 60 million Americans (including half of all Californians). Roads and heavy disturbance increase sediment and degrade water quality. Additionally, wildfires are four times more likely to start near roads, and roughly 90% of wildfires start within half a mile of a road due to human ignition (sparks, campfires, discarded cigarettes). As a resident of the highly flammable Western region of the US, this is very concerning to me. In 2024, we almost lost our home to a wildfire.
Last, I’d like to remind the agency that the National Forest System already faces an $8.5+ billion road-maintenance backlog. Building new roads into pristine areas adds massive, unfunded financial burdens rather than solving existing management needs.
I live in the San Bernardino National Forest and we rely on tourism to survive as a community. Whether for hiking, hunting, fishing, backpacking, or paddling, backcountry tourism and outdoor small businesses rely on intact, wild landscapes rather than industrial development.
Please do not rescind the Roadless Rule.
Sincerely,
Aimee Gilchrist