I am writing in strong opposition to the proposed repeal of the Roadless Rule. I am a biologist who has dedicated my career to conserving threatened and endangered and imperiled species, many of which are dependent upon healthy, intact forests.
I am a member of many environmental organizations (e.g., the League of Conservation Voters, the Center for Biological Diversity, Earthjustice) because protection of the environment is extremely important to me.
The Roadless Rule is one of the most important safeguards we have to protect our national forests from corporate development. In Florida, more than 50,000 acres in three national forests are included in the federal roadless-area inventory. My family and friends enjoy spending time in
Apalachicola National Forest, Ocala National Forest, and
Osceola National Forest. We use the forests for passive recreation, mainly camping and to observe wildlife. We do not want to see the forests further degraded by additional logging and needless openings for disturbances.
There are already plenty of roads in Florida's forests, and national forests in general. Roads affect much more land than the relatively small footprint they occupy. More roads can: fragment wildlife habitat and create new forest edges; increase unnecessary vehicle access and human disturbance in previously remote areas; alter natural drainage patterns; increase runoff, erosion, and impacts on water quality; provide pathways for invasive plants and other nonnative species to spread; disrupt wildlife movement and ecological connectivity.
Rescinding the Roadless Rule would open the door to road-building, logging, and industrial development, jeopardizing our nation’s most treasured old-growth forests and threatening the health and safety of communities across the country. It is not necessary. It is short-sighted and wasteful.
We cannot risk losing the protections that the Roadless Rule offers. Please help keep our forests, climate, and communities safe — do not repeal the Roadless Rule.
Sincerely,
Paula Halupa