To whom it may concern,
I grew up recreating within Oregon's Willamette National Forest, which contains critical headwater, wildlife populations and roadless areas that would be negatively impacted by the rollback of the Roadless Rule. I've now been a Wyoming resident for over a decade, where there is 3.2 million acres under Roadless protection. Nationally, nearly half of all National Forest lands are open to industrial activity. Removing protections from the remaining areas will threaten water quality, spread invasive species, increase wildfire risk, undermine tribal interests and cause significant losses in recreation spending. Data supports these findings. Eliminating the Roadless Rule goes against the public interest. It is critical the Roadless Rule remain in place to safeguard habitat and our remaining undeveloped places.
Thank you,
Nicole Gautier