Dear Mr. Schultz,
As an outdoor enthusiast, I respectfully submit that the proposed rescission of the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule has not been accompanied by a NEPA analysis commensurate with the scope of the action — specifically, that the environmental consequences of opening 58 million acres to road-building authorization have not been adequately evaluated in the record.
As someone who has grown up camping and hiking in Coldwater, it is especially important to me that it remain roadless.
Regarding the Coldwater in the Cleveland National Forest, California:
Roads, disturbance, and altered ecosystems create invasion pathways that let non-native plants, pathogens, and animals displace native biota.
Roads carry invasion effects into forest interiors. Skid trails and forest roads extend road edge effects on plant biodiversity up to 60 meters into adjacent forest stands, serving as conduits for non-forest species and removing interior forest species. The effect is amplified by the lime, clay, and gravel used in road construction (Avon et al. 2013; Dai et al. 2025). — Avon et al., 2013 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2012.10.008); Dai et al., 2025 (https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.70002); Zhao, 2025 (https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.70002)
Rescinding the Roadless Rule would open the Coldwater, Cleveland National Forest to road construction and associated ground disturbance. The direct and indirect effects of that activity are precisely what makes a specific comment about this area necessary.
Roadless areas are home to some of the most precious, and fragile ecosystems that would certainly be disturbed or destroyed by the presence of roads.
Keep roadless areas roadless.
Hopefully,
CommentID: RLC-20261006-JXKXPI