Subject: Opposition to Proposed Rescission of the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule – Support for Alternative 1 (No Action Alternative)
I am writing as a New Hampshire resident and hiker who has summited all 48 of New Hampshire’s 4,000-foot peaks to strongly oppose the USDA Forest Service’s proposed rescission of the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, and to register my firm support for Alternative 1 (the No Action Alternative) in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS).
For a quarter-century, the 2001 Roadless Rule has provided a balanced, essential safeguard for undeveloped National Forest lands. In the White Mountain National Forest, inventoried roadless areas (IRAs) buffer federally designated Wilderness areas—including the Pemigewasset, Sandwich Range, and Presidential Range-Dry River Wildernesses—creating the continuous, intact habitat and backcountry solitude that define northern New England. Rescinding the rule would jeopardize these remaining unfragmented blocks across the country, including approximately 45 million acres of public land.
Having hiked every 4,000-footer in the state, I know firsthand that the value of these peaks lies not only in the trails themselves, but in the unbroken ridgelines, pristine headwaters, and quiet expanses that surround them. Road construction and commercial encroachment in adjacent roadless tracts would permanently alter the character of these historic routes, accelerate soil erosion along fragile alpine and subalpine zones, disrupt vital wildlife corridors for species like the American marten and Canada lynx, and introduce noise and visual fragmentation. Future generations deserve the opportunity to experience the White Mountains with the same wild character and scenic integrity that hikers have cherished for decades.
Furthermore, New Hampshire’s tourism and outdoor recreation economy depends directly on the preservation of these lands. Communities across Grafton, Coos, and Carroll counties rely on visitors drawn by high-quality backcountry recreation. Dismantling the Roadless Rule risks degrading the primary asset supporting our regional economy and high quality of life.
The 2001 Rule already provides practical flexibility for emergency wildfire response, public safety, and authorized forest management. Rolling back these protections is unnecessary and short-sighted. I urge the Forest Service to maintain intact protections for our public lands by selecting Alternative 1.