My family lives in Harrisonburg and we care deeply about the George Washington National Forest Area and value the Roadless Rule, which impacts our enjoyment of the national forest as well as the quality of the drinking water we have in our city. I am writing to petition you to keep the Roadless Rule in place.
The temperate ecosystem of the national forest is one of interdependence-a variety of plant and animal species can be found among it and each plays a special role in keeping this ecosystem healthy. A healthy ecosystem means clean water and air for us, which we depend on! In our learning about forest ecosystems with our daughters, we have been constantly naming the benefits of trees and forests-how they help keep water supplies clean, provide food sources and shelter for many species, and how trees have a very important role in "eating" carbon dioxide in the photosynthesis process and storing it in the earth rather than allowing it to build up even more in our atmosphere. On Shenandoah Mountain, our roadless areas are home to black bear, rare salamanders, and 250 species of birds, just to name a few. We value these species and think it is a gift to have opportunities to encounter them in their natural habitat. We recognize and name the ways human consumption and greed is increasingly making their habitats smaller and threatening their existence. The roadless rule helps to create areas that are protected habitat. We name the benefit of this to these specific species as well as to us, because we are not disconnected from the wildlife around us. We too depend on our forests for clean water and air and also for the natural beauty and undisturbed recreation they offer.
Both of our daughters attend forest school programs, which utilize areas in George Washington National Forest for nature learning and observation. I am concerned about how rescinding the Roadless Rule will impact wildlife and how we can observe it. It is a treasure to have undisturbed natural areas around us and we do not take it for granted.
By eliminating the Roadless Rule, there will be too many opportunities to obstruct this fragile and valuable ecosystem on Shenandoah mountain. The water we drink comes from streams in the roadless area; because the ecosystem in these roadless areas is able to better clean the water and the water sources aren't as tainted by pollution, the water does not require a high level of treatment to be safe. This is of economic value to our city and ideal for our health. We'd like to keep it this way.
When new roads are introduced, the soil is greatly disturbed and it creates prime opportunity for invasive plants to enter into a pristine area. There is no remedy for this impact and it will harm the ecosystem that is there. In addition to this, I am concerned with how adding roads to these areas will lead to more off-road vehicles using the space and therefore causing more noise, more damage to fragile areas, more erosion, more litter, and less solitude. Because of this, I ask you to please NOT rescind the Roadless Rule.
There are plenty of areas in our national forest area where there is already road access. If you must do logging, you can use what is already there. Do not go to our roadless areas and taint what has been preserved-our forests are valuable. We hope these wild places will be wild for generations to come. We strongly implore you to NOT rescind the Roadless Rule.