“importance of roadless areas to elk reproduction”
The comment
I strongly oppose the rescission of the Roadless Rule. Rescinding the rule will lead to the degradation of watersheds and water quality, harm wildlife habitat and populations, increase the incidence of human-caused wildfires, and eliminate areas of solitude that are necessary for human well-being. This rescission will not result in greater management flexibility at the local level. Instead, it will allow bureaucratic administrators in Washington, D.C., to direct local forests to favor extractive industries over other multiple-use and sustained-yield values in the relatively small portion of the National Forest System where they do not already do so. This is particularly concerning given that the majority of the National Forest System is not roadless, and that some roadless areas are required for sustaining non-extractive values.
Specifically, I oppose the rescission of the Roadless Rule because scientific research has repeatedly demonstrated the importance of roadless areas to elk reproduction, and I hunt elk for subsistence purposes.