My name is Will. I'm 21 years old from Missoula, Montana and I moved to Salt Lake City, Utah to study journalism in college. Now a senior, I fear reduction after reduction of our protected public lands will significantly contribute to the decline of our great nation. Even now, America's natural beauty sets us apart, truly marking us as one of, if not the best country in the world. But as rapid development and a changing climate continue to destroy wilderness areas worldwide, I believe they will soon be a commodity so valuable that we will actually become the richest nation in the world. No more will our wealth be inflated by arbitrary stocks or unethical military might. Not for reasons of extraction or untapped potential, we hold environmental wealth simply for what these wilderness areas are. Tranquil, balanced slices of life. Raw, beautiful ecosystems built by our creator -- something we could never replicate.
The Bitterroot National Forest is one of my favorite places in the world and I wish to see it protected for my children and their children. Millions of people feel the same way about various bits of roadless, protected land. In fact, I'm sure you could find at least 1 person who opposes these proposed cuts for every square acre of protected land. Not just general people and random bits of land, I mean specific people who love specific areas and acre plots.
Please do what you know is right and protect these areas by rejecting any cuts to the 2001 Roadless Rule. We can build a strong future, and we can make America great again, but cutting environmental protections are not the way to do that. The lands are our lifeblood. They are our past, present and future. We must protect and cherish them at all costs -- it is only human.