Dear Secretary Rollins,
I strongly oppose the USDA’s proposal to eliminate or weaken the Roadless Rule. I'm an Oregonian and frequently spend time hiking, backpacking, hunting, and exploring many of the Roadless areas in Oregon, Washington and throughout the West. Repealing or weakening the Roadless Rule is reckless and unnecessary. It will waste taxpayer resources, devastate public lands, and degrade watersheds (and our clean drinking water), disrupt wildlife areas, and destroy fragile and intact ecosystems.
Just last month I went on an annual backpacking trip with my two sons and my sister to Bobby Lake in the Maiden Peak roadless area in the Deschutes National Forest. This was one of the few areas in Oregon last summer (2026) not impacted by wildfires. There were so many folks out enjoying many of the backcountry campsites - adventuring into the wilderness to experience a weekend without the noise and pollution of vehicles, to fish in the lake, to enjoy being "out in nature". This is not the same experience with a road running through it. The Deschutes National Forest, and the Willamette National Forest it borders, are unique and special recreation areas that folks from all over the US come to enjoy. We should be doing more to protect these areas, not stripping them of the few protections they currently have.
A few days ago, I took friends visiting the coast to explore the Oregon Sand Dunes near Tahkenitch Creek in the Siuslaw National Forest-- another area currently protected by the Roadless Rule. We love this area because of the miles of contiguous sand dunes-specifically because there are not roads running through the Dunes.
This fall, I will go elk hunting with neighbors in another Roadless Area in the Siuslaw, near Drift Creek. This area is great for hunting in part because there are not roads cutting through it, which limits traffic, vehicle noise, and human access. Wildlife, Elk included, avoid roads, vehicle noise, and human noise. Wildlife rely on these contiguous wilderness/forested regions--these are places they can live and thrive without constant threat of human impact. These are also areas that hunters in our region rely on to be able to fill tags each year.
Again, this is a place we should be doing more, not less to protect our forests. We should keep the roadless rule intact
Roadless forests include some of the most resilient ecosystems in our country. They filter and store clean drinking water, provide refuge for vulnerable species, and serve as carbon sinks mitigating the worst impacts of climate change. Americans love these forests: we hike, hunt, forage,fish, camp, ski, climb, and find solace in these remote places.
Roads spread invasive species, fragment wildlife habitat, and destroy ecosystems. More roads in the backcountry also lead to more fires: research shows wildfires are more likely to ignite near roads--most fires are caused by humans. More access leads to more fires started. Once roads and clearcuts fragment these landscapes, the damage is permanent. Weakening or repealing the Roadless Rule is a mistake.
I strongly oppose any actions that weaken the Roadless Rule. Please abandon this misguided effort and instead strengthen America's commitment to protecting our forests for the clean water, climate resilience, recreation, and biodiversity they provide. Leave the Roadless Rule in place.
References:
Aplet, G.H., Hartger, P. & Dietz, M.S. Three-decade record of contiguous-U.S. national forest wildfires indicates increased density of ignitions near roads. fire ecol 22, 8 (2026) https://doi.org/10.1186/s42408-026-00450-2
Mildrexler, D.J., Berner, L.T., Law, B.E. & Both, M.S. Roadless rule rescission threatens highest integrity forest ecosystems in the United States. Biological Conservation 321, 111950 (2026) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2026.111950