Dear Special Areas: Roadless Area Conservation,
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As someone who cares deeply about national parks, national forests, complete ecosystems and the public lands that sustain them, I urge you to choose the No Action alternative and keep the Roadless Rule in place.
For more than two decades, the rule has protected roughly 44.7 million acres of ecologically intact national forest lands, including areas near Yosemite, Yellowstone, and Great Smoky Mountains national parks. These wild places safeguard clean water, provide essential wildlife habitat, support outdoor recreation, and help keep park ecosystems connected and healthy.
Rescinding the rule would expose these treasured landscapes to new roads and development, fragmenting habitat, degrading waterways, and putting our parks at risk. Many public lands are already available for timber and energy development. Roadless protections apply to only about 30% of National Forest lands, making these remaining intact areas especially important for future generations.
Moreover, roadless areas in our national forests protect the headwaters of numerous rivers that provide cities miles away with the water resources they need to keep the economy running. Clean water and clean air is essential for everyone's health and supports future generations.
Wildfires start near roads, so more roads are more risky! A study highlighted by science communicator Ross Reid found that one of the strongest predictors of wildfire risk may be something many people use every day: roads.
The finding is prompting renewed scrutiny of federal officials' claims that building more roads into forests could help with fire response and prevention.
In a TikTok post, Reid said researchers at the U.S. Forest Service found a strong link between roads and wildfires, with most ignitions occurring within 164 feet (50 meters) of a roadway.
Please do not move forward with this unnecessary rollback. Keep the Roadless Rule in place to protect the forests, wildlife, clean water, and the national parks.
Dawn Tesorero
18 Wellsmere Park
Roslindale, MA 02131
Sincerely,
Dawn Tesorero