The perspective I bring here is a resident's perspective — shaped by place, by duration, and by the kind of attention that comes from living with land rather than visiting it. The Roadless Rule protects our beautiful ecosystems from outside parties that want to destroy them for personal gain. The destruction of our land does not benefit us -- the ones who will be here to feel the impact of this decision.
National parks are federally protected land, carefully selected as integral environments to preserve habitats that are necessary for the survival of plants, animals, and people. Roadless places are essential to my state and my community. People depend on them for their livelihoods: tourism, hunting, fishing, hiking, outdoor enthusiasts, etc. This land is known and needs to remain untouched for people who depend on a healthy ecosystem to survive.
Spending days in roadless areas allowed me to grow closer to my family and better understand nature. I have been able to watch animal families year after year and I have learned that we need untouched ecosystems for our own health. I also have experience with the destruction of roadways to plants and animals. Roads do not discriminate against wildlife. Construction and reconstruction of roads has led to invasive plant species and the deaths of a variety of animals, just trying to survive.
Since 2001, the Roadless Rule has helped protect critical habitat for animals and plants protected under the Endangered Species Act, with more species protected each year. Rescinding the rule would harm the wild homes of more than 500 protected species, including American wolverines, gray wolves, Canada lynx, grizzly bears, Quino checkerspot butterflies, and northern spotted owls (as well as countless species not protected under the Act, like Alexander Archipelago wolves and Queen Charlotte goshawks). — Diversity, 2025 (https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/Roadless-Rule-rollback/)
Roads of all kinds affect terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems in seven general ways: (1) increased mortality from road construction, (2) increased mortality from collision with vehicles, (3) modification of animal behavior, (4) alteration of the physical environment, (5) alteration of the chemical environment, (6) spread of exotic species, and (7) increased alteration and use of habitats by humans. The 13,107,812 km of road lanes in the conterminous United States have destroyed at least 4,784,351 ha of land and water bodies that formerly supported plants, animals, and other organisms. Direct transfer of sediment and other material to streams and other water bodies at road crossings is an inevitable consequence of road construction. The consequences of past sediment delivery are long-lasting and cumulative and cannot be effectively mitigated. — Trombulak et al., 2000 (https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1523-1739.2000.99084.x)
Regarding the Caribou - Speckled Ext in the White Mountain National Forest, Maine:
Caribou - Speckled Ext and Dartmouth Range in White Mountain National Forest operate as complementary habitat for 23 shared species. The 24.0-mile corridor between them enables the gene flow and demographic rescue that prevent local extinction — particularly for imperiled species: Northern Myotis (G2), Tricolored Bat (G3).
"Incorporating effects of human-made barriers in isolation-by-distance regressions, Epps et al. (2005) found evidence that fenced highways cause a rapid decrease of gene flow between populations of desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsonii) in southern California."
— Corlatti et al. 2009, Conservation Biology (review citing Epps et al. 2005), 2005
The roadless condition of both Caribou - Speckled Ext and Dartmouth Range currently maintains an unfragmented corridor of 24.0 miles across White Mountain National Forest. This intact landscape sustains population connectivity for 23 species, including Northern Myotis (G2), Tricolored Bat (G3). The 2001 Roadless Rule preserves this corridor; rescission exposes it to road construction that the network cannot absorb.
I would like to be upfront and stress the importance of learning to work with nature rather than destroy the environments we are dependent upon. The rescission takes away the 25 year old protection that has guarded the lands that hold our clean drinking water, native plants and animals which maintain a healthy, balanced ecosystem, and support local economies. The Department is responsible for and expected to promote conservation of the land, water, plants, and animals. By rescinding the 2001 Roadless Rule, the Department is neglecting that duty to ensure protected lands remain preserved. If the Department refuses to do its duty, who else will do it? Do not destroy the trust of the public by choosing to neglect what you have chosen to dedicate yourself to.