“strong opposition to any efforts to rescind, weaken, or roll back the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule”
“maintain full protections for all currently designated inventoried roadless areas”
“Protect our lands, protect our communities”
“love and enthusiasm for nature”
What it names
Roadless areas
Craggy MountainLaurel MountainSouth Mills River
The comment
Hello,
I am writing to express my strong opposition to any efforts to rescind, weaken, or roll back the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule. I live in Leicester, NC, a rural farming community northwest of Asheville, NC. The public lands in this area are critical to our community, driving tourism, one of the biggest economic drivers in our region. The majority of the people I know who live here – my neighbors, friends, and family members – are avid outdoorsmen/women and spend time in our local state and national forests and public lands, including roadless regions such as South Mills River, Laurel Mountain, Graveyard Ridge, and Craggy Mountain. I am a trail runner and a leader in the North Carolina Mountain Trail Runners organization. Many of our members and I are long-distance ultra runners and utilize the surrounding public lands to train for races. Many of us are also frequent hikers/backpackers. Our community is based on our love and enthusiasm for nature, and our local roadless regions directly support and grow that community. This rule is particularly close to my heart, since my wife and I eloped and got married in Linville Gorge, one of the roadless regions. We make an annual camping trip back to the Gorge to celebrate our love and to reconnect. Please do not put that at risk by rescinding the roadless rule. I urge you to maintain full protections for all currently designated inventoried roadless areas. Protect our lands, protect our communities.
Thank you for the opportunity to provide public comment.
Sincerely,
Alex Harvey