“Alaska may seam vast and wild, but it is a shrinking oasis in this world for hunters, wildlife, fishermen”
“protecting wild places”
“rare roadless places”
What it names
Roadless areas
Smoky Mountains
The comment
Hello, my name is Lyn Oliver.
I am writing to ask you, sincerely, please do not move forward with the 2001 Roadless Rule Rescission. Although politicians and businesses may debate its merits, the roadless rule is widely supported by sportsmen, hunters, hikers, native peoples, and fishermen who understand the importance of protecting wild places.
I was born and raised in Tennessee, surrounded by the Appalachian foothills and the Smoky Mountains. After moving west as an adult, I came to appreciate even more just how rare roadless places are. In much of the east, including where I grew up, it is difficult to find large areas where you can truly get away from roads, traffic, noise, and development.
Roadless areas are treasures that should remain Federally protected. They are something people around the world envy, and once they are gone, they are gone forever.
There is enormous value in being able to visit a wild place without the noise of automobiles, the pollution, or the intrusion of roads and development. For many people, these places provide an essential respite from the stresses of everyday life. That opportunity should not belong only to those who can afford expensive vacations or travel far from home. Public lands and roadless areas give people from all walks of life a chance to experience peace, solitude, and nature.
The value of these places cannot be measured simply by the resources that can be mined, drilled, or extracted from them. The recreational, tourism, ecological, and personal value of keeping these lands wild is far greater, and unlike a resource that can be extracted, the wilderness experience cannot be restored once roads and development have permanently changed a place. Alaska may seam vast and wild, but it is a shrinking oasis in this world for hunters, wildlife, fishermen, photographers and native Alaskans.
These lands are not just ours to use today. We have a responsibility to leave something wild and beautiful for the people who come after us.
Please protect these places, not only for ourselves, but for our children and future generations.
Thank you.