The U.S. Department of Agriculture intends to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule in its entirety, stripping protection from 44.7 million acres of the wildest national forest land in the United States. The USDA published the proposed rescission rule Aug. 20, and public comments are due Sept. 21.
We have one month to respond, and we need your voice!
Please submit a comment opposing the rescission by following the instructions at this link.
Comments must be submitted by Sept. 21.
Substance counts. Form letters count for little. Tell the agency what these places are worth to you — the watershed above your community, the family elk hunt or fishing trip, the trail you walk to find quiet, the natural setting that helps you unwind and reboot.
If you have professional experience — as a guide, a watershed manager, a forester, a wildlife ecologist, a wildland firefighter, a civil engineer, or a tourism promoter — speak up and share what you know.
If you are or were a Forest Service employee, your firsthand account of what the Rule does and does not do would be incredibly valuable.
Photo: The Tongass National Forest safeguards more than 9 million acres of inventoried roadless areas.
