Take Action! Defend the Roadless Rule! The Deadline is Mon., November 15

Take Action! Defend the Roadless Rule!
The Deadline is Monday, November 15 (extended from September 14th).


This past summer, the Bush Administration announced a plan that would overturn the popular Roadless Area Conservation Rule, the landmark conservation initiative that protects 58.5 million acres of National Forest, including 6 million acres in Montana.


Thanks to all of you have already submitted comments on this ill-conceived proposal. If you have not already done so, here is your chance!


The Administration's proposal would all but eliminate protections for America's last remaining unspoiled National Forests. Worse yet, this scheme completely ignores the wishes of over two million comments from Americans who have repeatedly supported these protections.


Don't sit still for this one! Take action now. We've provided a sample letter at the end of this alert, but we know you have plenty to say about this, so feel free to edit the letter and send it.


Also, please help us spread the word about this campaign! Please forward this alert to friends and family and encourage them to help protect our last wild forests by submitting comments.


Public Comment


Comments must be RECEIVED at the Comment Analysis Team on or before November 15, 2004.


Written comments on the proposed rule may be sent by the following methods.
Mail:
Content Analysis Team
ATTN: Roadless State Petitions
USDA Forest Service
P.O. Box 221090
Salt Lake City, UT 84122


Fax: (801) 517-1014


E-mail: <mailto:statepetitionroadless@fs.fed.us>statepetitionroadless@fs.fed.us


What's At Stake?


Backed by sound science and strong public support, the Roadless Rule garnered more public comments than any federal rule in history and is favored by Members of Congress, major corporations, outdoor retailers, and hundreds of hunting and fishing groups. They all see protecting a portion of our most pristine places as a commonsense way to support communities and create a legacy for our children.


The administration's ill-conceived proposal would force governors to petition the federal government to protect the last remaining pristine forests in their states. In the conservative West, this will happen when hell freezes over. And there is no guarantee the petition would be granted. This approach essentially repeals the Roadless Rule. Our National Forests belong to all Americans and their management should not be placed in the hands of state officials.


Montana's national forests have already been shredded by 33,000 miles of roads - enough to circle the Earth almost 1 1/2 times. Once-unbroken habitat for elk, bull trout, and grizzly bears has been turned into shrinking, isolated islands. In our developed forests, many trout streams are polluted and choked with silt from logging roads. From experience, we know that once our wild lands are gone, they are gone forever. There's a $10 billion backlog for road maintenance nationwide, yet the Administration is asking taxpayers to dig deeper into their wallets to build even more roads.


The communities who depend on wisely managed national forests will feel the pain. There is overwhelming evidence that the Roadless Rule makes the most sense for local economies across the country. The USDA Forest Service estimated in 1999 that our National Forests provide four recreation- and conservation-based jobs for every job related to extraction. In Montana, roadless lands do even more to sustain a health economy.


In December 2003, one hundred economists sent the Bush Administration and 11 western governors a letter telling them that protecting and enhancing the quality of the region's natural environment would strengthen the ability of western communities to generate more jobs and higher incomes. Clearly, dismantling the Roadless Area Conservation Rule and allowing increased logging in pristine roadless areas will have the opposite effect.


Browse all the info at <http://www.wilderness.org/Library/Documents/upload/Roadless_StatePetition_Analysis.pdf>www.ourforests.com


For a brief analysis of details about the rule change: <http://www.ourforests.org/rollbacks/details.html>http://www.ourforests.org/rollbacks/details.html


The Forest Service roadless information website is <http://roadless.fs.fed.us/>http://roadless.fs.fed.us/


Please consider the following points in your letter:


* Roadless areas are a precious part of our nation's heritage. They provide clean drinking water for our communities, undisturbed fish and wildlife habitat, and boundless opportunities for outdoor recreation and renewal.


* Mention your favorite roadless area and why it should be protected.


* Strongly oppose the Forest Service's proposal to allow road building and commercial logging Inventoried Roadless Areas. The Forest Service should not adopt this ill-conceived state petition proposal.


* The Forest Service should retain and implement the 2001 Roadless Rule, which is a balanced policy that provides secure protection for our last wild places. The American public wants a strong, national policy to protect roadless areas. More Americans have supported the Roadless Rule than any other conservation action in our history.


Sample Letter to cut and paste into your email or writing program:


Content Analysis Team
ATTN: Roadless State Petitions
USDA Forest Service
P.O. Box 221090
Salt Lake City, UT 84122


Fax: (801) 517-1014


E-mail: <mailto:statepetitionroadless@fs.fed.us>statepetitionroadless@fs.fed.us


Dear Forest Service,


Please accept this letter as official public comment for the roadless area management state petition proposal .


I strongly oppose this proposal to essentially repeal the Roadless Area Conservation Rule. The Forest Service should not replace the Roadless Rule with an ill conceived state petition process. The 2001 Roadless Rule is a balanced policy that was finalized after years of scientific study, 600 public hearings and a record number of public comments, the majority of which overwhelmingly support protecting roadless areas through the rule.


The Administration's proposal, on the other hand, would strip away the Roadless Rule's safeguards, while allowing individual state Governors to petition for roadless area protection. This state petition scheme is a totally unacceptable abdication of federal responsibility to manage the national forests for the long term benefit of all Americans. These are national forests, not state forests. They should be managed in accordance with national laws and public input, not the local views of individual state Governors. The administration's proposal would be disastrous for roadless areas in many States across the West. States such as Alaska and Idaho would be at significant risk because their Governors want to cut down trees and drill for oil in national forest roadless areas.


Roadless areas are a precious part of our nation's natural legacy and the Roadless Rule is a vital tool for protecting our last wild lands from harmful and costly road building and commercial logging. Our national forests need real protections because of the important role they play in providing fish and wildlife habitat, clean drinking water for millions of Americans, and endless recreational opportunities not to mention spiritual renewal.


I urge you to abandon this misguided petition process proposal and keep the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule intact in the Lower 48 states and Alaska's Chugach National Forest and reinstate the rule in the Tongass National Forest.


Thank you for consideration of my comments on this crucial national forest conservation issue.


Sincerely