Map of inventoried roadless areas in the United States/Source: USFS
The almost 60 million acres of large roadless areas in our national forests are an American treasure. They provide some of the last remaining strongholds for grizzly bears, wolves, elk, salmon, and trout. The forests protected by the 2001 Roadless Rule provide vital habitat for 1,500 wildlife species, safeguard drinking water supplies for 60 million Americans, and ensure quality recreation for millions of hikers, fishermen, and hunters.
As a senator, President Obama co-sponsored the National Forest Roadless Area Conservation Act. As a candidate for the White House, he pledged to uphold and defend the 2001 Roadless rule. His administration recently took a good first step toward protecting our national forests from logging and road building. In May, the administration announced that for the next year, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who oversees the Forest Service, will review all plans for roadbuilding and logging in roadless areas.
But Vilsack's office has made clear that this does not automatically mean a halt to all development. In Alaska, the Forest Service still hopes to go forward with timber sales scheduled for the Tongass National Forest -- the biggest, wildest and most important of the nation's roadless areas.
Meanwhile, Vilsack's review excludes the entire state of Idaho and does nothing to stop the expansion of the Smoky Canyon Mine into roadless areas of Idaho's Caribou-Targhee National Forest. Moreover, whatever protection may occur as a result of the Secretary's directive, it is only planned to be in force for one year.
Now's the time to urge the President to fulfill his commitment to protecting roadless areas by upholding the 2001 rule.
This is a fight Earthjustice, Natural Resources Defense Council and our allies have carried for years, supported by hunters and anglers, religious leaders, scientists, backpackers, and many others. We all know that roadless areas are valuable for recreation, wildlife habitat, climate adaptation, and clean water supplies for hundreds of communities.
Doug Heiken "Wildland advocates in Oregon and around the country are indebted to Earthjustice for its ongoing commitment to defending the National Forest Roadless Rule. The Bush administration fought the rule from its first day to its last day, and Earthjustice was there every step of the way, defending the rule of law, so that generations of Americans can enjoy clean drinking water, clean air, a livable climate, diverse recreation opportunities, and healthy ecosystems all provided by undamaged wild forests." Photo credit: Oregon Wild |