Roadless Rule: Act now to save it!
Go Greeners, we have an important action alert his week. We’re talking about protecting the “wildness” of our public lands—and yes, this includes right here in Illinois. At the heart of it all is something called the Roadless Rule, a law that helps keep 58 million acres of national forests safe from bulldozers, road-building, and big industry. Basically: it helps keep wild places wild.
Fifty-eight million acres including 11,000 in Illinois, is a lot of nature worth protecting. But right now, the current administration is planning to loosen the restrictions of the Roadless Rule, opening the door to logging, mining, and new roads. That means fragmented wildlife habitat, polluted waterways, and higher costs for taxpayers who end up paying to build and maintain roads that mostly benefit private industry.
The time to take action is now: The public comment window is short, closing September 19th. That means it’s time to raise our voices and we will show you how and why below.
Learn
What is the Roadless Rule and why is it threatened?
What’s the Roadless Rule?
Back in 2001, after years of debate and over 1.6 million public comments (95% in support!), the Roadless Rule was put in place. It says: national forest areas without roads should generally stay that way.
That doesn’t mean they’re behind a fence. People still hike, hunt, fish, camp, and municipalities can even carry out certain forest projects like wildfire prevention. It just keeps heavy industry from building roads and utilizing these pristine forests for logging and mining...all of which create damage to local ecosystems.
Most of these protected lands are in western states, especially Alaska. But even here in Illinois, we benefit. Wild, intact forests help keep our water clean, our air fresh, and our climate a little more stable.
Why It matters
Here’s why rolling back the Roadless Rule is such a bad idea:
Wildness is rare. Once a forest gets roads and development, it’s never the same again.
Wildlife depends on it. Roads split up habitat, making it harder for animals (especially endangered ones) to survive. Roads also make it easier for invasive plants to creep in.
We all need clean water. Forests act like filters, keeping streams clear of the pollution and sediment that roads bring.
Climate protection. Intact forests are natural carbon sinks. Cut them up and they store less carbon—bad news for climate resilience.
Better value for communities. Recreation supports local economies way more than logging roads, which are expensive to build and usually paid for by us, the taxpayers.
Fire protection myths. More roads don’t mean less fire. Sometimes they make things worse. Learn more about that here.
What’s driving the push to remove It?
The current administration argues the rule was “outdated” and too restrictive, saying it blocked forest management and timber jobs while increasing wildfire risk. Read the USDA press release here. What appears to be happening is that industry wants easier access to extract resources—and that comes at the public's expense.
Places Most at Risk
Perhaps you have been to some of the the places that could be most impacted (all national treasures!) including:
Tongass & Chugach National Forests (Alaska): Home to ancient rainforest, salmon runs, and massive carbon stores.
Rocky Mountain forests: Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana: Expansive wildlife and recreation areas.
Sierra Nevada in California: Protecting old-growth trees and critical watersheds.
Northern Appalachian Mountains: Vital for clean water and migratory bird habitat.
Pacific Northwest forests: Key habitat for threatened species
Read on for ACTION!
Do
Take Action, Leave a Public Comment!
We do know that public comments work. When the Roadless Rule was first created, public voices made the difference. Let's try it again.
Submit a comment at the official government portal LINK
Make it your own. Why do you care about keeping forests roadless? Have you visited one of these parks, or just care about leaving wild places for future generations?
If you need a shortcut, copy and paste the text below and personalize from there.
Deadline: September 19th.
Writing a letter to the editor (if you do it quickly!) and calling your senator or congressional representative is also a good choice.
Let's do what we can to keep these wild places wild.
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SAMPLE PUBLIC COMMENT
"I strongly oppose weakening the 2001 Roadless Rule. Roadless areas are some of the last intact wild places in our national forests. They provide clean drinking water, habitat for wildlife, recreation opportunities, and critical carbon storage that helps buffer climate change. Building new roads will fragment ecosystems, pollute waterways, and cost taxpayers while mainly benefiting private industry. Please keep these protections in place for future generations."
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