Healthy national parks depend on healthy forests, clean waterways, and pristine public lands beyond their boundaries, many of which are protected by the Roadless Rule. Of the more than 45 million acres of national forest lands that are designated roadless, nearly 30% are within 30 miles of national park sites. Now, these protected lands are at a crossroads and need your help!
If roadless rule protections end, millions of acres of public lands would be open to roadbuilding, large-scale logging, mining, and oil and gas development, putting nearby national parks, gateway communities, clean water, and wildlife at risk.
Urge the U.S. Forest Service to keep the Roadless Rule in place and protect the public lands, wildlife, clean water, and national parks that depend on it.
Dear Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins,
As someone who cares deeply about national parks and the public lands that sustain them, I urge you to choose the No Action alternative and keep the Roadless Rule in place.
For more than two decades, the rule has protected roughly 44.7 million acres of ecologically intact national forest lands, including areas near Yosemite, Yellowstone, and Great Smoky Mountains national parks. These wild places safeguard clean water, provide essential wildlife habitat, support outdoor recreation, and help keep park ecosystems connected and healthy.
Rescinding the rule would expose these treasured landscapes to new roads and development, fragmenting habitat, degrading waterways, and putting our parks at risk. Many public lands are already available for timber and energy development. Roadless protections apply to only about 30% of National Forest lands, making these remaining intact areas especially important for future generations.
Please do not move forward with this unnecessary rollback. Keep the Roadless Rule in place to protect the forests, wildlife, clean water, and the national parks.
