HomeMy WebLinkAbout090825 - PLEASE RESPOND_ Oppose Efforts to Repeal Roadless Area Protections for Old Growth Forests on Federal Public LandsALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open attachments or click on links if you are not expecting them.
Dear Washington State elected officials:
I am reaching out to ask you to sign-on to the attached letter opposing efforts to repeal 2 million acres of long-standing administrative protections for old growth forests on federal
public lands in Washington State provided by the 2001 National Forest Roadless Area Conservation Rule.
The Latest Attack on our Federal Public Lands
Earlier this year, 415 Washington State elected officials, local businesses, chambers of commerce, land trusts and conservation, recreation and wildlife organizations supported our federal
public lands <https://wawild.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/WA-State-Federal-Public-Lands-Supporter-List-063025.pdf> during attempts to sell off millions of acres of federal public
lands to private entities in the federal budget bill and arbitrary and excessive firings of federal land management employees. As you may know a bipartisan national coalition came together
to successfully oppose efforts to sell off millions of acres of national forests and Bureau of Land Management lands, nationwide and here in Washington State. Provisions were removed
from the Budget Reconciliation bill in both the U.S. House and Senate.
Unfortunately, we are now facing a similar threat to some of the most important national forest lands that protect clean water, much of our remaining old-growth forests, critical wildlife
habitat and popular recreation opportunities near rural communities. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins initiated a formal process to rescind the 2001 National Forest Roadless
Area Conservation Rule—a critical safeguard that has protected over 58 million acres of national forest from logging and road-building for over 25 years. Unlike laws passed by Congress,
administrative rules can be undone by a sitting President. In fact, during his first term, President Trump removed Roadless Rule protections for 9 million acres in Alaska’s Tongass
National Forest in 2020. That repeal was then reversed by President Biden in 2023.
The National Forest Roadless Area Conservation Rule
The existing roadless rule is a balanced policy that prohibits new road construction in about a third of the national forest system. It contains no direct prohibitions on mining or recreation
(including off-road vehicle use). Common sense exceptions exist as part of the rule for temporary or other actions relating to road building for wildfire response, public health and
safety, cleaning up toxic waste, existing mineral leases, federal highway projects, ecosystem recreation and habitat protection. Over the past 20 years, more than 800 Washington Stakeholders
have publicly show their support for the National Forest Roadless Area Conservation Rule. In fact, it was the result of two years of public process, 600 public hearings and 1.6 million
public comments (95% of which were supportive of the rule).
What is At Stake
Nationwide, Roadless areas protect 11,337 climbing routes and boulder problems, more than 1,000 whitewater paddling runs, 43,826 miles of trail, and 20,298 mountain biking trails. Here
in Washington State more than 830 national forest trails are located in inventoried roadless areas and would be directly impacted if these important protections are repealed.
Here in Washington State, nearly 2 million acres of roadless forest are at risk including 830 national forest trails totaling nearly 4,000 miles. Beloved destinations like the Lena Lake
Trail in the Olympic National Forest, the Kettle Crest Trail in the Colville National Forest, and Maple Pass Loop Trail in the Wenatchee-Okanogan National Forest are all within roadless
areas. The Roadless Rule has large base of support in Washington State. Over 800 stakeholders (see attached) including elected officials, conservation groups, recreation organizations,
hunting & fishing groups, and local businesses have shown their support for these areas.
U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray along with U.S. Representatives Rick Larsen, Suzan DelBene, Emily Randall, Pramila Jayapal, Marylin Strickland, Adam Smith and Kim Schrier
have all formally opposed the repeal of roadless forest protections and have cosponsored legislation to legislatively protect these areas in the future.
The comment period is only 3 weeks, so we have a quick timeline to solicit signers. If you would like to sign-on, please send me your name, title and affiliation NO LATER THAN WEDNESDAY
SEPTEMBER 17th, 2025.
Thank you,