Action Item: Comments Due by September 19 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time
Submit your comment today to keep the Roadless Rule intact: bit.ly/stayroadless
California’s wild backcountry is at risk of being lost. The Roadless Rule, which has protected more than four million acres of our national forests for nearly 25 years, is now under attack. If these protections are removed, some of our most iconic trails and wild landscapes could be carved up by new roads, opened to logging, and permanently scarred by industrial development.
These are places we all treasure. They include stretches of the Pacific Crest Trail, the Mt. Tallac Trail in Desolation Wilderness, and the Whiskey Flat Trail in Sequoia National Forest. They are home to rare plants found nowhere else on earth, to old growth forests, and to watersheds that supply clean drinking water to communities across the state.
The argument for removing protections is that more roads will reduce wildfire risk, but research shows the opposite is true. Fires are more likely to start near roads, and road building destroys habitat, spreads invasive species, and undermines forest health. What is really at stake here is access for extractive industries, not fire safety.
Here is more about the Roadless Rule and wildfires from pyrogeographer Zeke Lunder
We cannot afford the Roadless Rule to be removed.
The comment period is open right now, but only until September 19 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time.
Raise your voice to protect California’s wild places: bit.ly/stayroadless
Speak up today. Share why these lands matter to you and urge the USDA to keep the Roadless Rule intact. Our future depends on it.
Tips for Your Comment
- Mention a specific place you love and why Roadless Areas matter to you.
- Highlight their role in protecting wildlife, rare plants, and clean water.
- Share a personal story about a national forest, trail, or roadless area.
- Urge the USDA to keep Roadless protections intact and reject road-building as a wildfire strategy.
Sample Text with Fill-In Spaces. Past this into the Comment Field and fill in the blanks with your information and favorite places.
I am writing to urge you to maintain the Roadless Area Conservation Rule (RACR) and protect California’s Inventoried Roadless Areas (IRAs). I live in ____________ and I am a ____________ (examples: hiker, botanist, local leader).
One of my favorite places is ____________ because ____________. Roadless areas protect millions of acres, provide clean water, store carbon, shelter wildlife like ____________, and support outdoor recreation. Roads in these areas would increase wildfire risk, damage habitats, and allow invasive species to spread.
Please keep these lands wild, intact, and protected for future generations.
Paste your text into: bit.ly/stayroadless by September 19th!