The Deadline to Save Roadless Areas is Friday!

This Friday, September 19, marks the deadline for comment regarding the US Department of Agriculture’s plan to rescind the Roadless Area rule. The Roadless Rule was established in 2001 and protects around one-third of the land overseen by the US Forest Service (which falls under the USDA). On August 27th, the USDA opened a 21-day comment period for their plan. Changes to the Roadless Area Rule would affect public land from the White Mountains of New Hampshire through Southern Appalachia, and from Michigan to the San Gabriel Mountains of California. In fact, Roadless Areas protect vast areas of public land in 42 states, including thousands of miles of trails we ride on.

Outdoor Alliance published a great blog post about all the potential impacts of rescinding this rule, including a map showing all the roadless areas around the country. They make it easy to submit a comment from the blog post. You can also comment directly on the Federal Register. Additionally, find the homepage of your personal national forest, or the ones you care about and use the most, and make sure you are on their mailing list for any future comment periods. If the Roadless Rule is rescinded, there will still likely be public comment opportunities at the local level for specific projects. Find your national forest here.

Further Reading

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