View into Little River Roadless Area from Reddish Knob. Photo © Brad Striebig The Roadless Area Conservation Rule has protected special places on our national forests from new roads, logging, and other development for 25 years. It has had huge bipartisan support and almost unanimous public approval.
All of us who live in the Shenandoah Valley benefit from the clean water, wildlife, recreation and other services our George Washington National Forest roadless areas on Shenandoah Mountain provide.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has just announced that it plans to rescind the Roadless Rule. The Forest Service (part of USDA) has issued a draft Environmental Impact Statement and has invited members of the public to comment.
This is our opportunity to let the Forest Service know how highly we value these special places and to ask them to keep the Roadless Rule in place.
The deadline is September 21. Submit your comments today, at this link.
All of us who live in the Shenandoah Valley benefit from the clean water, wildlife, recreation and other services our George Washington National Forest roadless areas on Shenandoah Mountain provide.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has just announced that it plans to rescind the Roadless Rule. The Forest Service (part of USDA) has issued a draft Environmental Impact Statement and has invited members of the public to comment.
This is our opportunity to let the Forest Service know how highly we value these special places and to ask them to keep the Roadless Rule in place.
The deadline is September 21. Submit your comments today, at this link.
Click to enlarge. What is a roadless area?
Roadless areas are the most pristine, undeveloped portions of our national forests. They are wild nature at its best. These beautiful and biologically rich areas have been protected from new roadbuilding, commercial logging and other development for 25 years. The George Washington National Forest is the largest of the Eastern national forests and has the most roadless areas and the largest roadless areas. Virginia is truly blessed, and we Virginians have a responsibility to stand up for these special places that are our natural heritage.
The Shenandoah Mountain-Elliott Knob-Crawford Mountain area has nine roadless areas. Together, these make up the largest concentration of roadless areas in the Eastern U.S. The largest one is the 27,000-acre Little River Roadless Area, which is the viewshed from Reddish Knob.
Roadless areas are the most pristine, undeveloped portions of our national forests. They are wild nature at its best. These beautiful and biologically rich areas have been protected from new roadbuilding, commercial logging and other development for 25 years. The George Washington National Forest is the largest of the Eastern national forests and has the most roadless areas and the largest roadless areas. Virginia is truly blessed, and we Virginians have a responsibility to stand up for these special places that are our natural heritage.
The Shenandoah Mountain-Elliott Knob-Crawford Mountain area has nine roadless areas. Together, these make up the largest concentration of roadless areas in the Eastern U.S. The largest one is the 27,000-acre Little River Roadless Area, which is the viewshed from Reddish Knob.
Switzer Reservoir, Harrisonburg's water supply is fed by streams from Skidmore Fork and Gum Run Roadless Areas. Photo © Meredith Wilson
Why are roadless areas important?
Roadless areas provide:
Roadless areas provide:
- Clean drinking water. Harrisonburg, Staunton, and many communities downstream benefit from clean drinking water from roadless areas on Shenandoah Mountain. This clean water is inexpensive to treat, an economic benefit to localities.
- Wildlife habitat. Our roadless areas provide habitat for black bear, rare salamanders, and 250 species of birds, to name a few. Our roadless areas on Shenandoah Mountain support some of the greatest biodiversity on the planet, with several species found nowhere else on earth.
- Outdoor recreation. Local people and visitors can hike, mountain bike, fish, hunt, camp, ride horses, study nature, and find solitude and spiritual renewal in our roadless areas. Enjoying these wild places is a core value of the American experience.
- Economic value to local communities. Visitors from the region who recreate in roadless areas spend money for food, gas, overnight stays, campsites, supplies, and more, all of which benefit our local tourism economy.
How to make an effective comment
The Forest Service has said they prefer electronic comments. The process is pretty simple.
Go to this page on Regulations.gov to submit your comment. Following are some pointers:
Make it clear. Say clearly that you want to keep the Roadless Rule in place and why.
Make it personal. Although this is a national change that will affect just about all national forests, it will be more compelling if you can describe your own personal experience with roadless areas and how rescinding the Roadless Rule will harm your interests.
Give your reasons. Following are some examples:
The Forest Service has said they prefer electronic comments. The process is pretty simple.
Go to this page on Regulations.gov to submit your comment. Following are some pointers:
Make it clear. Say clearly that you want to keep the Roadless Rule in place and why.
Make it personal. Although this is a national change that will affect just about all national forests, it will be more compelling if you can describe your own personal experience with roadless areas and how rescinding the Roadless Rule will harm your interests.
Give your reasons. Following are some examples:
- If you fish in Skidmore Fork or Dry River, you could express concern that these trout streams will be impaired by more siltation from new road construction and the water temperature will rise due to less tree shade. This is bad for trout.
- If you care about native biodiversity, you could express concern that new roads will introduce invasive plants into pristine areas and there is no remedy for this impact. Invasives get started where the soil is disturbed, and we do not have ways to eradicate them.
- If you are concerned about wildfires, you could point out that more wildfires start along roads than in roadless areas, so more roads means more wildfires.
- If you are concerned about what rescission of the Roadless Rule will lead to, you could say you fear that more off-road vehicles use will lead to more noise, more damage to fragile areas, more erosion, more litter, and less solitude.
- If you enjoy hiking or biking and are concerned that logging the roadless areas will ruin your enjoyment of your favorite trails, tell them you like to hike or bike in the cool shade of a forest. Tell them there are plenty of other places where logging can take place in the national forest without going into roadless areas.
Go to this page on Regulations.gov to submit your comment on the Roadless Rule.
Please do not comment in the box below. It is not the official website for Roadless Rule comments.
Please do not comment in the box below. It is not the official website for Roadless Rule comments.
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