Photo: NMGF

"Recreational development is a job not of building roads into lovely country, but of building receptivity into the still unlovely human mind"  -- Aldo Leopold

Enjoying Our Roadless Areas

Each year nearly 150 million Americans enjoy the outdoors by hiking, rock climbing, bird-watching, mountain biking, skiing, snowshoeing, paddling and fishing. Much of these recreation activities take place in the roadless forests of the National Forest system. New Mexico supports 1.6 million acres of inventoried roadless forests or 17% of all forests managed by the Forest Service in the state. Arizona supports 1.2 million acres or 11% of all forests managed by the agency in that state.

The National Forest System harbors the remaining 58.5 million acres of inventoried roadless areas, some of the most remote and wild forests in the United States which support an infinite diversity of life. These last wild forests help provide clean water, sustain our wildlife and guarantee that future generations will have access to some of America's most pristine outdoor recreation opportunities.

Establishment of National Lands

One of the primary reasons for the establishment of the national forests and grasslands was to "secure favorable conditions of water flows." (Organic Administration Act 1897). According to the Forest Service inventoried roadless areas are found in at least 33% of the "major watersheds" in the nation providing millions of people with clean, fresh water. In New Mexico several municipal water sources are found in roadless forests, including Santa Fe and Las Vegas.

Embracing big, wild forests is compatible with economic growth patterns in the west. In fact, the more protected the better according to systematic analyses. Wilderness, National Parks, National Monuments, and other protected public lands set aside for their wild-land characteristics play an important role in stimulating economic growth. (See sidebar reports)

The Roadless Area Conservation Rule

President Clinton's Roadless Area Conservation Rule of 2001 was one of the most publicly-supported federal rules in American history. After holding over 600 public meetings and studying years of scientific evidence, the Forest Service received a record-breaking 1.7 million official public comments, over 95% of them in support of the Roadless Rule. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, "Never before have the American people so actively participated in helping to decide how their public lands should be managed."

Because half of our national forests are already open to logging, mining, and drilling, this landmark conservation initiative ensured the protection of the last remaining wild, undeveloped forests across the country. The Roadless Rule recognized that these 58.5 million acres of pristine forests need to be preserved for wildlife and for future generations. In addition, protecting roadless forests means protecting clean water found in forest headwaters, which is the source of drinking water for millions of Americans.

Bush Administration Repeals the Roadless Rule

In an act of outright defiance of public will and scientific facts, the Bush administration repealed the Roadless Rule on May 5, 2005, opening up the 58.5 million acres of pristine roadless forests across the country to logging, mining, oil and gas drilling, and other polluting activities. Bush's replacement policy is a meaningless process that allows governors to voluntarily petition for protections of roadless areas in their states, without providing any solid safeguards against logging, mining, and drilling.

The threats facing our wild forests after the repeal of the Roadless Rule are especially evident in Colorado. Filled with promises to protect Colorado's wildlands despite the repeal, conservative pro-industry Governor Bill Owens and the Colorado legislature appointed a Roadless Area Review Taskforce to develop recommendations for the Governor. The Task Force took public comments and held close to 30 public meetings around the state, learning that the overwhelming majority of Coloradoans want their roadless areas preserved. Though weighted towards industry, the Task Force came up with draft recommendations that come close to preserving roadless areas. However, one week after the Task Force issued its recommendations, the federal government defied the will of the people again by auctioning off the oil and gas rights to 22,000 designated roadless acres to the highest bidder. The Bush administration seems determined to ignore the Colorado process by opening up roadless areas to industry before any kind of democratically derived policy is put into place.

Forest Guardians' Conservation Initiative: Wild Waters, Wild Forests

In response to Bush's repeal of the Roadless Rule and the resulting threats facing our nation's last remaining pristine roadless forests, Forest Guardians has launched our Clean Waters & Wild Forests campaign. Learn more about this campaign..