USDA rescinds roadless rule

[Trogon]

Unless you work in DC or a policy insider, I don't think anyone will fully understand what is behind this. There is no reason to believe it is heartfelt stewardship of the land. Someone stands to profit from this, its only a question of who. What I do know for sure is that normal folks like us will be on the losing end, somehow. I dont know how though.

At the core of the issue, IMO, is that we need roadless areas to support healthy populations of big game. Fractured habitat, busted migration routes, even just people doing people stuff has a negative impact on wildlife health, recruitment of young, etc. Colorado populations are struggling because of expansion of housing, oil and gas, ski resorts, mtb trails, etc etc. There has to be a refuge somewhere or it doesnt work, even if that refuge isnt the most beautiful plots of wilderness.

 

[abbrown]

Act Now to Protect the Roadless Rule

Just last month, US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced her intention to roll back the 2001 “Roadless Rule,” which prohibits new road construction and most new development on nearly 59 million acres of Forest Service lands. Now, that rollback has been officially released for public...

www.themeateater.com

 

[Harvey_NW]

I see this as a double edged sword. Ideologically, it looks good on paper. Realistically, I don't trust it to be carried out beneficially.

As a WA state resident, the Cascades are a perfect example of ample existing National Forest access, and piss poor management. There are road systems plastered in so many areas of the range, and almost zero preventative maintenance gets done. My somewhat local access on the west slope used to be amazing to hunt elk and blacktail, once they stopped clear cutting and thinning, the animals have essentially disappeared because of the forest density. Portions of the East slope catch fire every year (currently smokey as hell outside, ash on my vehicles from multiple fires) and it ends up devastating, and in many places turns into a megafire scorching everything to moon dust. Why are we not addressing the current issues, profiting off timber harvest, improving the ecosystem, and being true stewards of the land? Oh yeah, burning the state down is way better than compromising a stupid owl. Hire a damn biologist to scout the cut area first..

I urged my opposition to rescinding the Roadless Rule in the public comment link. Let's actually manage what we do have access to, first.

 

[TaperPin]

Every administration has a loose relationship with the truth. We've all been and continue to be played by .gov.

View attachment 931064

This is a weirder issue then the talk of public land sale and it's getting the exact response intended. Many hikers or those who want easier access are all for supporting this, while those who enjoy getting away from any sign of humans are against. I live out East and unfortunately roads are a way of life here even in large tracts of state and national forests. I wish that wasn't the case, but by allowing forestry activities and gas drilling we have broken up what once was strictly forests. It's difficult to get more then a mile from a road (although it may be gated off) in the NE.

I agree politicians of all colors can’t be trusted farther than you can toss ‘em. That’s always been the case. Like a manipulative teenager, I almost ignore what comes out their mouths and focus on their actions. Talk is cheap. This simple technique has been used since one Neanderthal didn’t trust what his brother in law was saying, but today good people with common sense have been convinced to stop using critical thinking skills of any kind. An entire generation is reduced to turning a blind eye to things they cried about for decades.

When someone says they only want America to be healthy, but their actions are to stop research into many important diseases, eliminate healthcare for many, stop anti tobacco initiatives that have helped save a ton of lives, restrict shots based on politics, etc. I judge them by their actions. Pedo protectors say one thing and obstruct justice - we should judge them by their actions. The list of double talking throughout government is as long as the project 2025 table of contents.

 

[menhaden_man]

You should look into the NEPA rule changes and how the public is engaged now…

Can you explain?

 

[Windigo]

Can you explain?

The legal argument is that NEPA is purely procedural and not a vehicle for public involvement in fed projects, leading to proposed recisions of a bunch of regs across agencies.