Ray Ring’s article “Roadless-less” was misleading to suggest that the roadless rule was created with inadequate public process and without the support of the American people (HCN, 11/9/09).
The roadless rule represents the most extensive public rule-making process ever undertaken by the U.S. Forest Service. During more than three years of review and public participation, the Forest Service held more than 600 public meetings and received a record-breaking 1.7 million comments — 95 percent of which supported a strong rule.
Most Americans support the conservation of roadless areas. A 2000 sportsmen’s poll by the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership found that 83 percent of hunters and anglers support the conservation of roadless areas. Most recently, more than 225 hunter/angler businesses and organizations sent a letter to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack requesting that the maximum acreage of national forest roadless areas be conserved.
As a sportsman who enjoys the peace, challenge, and solitude of the backcountry experience, I hope the roadless rule remains in place for all future generations.
John Pollard
Utah Backcountry and Anglers
Park City, Utah
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Forever roadless.
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