Target: Michael Boren, Under Secretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and Environment
Goal: Do not move forward with Forest Service plan to open millions of acres of national park wildlands for road construction.
A stretch of land within the iconic Yosemite National Park could soon be handed over for private development of an access road, according to a new proposal from the Trump administration. Such a maneuver had been soundly rejected by the prior three presidents. The prospect of ceding over even more federally owned land sparked immediate backlash. It also served as an ominous harbinger of these lands’ future.
The administration wants to rescind a bipartisan, decades-old rule that prohibited timber projects and road construction within designated wilderness areas of national parks. These projects have been shown to fragment vital wildlife habitats, to cause significant soil erosion, and to pollute waterways. If the Roadless Area Conservation Rule is voided, tens of millions of forestland acres would be opened up for exploitation. Administration officials have defended the move as a means of wildfire prevention, but science does not back up this assertion. Wildfire ignitions are actually more frequent in areas close to roads and less common in wilderness-heavy areas.
Public comment is open before a decision is made. Sign the petition below to let these politicians know that Americans’ public lands are not for sale to the highest bidder.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Under Secretary Boren,
Republicans and Democrats united and created the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule because they recognized the vitality of protecting America’s national forests. Undisturbed wilderness areas do not just preserve ecosystems. They curb damaging soil erosion and water pollution. And despite claims to the contrary, they also serve as a barrier against wildfires. Nearby roads raise the risk of wildfire ignition significantly.
Do not ignore these realities in service to profiteering. Money is fleeting, but this earth and the legacy we leave are enduring. Honor the “conserve” in conservative and keep essential protections like the roadless rule intact.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: King of Hearts
