Roadless Rule Rollback—Time to Speak Up for the Wild Waters We Love

[Woolly Bugger]

If you've ever cast a fly in a forested headwater stream, hiked into a remote brookie haunt, or just appreciated the silence that comes when roads don't reach—this one's for you.

The USDA is proposing to repeal the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which protects nearly 60 million acres of national forest land from road-building and logging. That includes the kind of places we fish, hike, and pass on to our kids.

This rollback would open up 44.7 million acres to development, threatening coldwater fisheries, salmon habitat, and the kind of solitude that makes wild places sacred. It's being pitched as "local forest management," but let's be honest—it's a timber grab dressed up in bureaucratic camo.

 Here's how you can speak up:

Go to regulations.gov

Search for Docket Number FS-2025-0001

https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/FS-2025-0001-0001

Submit your comment before September 19, 2025

Or mail it to: Director, Ecosystem Management Coordination 201 14th Street SW, Mailstop 1108 Washington, DC 20250-1124

You don't need to be a policy wonk. Just speak from the heart. Tell them what these places mean to you. Mention the fish, the forests, the memories. Every comment counts.

Let's make sure the next generation of snobby bastards still has roadless roads to wander.

Tight lines and loud voices,


The Bossman

[Woolly Bugger]

Sample Letter

To: Director, Ecosystem Management Coordination U.S. Department of Agriculture 201 14th Street SW, Mailstop 1108 Washington, DC 20250-1124

Re: Docket No. FS‑2025‑0001 — Support for the Roadless Area Conservation Rule

Dear Director,

I am writing to express my strong opposition to the proposed repeal of the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule. This policy has been an essential safeguard for nearly 60 million acres of national forest lands, ensuring that roadless areas remain protected from unnecessary road‑building and large‑scale logging.

These areas are more than lines on a map—they are living, breathing ecosystems that provide clean drinking water, protect coldwater fisheries, shelter wildlife, and store vast amounts of carbon critical to climate stability. As an angler and conservation‑minded citizen, I have personally experienced the irreplaceable value of these landscapes. [You could insert a brief personal example here: e.g., "I have hiked into remote brook trout streams in the Appalachians where the water runs cold and clear because the surrounding forest is intact."]

Opening these areas to road construction would fragment habitats, increase sedimentation in streams, and make wildfires more likely—especially since research shows that fires start more often near roads. It would also threaten the cultural and recreational heritage that draws people to our public lands and sustains rural economies.

The Roadless Rule strikes a fair balance between conservation and access, allowing responsible recreation and resource use while preserving the integrity of our last best places. Repealing it would trade away irreplaceable natural capital for short‑term industrial gain.

I urge you to retain the Roadless Area Conservation Rule in full, and to reject any rollback that would weaken protections for these critical lands. Our forests, waters, and communities—present and future—deserve nothing less.

Thank you for considering my comments.

Sincerely, [Your Full Name] [City, State]