Dear Guardian,
For
decades the U.S. Forest Service adhered to the illusion that forests are only
useful if developed for human benefit, bulldozing more than 370,000 miles of
road through our national forest landscapes, splitting apart wildlife habitat
and dumping sediment into pristine headwaters.
Finally,
about 15 years ago Forest Service policy shifted away building new roads to
maintaining only those that are needed, and rewilding the rest. But translating
that policy into reality has been a glacial struggle. That’s why we were
thrilled to see the Forest Service revise its Rico West Dolores project to
tackle the over-sized and crumbling road system on the San Juan National Forest
in southwest Colorado.
Join us in
applauding the Forest Service’s decision to move towards a more sustainable
road system.
In
response to WildEarth Guardians’ advocacy, the Forest Service revised the Rico
West Dolores project to identify the minimum road system—the fewest number of
roads needed to manage the forest for all the different purposes. Now we need
your voice to help back the Forest Service’s efforts.
Returning
forest roads to the wild can be controversial. But we understand that removing
unneeded roads from the landscape allows the agency to focus its limited
resources on the roads we all use, improving
public access and helping ensure roads withstand strong storms.
Each
small step helps to create a more resilient future forest. Show you support the
Forest Service’s actions by signing our letter today.
Sincerely,
Greg Dyson
Wild Places Program Director
WildEarth Guardians
gdyson@wildearthguardians.org
photo: Flickr
Creative Commons, Larry Lamsa (San Juan National Forest)