Save Utah's National Forests - Protect the Roadless Rule

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Dear Governor Herbert:&#13;&#10;&#13;&#10;I am writing to express my opposition to weakening the Roadless Area Conservation Rule in Utah. I request that you press pause on submitting a petition that requests a new rulemaking process to the Secretary of Agriculture until you properly engage Utahns and consider science.&#13;&#10;&#13;&#10;Utah’s roadless forests provide numerous ecological and social benefits. Roadless areas provide clean drinking water for millions of Utahns and pristine, intact habitat for many species, including bears, elk, bighorn sheep, and moose. Roadless areas are often the backdrop of many popular recreation destinations across the state and support a thriving tourism and hunting and fishing industry. Building roads and conducting commercial logging in national forest roadless areas threatens our drinking water, wildlife, recreation opportunities and tourism industry.&#13;&#10;&#13;&#10;The other states that have sought changes to the roadless rule spent years collecting public comment and holding public meetings to ensure citizens were properly engaged from the outset. By contrast, Utah’s petition is being developed largely behind closed doors on an extremely abridged time frame, with little to no opportunity for meaningful public input.&#13;&#10;&#13;&#10;Our forests are critical for our citizen's well-being -- this we can agree -- but weakening the roadless rule on an expedited timeline is not the route to healthy forests and healthy communities.&#13;&#10;&#13;&#10;Thank you for considering this letter.

Photo credit: Tim Peterson