A "Driving Force" Behind Wilderness Protection Turns 10
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Denver - Though you might have trouble driving to the celebration, it's being observed today: 10 years of the "Roadless Rule" in the national forests. The rule applies to a big chunk of Rocky Mountain forest lands, including more than 4 million acres in Colorado.
Mike Dombeck, who was chief of the U.S. Forest Service when the moratorium on road building was proposed, says building roads in forests can often lead to problems downstream.
"They begin to erode and crumble and sediment runs into the streams, reducing water quality, and in many cases communities get their drinking water from streams that run off the national forests."
Dombeck adds that roads tend to be permanent.
"The thing about building a road, it's usually forever. It's one of the most indelible marks that we make on the land, and it's very, very difficult to turn the clock back."
Steve Smith with the Wilderness Society in Colorado says oil and gas development and use of all-terrain vehicles need to be restricted to appropriate public lands.
"And keeping them away from lands that have more enduring natural values is real important; we think the roadless areas are in that category. They're places where you've got to tread very carefully, if at all."
By some measures, America loses 6,000 acres of wilderness each day. In all, 1.6 million people have submitted comments on the "Roadless Rule" and a Forest Service tally finds 95 percent of Americans are in favor of the protections it affords.
The Bush administration has actively challenged the rule to gain access to roadless forests, but the courts have continued to uphold it. As of today, 58 million acres of forest are roadless in 38 states.
More information from the Wilderness Society is at www.tws.org
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