Roadless Rule Reinstated
There were celebrations within the conservation community on Wednesday, September 20, 2006, as U.S. District Judge Elizabeth Laporte sided with states and environmental groups that sued the U.S. Forest Service after it reversed President Clinton's "Roadless Rule" prohibiting commercial logging, mining and other development on 58.5 million acres of national forest in 38 states and Puerto Rico and re-instated the mandates outlined by the 2001 Roadless Rule.
Following the decision the US Forest Service expressed its intent to appeal the decision and the state of Montana decided to continue with the state petitioning process and submit a formal request for Roadless Area management. We continue to support the tireless efforts of the Montana Roadless Working Group in drafting a roadless petition and carrying forth the message expressed by sportsmen, recreation, fishermen, outfitters and conservationists alike that “We want our Roadless Areas to remain roadless!”
What does all this mean for Yaak Roadless areas? While the Forest Council joined in the national cheers, we agreed with an article by Bill Schneider, that encourages the conservation community to move beyond the Roadless Rule and to start dealing with the larger issues at hand.
“The Roadless Rule is called a "rule" because it's merely administrative policy. Even if the greens continue to prevail in court, we need to keep in mind that rules change all the time. Even though this one is bigger and firmer and certainly harder to change than most such rules, it can still change with the whim of the next administrator. Our treasured roadless lands deserve congressional ( more official, more permanent) protection.”
- published in the New West, September 28, 2006
Because the Yaak Roadless Areas are well deserving of permanent protection, the Forest Council will keep doing what we do best, spreading our Yaak Wilderness message as far as it will carry.
Following the decision the US Forest Service expressed its intent to appeal the decision and the state of Montana decided to continue with the state petitioning process and submit a formal request for Roadless Area management. We continue to support the tireless efforts of the Montana Roadless Working Group in drafting a roadless petition and carrying forth the message expressed by sportsmen, recreation, fishermen, outfitters and conservationists alike that “We want our Roadless Areas to remain roadless!”
What does all this mean for Yaak Roadless areas? While the Forest Council joined in the national cheers, we agreed with an article by Bill Schneider, that encourages the conservation community to move beyond the Roadless Rule and to start dealing with the larger issues at hand.
“The Roadless Rule is called a "rule" because it's merely administrative policy. Even if the greens continue to prevail in court, we need to keep in mind that rules change all the time. Even though this one is bigger and firmer and certainly harder to change than most such rules, it can still change with the whim of the next administrator. Our treasured roadless lands deserve congressional ( more official, more permanent) protection.”
- published in the New West, September 28, 2006
Because the Yaak Roadless Areas are well deserving of permanent protection, the Forest Council will keep doing what we do best, spreading our Yaak Wilderness message as far as it will carry.
