Adventure With Purpose: Public Lands Need Your Voice

Photo above: La Sal Mountains, Utah, taken by Laurel Hagen

Comment on the Roadless Rule by Oct. 6

Here's the short version: protections for more than 45 million acres of national forest land are on the line, and you have until Oct. 6 to say something about it.

Now here's the longer version.

What's Actually Happening

For the past 25 years, the Roadless Rule has helped protect some of the wildest and most intact national forest lands in the country.

Adopted in 2001, the rule limits road construction, road reconstruction and certain types of development within designated Inventoried Roadless Areas. That matters because once roads move into previously undeveloped areas, they can open the door to logging, mining and other industrial development and change these landscapes permanently.

The U.S. Forest Service has now released a draft Environmental Impact Statement proposing to repeal the Roadless Rule, entirely. If the repeal moves forward, more than 45 million acres of national forest land could lose Roadless Rule protections.

The good news: the public comment deadline has been extended to Oct. 6, which means there's still time to weigh in.

North Cascades, Photo taken by Patricia Thomas (wilderness land trust)

Why This Matters

Roadless areas aren't just pretty backdrops.

They are places where wildlife still has room to roam, where watersheds remain intact providing clean water and where people can hike, camp, climb, paddle, hunt and fish in places that still feel wild.

They also matter to the communities surrounding them. Outdoor recreation supports local businesses, jobs and gateway communities across the country and the national outdoor recreation economy is valued at $1.3 trillion.

Once places like these are developed, getting them back isn't easy.

What About Colorado?

This part is important — especially because Tellus calls Colorado home.

Colorado has its own state-specific Roadless Rule, established separately from the national 2001 Roadless Rule. Because of that, Colorado's designated roadless areas are not included in this proposed repeal of the national rule.

But millions of acres of national forest land in other states don't have that same protection.

And that's exactly why we're speaking up.

Why Tellus Is Speaking Up

We're a member of The Conservation Alliance, joining outdoor businesses across the country in standing up for public lands.

Colorado's separate protections don't make this any less important to us. Our Adventure With Purpose doesn't stop at the state line, and neither does this community. We love to explore and recreate in public lands all across the country, not just Colorado, and the future of these public lands matters to all of us.

"Over the years, we've created some of our best memories as a family in magical places like Yosemite, Glacier and the Tetons. I worry about the world we're leaving our children and can't imagine future generations growing up without wide open beautiful natural places like these."

— Melissa Basta, Tellus co-founder

Here's How You Can Help

Submit a public comment before Oct. 6. That's it.

You don't need to be a policy expert. Tell the Forest Service why wild places matter to you. Share about public lands you've explored and why you believe places like these are worth protecting.