Roadless Rule Recension

The Pope and Young Club would like to bring to the membership and the public’s attention the ability to comment on the Roadless Rule recension.  Contrary to much of the negative commentary coming out around this rule change, the basis for the change is rooted in the history of the National Forest system.   Our friends over at the Sportsman Alliance have done a tremendous job outlining the history which we would encourage everyone to read before commenting.

Available here: https://sportsmensalliance.org/news/from-forest-reserves-to-roadless-battles-how-the-u-s-forest-service-manages-public-access/

In our analysis, this change will have very little effect on these resources as the rule change simply transfers the decision-making authority to local offices who are more familiar with the resource.  When formulating your comments, be aware that this debate is grounded in management versus preservation of our National Forests and dates back to the late 1800’s.  We see this move as more of a symbolic change, returning management policy to the local Forest Service as it was originally intended.  

There are ample resources that are rightfully protected within these areas, but allowing local forest managers to make these decisions supports the multi-use management strategy that built our forests and public access they contain.

The conservation movement in this country has always been a combination of management and preservation.  The management helping fund the preservation side is a system we can be proud of, but has been continually eroded for the last 40 years.  It is up to each member of this community to research and validate the facts around the debate rather than blindly relying on cherry-picked statistics.  This is the time to ponder where humans fit into the natural world and make your voice heard.  Are we merely a visitor or a responsible steward?

Natural resources belong to all of us.  Do your research, have the hard discussions with all points of view, decide where you stand and make that viewpoint known.

From the US Forest Service: To comment on the proposed rule and draft environmental impact statement, go to Regulations.gov. Public comments must be received by midnight on Sept. 21. Information will be available Aug. 19 on the Forest Service Roadless Areas webpage.

About Pope and Young:
The Pope and Young Club is North America's leading voice and supporter of bowhunting and related conservation issues and projects. If you are a fair chase, ethical bowhunter, and you care about preserving, protecting, and promoting the culture and future of bowhunting, then you should belong to the Pope and Young Club. Join today at www.pope-young.org.