Contact
Peter Metcalf, Executive Director, 406-434-6223, peter@glaciertwomedicine.org

EAST GLACIER PARK, Mont. – The Trump Administration has announced its formal proposal to rescind(opens in new tab) the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, a landmark conservation policy widely credited with protecting the health and biodiversity of some of America’s last undeveloped forests and intact watersheds.  

The rule prohibits new road construction, road reconstruction, and commercial timber harvest on about 45 million acres of national forest lands across the country, including more than 6 million acres in Montana. These roadless areas provide quality, secure habitat for elk, grizzly bears, and other wildlife, quiet backcountry recreation opportunities from hiking and hunting to mountain biking or horseback riding, as well as are a drinking water source fjor 60 million Americans, including the community of Essex. The roadless rule was adopted in 2001 with overwhelming public support following extensive public engagement processes that included at least 600 community meetings across the country by the Forest Service. This time, no public meetings are being offered and only a scant 33-day public comment period.

Some of northern Montana’s most beloved places to hunt, fish, hike or explore outside of Glacier National Park and the Bob Marshall Wilderness are national forest roadless areas. Places that would lose protections include the Badger-Two Medicine, large swaths of the Flathead National Forest between Marias Pass and West Glacier, the Swan Front, including the Jewel Basin hiking area, as well as much of the central and northern Whitefish range. These and other roadless areas would be more vulnerable to new road building, logging, mining or other harmful industrial activities in the future should the Rule be rescinded. 

The Trump Administration claims eliminating the Rule is necessary to address wildfire risk. However, the existing rule already allows fuels mitigation projects – including small diameter timber harvest and prescribed fire – to reduce the risk of wildfire. The Forest Service regularly conducts fuels treatments in roadless areas on the Flathead National Forest, with more such treatments proposed as part of the Granite Moccasin timber management project along US-2 and the Middle Fork of the Flathead river.

Statement by Peter Metcalf, Executive Director of Glacier-Two Medicine Alliance:

“For 25 years, the Roadless Rule has helped protect some of our most spectacular and sensitive backcountry national forest lands from costly and destructive roadbuilding, places like the Badger-Two Medicine or northern Swan range. 

Make no mistake, the proposed rescission is not about better forest management or community wildfire protection. Rather, it’s all about handing over our shared public lands to corporations for private profit and exploitation. 

The loss of the rule puts places people in our communities go to hunt elk in the fall, pick huckleberries, backcountry ski, practice ceremony, or just enjoy looking at while drinking a cup of coffee in the morning at risk of being lost. The roadless rule helps protect so much of what we love about Montana: wild country, abundant wildlife, crystal clear water, outstanding recreation. Let’s keep Montana, Montana. Let’s keep the roadless rule.”

The public has until Sept. 21st to comment on the draft Environmental Impact Statement and proposed rule(opens in new tab).