Conserving America's Roadless Lands

Sixty million acres -- nearly one acre per five people in the country -- are unprotected, unzoned, roadless areas. Author T.A. Barron looks at efforts to protect these lands.

1 minute read

March 21, 2006, 1:00 PM PST

By Chris Steins @planetizen


"Starting almost three decades ago, the U.S. Forest Service began a process to determine the fate of those 60 million acres. Unlike the majority of our national forests, which are already open for industrial uses, these lands lacked any roads. But they also lacked any long-term protection as designated wilderness areas. They were the last of the nation's untouched, unplanned, unzoned real estate. And the time to decide their fate had finally arrived.

...Enter the current Bush administration. On May 13, 2005, it announced the summary repeal of the Roadless Areas Conservation Rule.

...Outrage over the Bush reversal is steadily growing. Many people cherish their roadless places and want to protect them. Just as important, they understand something that President Bush and his allies do not: Such places belong to all of us, including generations to come, not just those who happen to live in the state where the public land is found."

Monday, March 20, 2006 in The Los Angeles Times

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