This Isn’t Really About Roads.
Montanans get a say in how OUR public lands are managed. Attend a community meeting near you to discuss what repealing the Roadless Rule would really mean for your roadless backcountry areas.
We called on Forest Service leadership to hold public meetings. They haven’t responded, so we’re forging ahead without them.
These places belong to all of us. If USFS leadership won’t do its job, we’ll do it for them.
Public lands belong to all of us.
By rolling back the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, the Forest Service is removing protections from 6.4 million acres in Montana (and almost 60 million nationally). These are the places we go every weekend. They’re where we hike, camp, hunt, fish, and ride. They give us clean drinking water. They support our families, communities, and jobs.
You know these areas: The Swan Range, the heart of the Crazy Mountains, the Beartooth and Bitterroot fronts, and millions more acres across the state.
99% of 625,737 public comments submitted during the 21-day comment period in September opposed rolling back the rule. However, the agency hasn’t held a single public meeting – in Montana or anywhere else – to discuss it.
This is in stark contrast to when the agency was developing the Roadless Area Conservation Rule and held 34 meetings in Montana and more than 600 nationwide. Now, the USFS is rolling back the rule in a reckless hurry. It’s firing or furloughing the staff who’d be responsible for “tailoring management to local land conditions.” And it’s cutting the public out of our public lands.
We’ve called on the USFS to embrace the collaborative spirit and hold public meetings, and they haven’t responded. So we’re moving ahead without them.
Join us for a community meeting about the plan to repeal the Roadless Rule. How would repeal impact recreation, wildlife, clean water, and public safety? How could we improve the rule? What does a sustainable future for our roadless backcountry areas look like?
This isn’t about roads. It’s about every Montanan’s right to have a voice in how our public lands are managed. We’re not waiting for permission. We’re building the forum ourselves — and we need you there.