The United States Forest Service (USFS) has recently issued a draft rule for Colorado’s National Forests that weakens and removes existing protections for backcountry roadless areas. Starting Monday, August 18th in Pueblo, the USFS is hosting a series of Open Houses to discuss the proposed Rule and to hear your comments. American Whitewater has been working with our colleagues in the Outdoor Alliance to analyze the rule and we believe that the draft rule inadequately protects those remote areas with rugged terrain that provide the highest quality opportunities for human-powered recreation.

In our preliminary analysis of the rule we make the following observations:

• The 2001 Roadless Rule did a great job of protecting backcountry areas in Colorado that are so very important to the people and businesses that make up the hiking, climbing, skiing, paddling, and biking communities.
• The proposed Colorado Roadless Rule does not adequately take into account its economic and social impacts on the people and businesses of the outdoor recreation community.
• Once a roadless area has a “long-term temporary” road, it is not roadless anymore and with it the quality of the backcountry recreational experience is degraded. The proposed Colorado Roadless Rule tries to skirt around the issue by creating a new category of road--a “long-term temporary” road used for mineral, gas, and coal exploration and removal--that does not qualify as a “road” under the Rule. These roads will fragment habitat, degrade recreational opportunities, and negatively impact water quality.

NOW is the time to learn more about how this proposed Rule affects you and let the USFS know that contiguous undisturbed, backcountry areas are important to you as a whitewater paddler and advocate for clean free-flowing rivers. Here is how you can help:

1. Attend a USFS Open House in your area. Below is a list of dates and locations. All Open Houses are from 5:00 – 8:30 pm. If you have any questions about the Open Houses, contact Nathan Fey at nathan@amwhitewater.org or Gwen Ernst-Ulrich (USFS) at 303.275.5348.
2. Identify your interest in the outcome of the draft Rule as a whitewater paddler and someone who has an interest in impacts to rivers and water quality. If you attend an Open House, let the USFS know you are there and why you are there, even if you aren’t ready to provide specific feedback and comments (will be issuing an action alert and soliciting written comment at a future date).
3. Voice your thoughts. If you have general or specific comments, you will have the opportunity to let the USFS know.  If you aren’t ready to provide comments, you can send in your comments during the comment period.
4. Let us know your thoughts. We want to hear from you, as well. We are currently performing a more in-depth analysis of the draft Rule and evaluating specific impacts to your backcountry recreational experiences. If you attend one of the Open Houses, contact Nathan Fey at nathan@amwhitewater.org and let us know what you hear. Also, be sure to keep us informed on your thoughts and comments on the draft Rule. Input from our members is important as we complete our analysis.

Monday, August 18                       
PUEBLO, CO
CSU-Pueblo
2200 Bonforte Boulevard
Unit: Pike-San Isabel NFs; Cimarron-Comanche NGs

Tuesday, August 19
MONTE VISTA, CO
Bill Metz Elementary School
545 Second Street
Unit: Rio Grande NF

Wednesday, August 20
DURANGO, CO
Fort Lewis College Ballroom
1000 Rim Drive
Unit: San Juan NF

Thursday, August 21
GOLDEN, CO
Marriott Denver West
1717 Denver West Boulevard
Unit: Region-Wide

Monday, August 25
FORT COLLINS, CO
CSU-Lory Student Center
1101 Centre Avenue   
Unit: Arapaho-Roosevelt NFs; Pawnee NG

Tuesday, Sept. 9
GRAND JUNCTION, CO
Two Rivers Convention Center
159 Main Street
Unit: Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison NFs and Manti-La Sal NF

Wednesday, Sept. 10
GLENWOOD SPRINGS, CO
Hotel Colorado
526 Pine Street
Unit: White River NF

Thursday, Sept. 11
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, CO
Community Center
1605 Lincoln Avenue
Unit: Medicine Bow-Routt NFs; Thunder Basin NG

Background

With more than 380,000 miles of National Forest System roads—nine times the size of the federal interstate system, the Federal government in 2001 proposed to protect backcountry areas in a simple way—-stop building new roads. Without roads, it’s pretty tough to harvest timber or mine coal in the few areas that retain high quality undeveloped lands valued for their backcountry recreational opportunities. The American public loved the idea and the “2001 Roadless Rule” became one of the most popular federal regulations in history. Roadless areas are locations with few or no roads open to motor vehicle use. Often, Roadless areas are not quite wilderness, but they feel that way; they also tend to be more accessible and open to a variety of sustainable recreational pursuits. Backcountry roadless areas make up about 31% of our National Forests in 39 states across the country and are ecological gems with clean air, water and plenty of wildlife.

Things are about to change. Even though these are National Forests, the Federal government now wants to let individual states drive how roadless areas are managed, letting them re-jigger different levels of ecosystem protection and impinge on the wild qualities that make these places what they are to hikers, bikers, climbers, skiers, and paddlers and everyone else that uses these lands and waters in a sustainable manner. Fortunately the Federal government is circling back and asking the public what they think about these new state-driven plans.

Should we keep these places wild and thriving with qualities that make places worth climbing and treat them like the national resources that they are, or whittle them away, here and there, state by state until the edge that makes backcountry roadless areas unique becomes dull and then gone?
To Protect these Experiences We Need Your Help Today

Tell the Forest Service what you think—-go to any of the Open Houses to learn more and voice your thoughts. Let us know what you heard and what you think. Once we have completed our review and listened to our members we will be reaching out to solicit written comments on the rule. For more background information, check out this video produced by the Outdoor Alliance, contact Nathan Fey nathan@amwhitewater.org, check out the Forest Service website for the Colorado Roadless Rule, or roadless.net.