The latest on roadless forests conservation
Jul 08, 2009
A Congressional bill that would conserve US roadless forests gains ground.
Mule deer in roadless forest in the Columbia Highlands. Photo: Holly Weiler
Two Washington representatives, Senator Maria Cantwell and Congressman Jay Inslee, are gathering support for permanent protection of some of the last remaining wild, roadless forests in our nation. To date this year, 30 House members and about half a dozen Senators have signed on to the Roadless Area Conservation Act of 2009. The act would protect millions of acres of inventoried roadless areas in US national forests by codifying President Clinton's 2001 roadless rule, a ruling supported in public hearings and comments by 140,000 citizens.
The act involves 2 million acres of roadless forests statewide, including, in northeastern Washington alone, the Kettle Crest, Thirteen Mile Canyon, Hoodoo Canyon and Emerald Lake, Abercrombie Mountain, the additions to the Salmo Priest Wilderness, Hall and Grassy Top Mountain above Sullivan Lake, Quartzite Mountain up at 49 Degrees North Ski Area, and others.
Roadless areas give:
- Pure water: In the Northwest Forest Service Region, which includes Washington and Oregon, drinking water on national forest land is worth approximately $941 million annually.
- Unspoiled wildlife habitat: In Washington, 25 at-risk species, from grizzly bear to steelhead to white-headed woodpecker, are found in national forests and could be harmed by the building of new roads and habitat lost.
- Outdoor recreation: Some 2.5 million Washington residents took part in hunting, fishing, and wildlife-watching in 2001, contributing $2.4 billion to the state economy.
- Taxpayer savings: The existing network of nearly 400,000 miles of national forest roads have an unfunded maintenance backlog of nearly $10 billion.
