FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Conservationists, Sportsmen, Businesses Cheer Legislation Protecting Roadless Backcountry

Bipartisan legislation would make popular conservation effort permanent

With the support from businesses, conservationists, and sportsmen, legislation is introduced to codify one of the most popular conservation efforts in history.

Some of Oregon's largest roadless areas like the Imnaha and Lord Flat in Northeastern Oregon would be permanently protected by bipartisan legislation introduced today.

Today, Senator Cantwell (D-WA) and Representative Jay Inslee (D-WA) introduced bipartisan legislation – the Roadless Area Conservation Act of 2011 – that would codify the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule. The legislation already has the support of 130 cosponsors including Rep. Earl Blumenauer, Rep. Peter DeFazio, Sen. Jeff Merkley and 5 of 6 west coast senators. Statements from leaders in the Oregon conservation, business, and sportsman communities are below:

Jim Akenson, Executive Director, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers,
“The great conservationists like Teddy Roosevelt who created our National Forest System understood that America’s big wild places were part of what made our country special. Roadless areas provide opportunities for solitude, challenges for sportsmen, and critical habitat for both hunted and non-hunted wildlife that sportsmen depend on. Backcountry has been around forever and we need to make sure it has a place in the future.”

Chris Enlow, Care and Community Manager, KEEN, Inc.
“Protecting roadless areas in Oregon and around the country is the right thing to do for the environment, the economy, and future generations. By protecting these special places, Oregonians can maintain healthy lifestyles, clean drinking water, and a sense of place. It’s also good for business. The outdoor recreation industry provides thousands of jobs and billions of dollars to the Oregon economy and is a rare bright spot in a time of economic uncertainty. Protecting the places people use our products is critical to keeping us – and Oregon – in business.”

Rob Klavins, Wildlands & Wildlife Advocate, Oregon Wild:
“We commend Oregon’s leaders for standing with Oregonians who value the big wild places that make our state such a great place to live, work, and raise a family. Oregon’s roadless wildlands provide clean drinking water, habitat for abundant wildlife, and the landscapes that define Oregon. With over half of our National Forests already open to mining, logging, and other destructive development, it’s time to make permanent one of the most common sense conservation efforts in history.”

The 2001 Roadless Rule protects nearly 2 million acres of Oregon’s remaining roadless wildlands including Metolius Breaks, Mt. Bailey, and the Imnaha. The Rule came out of the most extensive public process in federal rulemaking history and, on a per-capita basis, included more public comment from Oregon than any other state. Over 90% of those comments were in favor of the Rule’s balanced protections. The Rule does not reduce existing access and includes common sense exceptions for public safety, forest health, and access.

As an administrative rule, the Roadless Rule remains subject to the whim of changing administrations. Today’s proposed legislation would make the Rule’s protections permanent.

After being put into place in 2001, the Rule was almost immediately attacked by the Bush administration and its allies in the timber, mining, and development industries. A unanimous decision by the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in October ended a decade of conflict over the popular rule and marked one of the most significant conservation victories in the last decade.

The Obama administration has promised to embrace and uphold the rule’s protections but has recently allowed coal mine expansion in roadless areas and supported a state-specific rule in Colorado that undermines the strong national protections for America’s National Forests.

Attacks from extremists in congress also threaten the critical protections provided by the Rule. A bill introduced by Rep. McCarthy (R-CA) (H.R. 1581) would remove protections for all roadless areas and was described by Former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbit as “the most radical, overreaching attempt to dismantle the architecture of public lands laws that has been proposed in my lifetime.” Still other bills would privatize public lands, exempt logging road runoff from the Clean Water Act, and suspend all environmental laws within 100 miles of the coast and borders.

The introduction of the Roadless Area Conservation Act of 2011 demonstrates the broad support for protecting our national forests for future generations.

Additional Resources:
     More information on the Roadless Rule and Oregon's roadless wildlands
     Press release from Sen. Cantwell & Rep. Inslee
     John Sterling Op-ed: Roadless Rule Good for Oregon's Economy
     Oregon Wild press statement on historic Roadless Rule victory
     New York Times Editorial: One Win for the Forests

For More Information Contact:
     Rob Klavins, Oregon Wild, 503.283.6343 ext. 210, rk@oregonwild.org
     Chris Enlow, KEEN, Inc., 503.273.2579, cenlow@keenfootwear.com
     Jim Akenson, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, 541.398.2636,
     jakenson@backcountryhunters.org

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