FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Outdoor Businesses Cheer Obama Roadless Announcement

Business leaders and conservation groups hail decision as a “critical first step”

The US Forest Service announced a "timeout" on new road-building and other destructive development in roadless backcountry areas in most of America's National Forests.

The US Forest Service today announced a “timeout” on new road-building and other destructive development in roadless backcountry areas in most of America’s National Forests.  The announcement was welcomed as a critical first-step by businesses, conservationists, and outdoor recreation enthusiasts across the country.

“Earlier this year, we were proud to join with nearly 100 other outdoor businesses in asking the Obama administration to protect America’s roadless wildlands from destructive development”, said Chris Enlow, of KEEN, Inc., a leading outdoor footwear company. “Protecting our roadless backcountry areas is good for the land, good for American’s who enjoy hiking, camping, boating, and fishing, and good for the businesses all across the country that depend on outdoor recreation.” 

Adopted by then-president Bill Clinton, the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule protected nearly 60 million acres of America’s remaining pristine roadless wildlands, including almost 2 million acres in Oregon.  It was attacked by the Bush administration and logging and development interests, generating 8 years of conflict and confusion over development schemes in pristine roadless areas, and series of legal battles.  Today’s announcement requires that logging, road building, and other development projects within America’s inventoried roadless areas must be approved by the Secretary of Agriculture (who oversees the US Forest Service.) 

“A century from now, American’s are going to look back and thank us for the pristine wildlands we protect and set aside, not for those we allow to be degraded by logging, road building, and other development,” observed Steve Pedery, Conservation Director of Oregon Wild.  “With their announcement today the Obama administration has taken a crucial first step in protecting these areas.  It is crucial that they follow it with a plan for permanently protecting America’s last roadless wildlands.”

The 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule was the result of the most extensive public involvement process in federal history; the Rule received 1.6 million public comments – of which 95% were in favor.  Oregonians submitted more public comment than any other state on a per-capita basis. 

Still up in the air is the fate of roadless areas that were targeting for logging and development by the Bush administration.  Oregon is home to several such projects, the most egregious of which is the DBug project near Crater Lake National Park.  This scheme proposes hundreds of acres of logging within roadless areas, logging within the proposed Crater Lake Wilderness Area, and the conversion of over 8 miles of hiking and ski trails into logging roads.

“Today’s announcement was welcome news, but there is more work to be done,” said Rob Klavins, Roadless Wildlands Advocate for Oregon Wild.  “Until strong federal roadless protections are finalized and clarified, our last pristine backcountry remains at risk—including areas around Crater Lake.”

The Obama administration has received numerous requests for action to protect roadless areas.  Already this year, 120 outdoor businesses, 25 Senators (including Oregon Senators Merkley and Wyden), 121 Congressmen (including Reps. Blumenauer, Wu, and DeFazio), 127 Scientists, 5 Governors (including Kulongoski & former governor Kitzhaber), and thousands of citizens contacted the new administration asking for a “timeout” on new road construction in roadless areas.

 “Every year, thousands of people buy our products to use in America’s pristine roadless backcountry,” Chris Enlow, of KEEN, Inc., “KEEN has consistently supported protections of these special places because they are good for the environment, good for the economy, and good for all Americans”

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