BlueRibbon Coalition
-by Adena Cook
On May 5, the Final Rule on management of our National Forest System Roadless Areas was released. Subsequent news stories totally misrepresented the intent of the Rule or what it could accomplish. The stories postulated that the Rule would stimulate road-building and timber harvest in these relatively undeveloped areas. In describing these areas, they chose to ignore that our Roadless Areas are where a significant amount of recreation occurs in our National Forests, the importance of that recreation, and how it is crucial that these areas be actively managed to provide for forest health, access and diverse recreation opportunities.