Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Tell Governor Ritter to Protect Colorado's Roadless Areas


Your input is needed by October 2nd!!!


Over 4 Million Acres of Colorado's Roadless Area forests are at risk and your help is needed right now to keep these forests intact. Roadless Areas within National Forests are protected by law . . . specifically the 2001 National Roadless Rule. The Bush Administration tried its best to dismantle this law but a federal court recently reinstated the 2001 National Roadless Rule. Despite this court ruling, the state of Colorado is continuing efforts to open up these Roadless Areas to widespread logging, new coal mines, and road building through a state Roadless Rule

The proposed state Roadless Rule falls short of the protections our National Forest Roadless Areas deserve, and overall, it would result in less protection for forests here than in any other state in this country.

As currently drafted, the proposed state Roadless Rule would:
  • Open important wildlife areas to roads for new coal mines and for unspecified electrical lines.
  • Allow fragmentation of important natural areas with roads for new dams, reservoirs, and ditches.
  • Divert scarce fuels-reduction resources from areas near communities that are at-risk of wildfire, for logging in the backcountry.
The Colorado Department of Natural Resources is seeking comments on this flawed state Roadless Rule and the deadline for those comments is October 2nd.

Please email or send a letter with the above points opposing the state Roadless Rule as it is currently drafted. Let them know that the 2001 National Roadless Rule provides Colorado and the rest of the country a roadless policy that is consistent with national conservation priorities and that truly protects our national forests and communities.

Send comments to:

Roadless.Comments@state.co.us

or

Roadless Rule Comments
Colorado Department Of Natural Resources
1313 Sherman Street, Room 718
Denver, CO 80203

These lands belong to all Americans and a National Roadless Rule will preserve them for future generations. Thanks for making a difference.

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