Roadless Rule Rollback

Roadless Rule Rollback

On June 24 Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) posted a statement (“USDA Rescinds Near Quarter Century Old Protections for 58.5 Million Acres of National Forest Lands”) strongly opposing the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s recent decision to roll back the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule—removing long-standing protections for 58.5 million acres of national forest lands across 39 states.[1]

“For 24 years, the Roadless Rule has provided bedrock safeguards some of America’s most remote and ecologically valuable public lands from roadbuilding and development,” BHA said in its statement. “Removing these protections not only directly contradicts decades of public input—it threatens the very character of the backcountry.”[2]

Echoing BHA’s recent statement, the Roadless Rule letter below was written almost 15 years ago, but given the Trump administration’s actions to roll back National Forest Roadless Area protections the general facts are just as relevant today (“Roadless rules aid wildlife.” Summit Daily News: 10/25/11).

“The U.S. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals recently upheld the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which serves to protect some 50 million acres of federal roadless lands across the United States. Colorado has about 4.2 million of these acres in 363 separate roadless areas. As hunters and anglers know from ‘boots-on-the-ground’ experience, national forest roadless areas, commonly known as ‘backcountry,’ provide some of America’s last undisturbed fish and wildlife habitat and the finest publicly accessible hunting and fishing in the country.”[3]

“Too many roads increase big-game vulnerability to excessive motorized vehicle disturbance and can result in shorter seasons and fewer available tags for hunters. High road densities also decrease the quality of streamside habitat, which is detrimental for wild trout and reduces angling opportunities.”[4]

“In Colorado, roadless areas comprise more than 58 percent of native cutthroat trout habitat and more than 50 percent of the public land in the 15 most-hunted game management units (GMUs). And among these 15 GMUs, 12 of them each contain over 100,000 acres of roadless public land. In addition, 92 percent of all national forest lands in Colorado already lie within one mile of a road. There are currently more than 17,000 miles of roads in our national forests, and the Forest Service has stated they only need 20 percent of the current road system.”[5]

“In 2005, 100 biologists and game managers with the Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW) examined wildlife values in the more than 300 roadless areas in national forests across the state. Unanimously, they opposed road building in every area. As hunters and anglers (and their DOW brethren) know from firsthand experience, roadless areas in Colorado are invaluable, and without affording them lasting protections our sporting heritage will struggle to survive. We’re glad U.S. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals agrees.”[6]

That’s why BHA strongly supports the reintroduction of the Roadless Area Conservation Act, led by Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Representative Andrea Salinas (D-OR). This legislation would codify the Roadless Rule into law, ensuring that protections for our most rugged and remote national forest lands can’t be undone by administrative rollbacks now and in the future.[7]

“Our public lands are not commodities to be auctioned off, sold, or gifted to … billionaires,” I wrote in a June 29 Duluth News Tribune commentary.[8] This is why BHA was built. For this opportunity. For this fight![9] We know the billionaires will be back, and we’ll be waiting. Join us! To learn more, and to support the Roadless Area Conservation Act, visit: https://www.backcountryhunters.org/take_action#/496

David Lien is co-chair of Colorado Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, a former Air Force missile launch officer, and author.[10] In 2014 he was recognized by Field & Stream as a “Hero of Conservation.”[11] During 2019 he was the recipient of BHA’s Mike Beagle-Chairman’s Award “for outstanding effort on behalf of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers.”[12]

Additional/Related Information

-Chris Madson. “Public land grab: A history.” The Land Ethic: 7/11/25.

-Mike Dombeck, former Chief of the U.S. Forest Service, interviewed by Rob Dieslein, Managing Editor. “Outdoor Insights.” Outdoor News: 7/4/25, p. 3.

-David A. Lien. “A Brief BHA History III: Taking The Initiative and Raisin’ Hell.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 6/29/25.

-David A. Lien. “Public lands are not to be gifted to foreign mining billionaires.” Duluth News Tribune: 6/29/25.

-Jimmy Lovrien. “Trump administration wants to reopen logging in Superior National Forest.” Duluth News Tribune: 6/25/25.

-Nadia Marji. “USDA Rescinds Near Quarter Century Old Protections for 58.5 Million Acres of National Forest Lands.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 6/24/25.

-Maria Cantwell, United States Senator for Washington. “Sens. Cantwell & Gallego, Reps. Salinas & Ansari Lead Bicameral Legislation to Permanently Preserve Last Remaining Wild Forest Lands: Bill would codify Roadless Rule, which protects almost 60 million acres of America’s remaining pristine National Forest Lands.” Press Release: 6/11/25.

-Ben Long, founding BHA Board member. “Roadless Area Rules Could Be Rolled Back in Tongass National Forest: About half of the 17 million-acre national forest is roadless.” Outdoor Life: 5/24/19.

-Ken Rait. “Challenges to ‘Roadless Rule’ Threaten Millions of Acres of Forest Exemptions: could open old-growth areas in Alaska and Utah to logging.” Pew Charitable Trusts: 2/25/19.

-David A. Lien. “Roadless rules aid wildlife.” Summit Daily News: 10/25/11.

-Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP). Backcountry Bounty: Colorado: October 2008. http://www.trcp.org/documents/reports/CORoadlessReport.pdf

-Roadless Area Conservation Rulemaking Facts. https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5137368.pdf

[1] Nadia Marji. “USDA Rescinds Near Quarter Century Old Protections for 58.5 Million Acres of National Forest Lands.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 6/24/25.

[2] Nadia Marji. “USDA Rescinds Near Quarter Century Old Protections for 58.5 Million Acres of National Forest Lands.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 6/24/25.

[3] David A. Lien. “Roadless rules aid wildlife.” Summit Daily News: 10/25/11.

[4] David A. Lien. “Roadless rules aid wildlife.” Summit Daily News: 10/25/11.

[5] David A. Lien. “Roadless rules aid wildlife.” Summit Daily News: 10/25/11.

[6] David A. Lien. “Roadless rules aid wildlife.” Summit Daily News: 10/25/11.

[7] Nadia Marji. “USDA Rescinds Near Quarter Century Old Protections for 58.5 Million Acres of National Forest Lands.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 6/24/25.

[8] David A. Lien. “Public lands are not to be gifted to foreign mining billionaires.” Duluth News Tribune: 6/29/25.

[9] David A. Lien. “A Brief BHA History III: Taking The Initiative and Raisin’ Hell.” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers: 6/29/25.

[10] David A. Lien. “A Higher Calling.” Association of Air Force Missileers (AAFM) Newsletter: March 2011, p. 4.

[11] Editors. “Heroes of Conservation: Safeguarding Winter Elk Range.” Field & Stream: July 2014, p. 29.

[12] https://www.backcountryhunters.org/co_bha_award_winners