Preserving NM News

As the new home of NMPIRG's environmental work, Environment New Mexico can be contacted with any questions regarding this news release.

On the final day of the public comment period on the Bush administration’s proposal to repeal the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, NMPIRG, National Environmental Trust, Heritage Forests Campaign and the New Mexico Wildlife Federation released a report documenting the clean drinking water, recreation and wildlife habitat benefits of roadless areas in America’s National Forests.

The Roadless Rule was enacted in January 2001 to protect 58.5 million acres of national forests across the country. The report, “Our Natural Legacy: The Value of America’s Roadless National Forests,” finds that:

- Sixty million Americans rely on clean drinking water from the national forests. Roadless areas provide the purest source of that water due to their pristine and road-free condition. In the Southwest Forest Service Region, which includes New Mexico drinking water is worth $205 million annually.

- Outdoor recreation has become more and more popular over time as Americans participate in everything from mountain-biking to hunting in roadless areas. Approximately 595,000 residents took part in hunting, fishing and wildlife-watching in 200. That same year, wildlife-related recreation contributed $1 billion to the state economy.

- A majority of the unspoiled habitat for hundreds of threatened, endangered, and declining species is found in roadless areas. In New Mexico 34 at-risk species are found in national forests and could be harmed by destruction of roadless areas.

“New Mexico residents have made crystal clear that they value national forests, and they want national protections to preserve roadless areas for the clean drinking water, wildlife habitat, and recreational opportunities they provide,” said Jeanne Bassett, executive director of NMPIRG. “The right decision for the Bush administration seems clear. Roadless areas are one of the nation’s greatest natural assets; their ecological and economic value is too great to sacrifice,” she concluded.

The coalition also announced that a record-breaking 1.5 million Americans nationally have spoken out against the Bush administration’s July 16th proposal to repeal the Roadless Rule and replace it with a meaningless process that allows governors to seek protections—or logging, mining, and drilling—for roadless areas in their states. This brings the total number of comments in support of the 2001 Roadless Rule to more than four million nationally over the last several years. In addition, during the comment period, more than 140 members of Congress, 130 scientists and 110 economists spoke out in opposition to the proposal to repeal the rule.

“This nation needs a balanced forest policy that provides secure habitat for wildlife, a place where wildlife can get away from it all,” said Jeremy Vesbach, executive director of the New Mexico Wildlife Federation.

The Roadless Rule was finalized in January 2001 after years of scientific study, 600 local public hearings and meetings and a record number of public comments. Enacted to protect 58.5 million acres of national forests across the country, including 1.6 million acres in New Mexico, it allows temporary road construction in order to fight wildfires, ensure public safety and protect forest health. Despite indisputable public support for the rule, the Bush administration suspended it almost immediately after taking office, failed to defend it in court, exempted Alaska’s Tongass Rainforest, and in July 2004 proposed an outright repeal.

“We urge the Bush administration to heed the overwhelming public mandate to protect our last wild forests,” said Bassett. “They should start by keeping the Roadless Rule intact in the Lower 48 and in Alaska’s Chugach and reinstating the rule in Alaska’s Tongass Rainforest.”

The Heritage Forests Campaign is an alliance of conservationists, wildlife advocates, clergy, educators, scientists, and other Americans who are working together to uphold protection of our National Forests.

The New Mexico Wildlife Federation is a 90 year old conservation organization serving the needs of wildlife, hunters and anglers.