Background
Enacted in 2001 with broad bipartisan support, the Roadless Area Conservation Rule (known as the Roadless Rule) protects 45 million acres of national forests. These are among the nation’s last remaining undisturbed wildlands, providing safe habitat for at-risk wildlife, clean drinking water for millions of Americans, and abundant outdoor recreation opportunities across the country. The rule was created to stop harmful road building, which leads to industrial logging, mining, oil & gas drilling, and commercial development. Since its enactment, the Roadless Rule has been considered one of the most important conservation wins in United States history.
In California, the Roadless Rule safeguards over 4 million acres of undisturbed forests, from the Klamath to the Trinity across the Sierra range and far south to the San Gabriels, with so much in between; this policy protects areas we’re all fond of and rely on to ensure a healthy ecosystem.
Check out this map to find roadless areas near you and the places you love to climb, bike, fish, hunt, hike, stargaze, and bring your family to build memories.
Current Threat
Last year, the Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, announced that the administration aimed to rescind the Roadless Rule, stating that the rescission would help prevent and reduce wildfires, which is a red herring. More than 600,000 comment letters were submitted, with 99% against the repeal.
On August 18th, 2026, the USDA released a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and proposed rule to fully rescind the Roadless Area Conservation Act (Roadless Rule). In the USDA’s press release, the department pivoted slightly from its “tinderbox” talking points to add that the rescission will give “local control” – this is another red herring. Further in the press release, the department stated, “The rescission aligns with Executive Order 14192, Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation, to alleviate unnecessary regulatory burdens, Executive Order 14225, Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production, Executive Order 14154, Unleashing American Energy, and Executive Order 14153, Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential.” This clearly indicates the Administration’s intent to log, mine, dig, and extract any resource from the places we care for and love. This will only create more fights to safeguard these undeveloped landscapes.
Action is Needed Now! What You Can Do!
The Public Comment Period Ends September 21, 2026
Undoing the Roadless Rule could permanently damage landscapes that take centuries to recover, and only 20% of California's forests remain roadless, making any additional degradation significant. Roads fragment wildlife corridors, introduce invasive species, and increase fire risk. Logging in these areas often targets mature and old-growth trees—some of our best natural tools for fighting climate change.
We need to once again write to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to express our concerns about this ruling on local places. This
is an opportunity to weigh in with feedback on government decisions that will affect the land, water, and surrounding communities. Submitting comments serves as a formal record of potential impacts, public opinion, and risk identification. These comments can be used to hold decision-makers accountable.
Join us on September 8th at Mt Shasta Library or on September 12th at Deadwood Supply for a comment letter workshop. We'll walk through the steps to submit a comment letter on the government website, answer questions on the Roadless Rules, and discuss the local impacts the ruling could have on the landscapes & watersheds. We'll also have computers set up to submit your comment on the spot!
Local Impacts
There are many landscapes in the bioregion that we all love; below is a list of some that we think you may recognize.
Mount Eddy Roadless Area- Deadfall Lakes and other popular recreation sites in the Eddy Mountains
Castle Crags Inventoried Roadless Area surrounds and borders Heart Lake, Castle Lake, and Castle Crags Wilderness
East and West Girard Roadless Areas straddle the upper Sacramento River
Mount Shasta has several small pockets of roadless areas, including popular access points from Bunny Flat and areas that straddle Panther Meadow and Grey Butte
Within Sattitla Highlands National Monument (Medicine Lake Highlands), Burnt Lava Flow Roadless Area and Mount Hoffman Roadless Area
In Lava Beds National Monument, Damon Butte Roadless Area and Lava Roadless Area
Many species call the Mount Shasta Bioregion home and have intact habitat due to roadless areas. Below are some we think you all cherish, too.
Monarch Butterfly
Northwestern Pond Turtle
California Condor
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Slender Orcutt Grass
Shasta Snow-wreath
Franklin’s Bumblebee
Gray Wolf
Little Brown Bat
Northern Spotted Owl
Whitebark Pine
Beyond the recreational value, which is an economic benefit, and providing refuge for wildlife, these landscapes maintain high-quality water sources – especially here in Northern California – supplying agriculture & millions of households. Roads are a major cause of water pollution. In our bioregion, one of the most crucial aquifers in California has two important roadless areas. These protected areas allow groundwater to remain pure. The water stored in the Medicine Lake volcanic region is some of the most abundant and reliable water in the entire Sacramento River.
Building roads in roadless areas will create a greater chance of fire. It is widely agreed upon by fire scientists that areas with large, fire-resistant trees are less vulnerable to fire than are the densely packed thickets of trees, brush, and logging debris that characterize many roaded areas. According to a study conducted by The Wilderness Society, the vast majority of forest fires in California are started by human activities, most often from vehicles and road access. Expanding roads into currently undeveloped areas increases ignition sources and reduces the effectiveness of wildfire prevention and response strategies.
- Think about your experience visiting roadless areas and explain why those experiences are important to you – dark skies, clean swimming, exceptional hunting & fishing, bird watching, etc. Give specific examples if you have them.
- Think about your experience living near roadless areas and explain why it’s important for them to remain intact – quiet lifestyle, fewer logging trucks, etc.
- Living in Northern California, we have a responsibility to maintain the pristine headwaters & aquifers, not just for us, but for millions of users downstream, agriculture, and wildlife.
- There’s a backlog of maintenance for the roads that already exist; do you want your tax dollars used to build new roads that will lead to unnecessary extraction?
- The science! If you’re not an expert, pull subject-matter expert quotes and try to reference them. Try to tie your personal connection, understanding, and concern to the scientific pieces.
- Let the USDA know that maintaining these areas as Roadless landscapes is important now and in the future!
How to Submit Comments on the Roadles Rule
Due September 21, 2026
Due September 21, 2026
Step 1: Accessing Comment Page
Open a web browser and go to: regulations.gov/docket/FS-2025-0001
Step 2: Select “Open for Comment”
You will see a blue “Open for Comment” button near the top left of the page. Click it.
Step 3: Docket Document
You will see a new page with the Proposed Rule: Special Areas: Roadless Area Conservation
A blue comment button will be at the bottom right of the page. Click the blue comment button
Step 4: Write or Upload a Comment
You can write or paste your comment directly into the comment text box titled Comment
We recommend writing your comment letter ahead of time and pasting it into the text box or uploading it
Also, you can opt to upload a photo that reflects your comment letter
Step 5: Add Your Email
Add your email address to the Email Address line
By selecting the checkbox to receive email confirmation, an email will be sent directly to you, confirming that your comment was received
Step 6: Tell us about yourself
Under Tell us about yourself! I am… select that you are An Individual
Provide at least your first and last name; all other information is optional
Step 7: Not a Robot
Click the reCAPTCHA checkbox to prove you are not a robot
Click the blue Submit Comment button
Example Letters
Chief Schultz,
I’m writing to urge you to keep the Roadless Area Conservation Rule in place. I live in [Your town/ Mount Shasta Bioregion/ Northern California] and the roadless areas around us are a real part of my life.
One of my favorite places is [name of roadless area or spot you love]. I go there to [activity], often with [who you go with]. [Add sentence about a specific memory or why this palace matters to you].
These wild, road-free places matter to me because [your reason, they give us clean water, they’re where I feel most at peace, they are where my family has gone for generations, they protect fish and wildlife]. Here in our region, roadless areas also protect [something specific: the Medicine Lake aquifer that feeds the Sacramento River, streams that native fish depend on, rare plants found nowhere else].
If the Roadless Rule is rescinded, places like [the spot you named above] could be opened to new roads and logging. Once that happens, we don’t get that wildness back. [Optional: add what you’d lose personally if that happened].
Please do not rescind the Roadless Area Conservation Rule. Protecting these lands protects [what is at stake for you: our water, our fish, our recreation, our future].
Thank you
[Your Name]
