Roadless Area Conservation

Beyond its famous national parks and official wilderness areas, Greater Yellowstone includes over 4 million acres of rugged National Forest backcountry accessed primarily by trail. The Forest Service calls these “roadless areas,” and they include the upper Sunlight Basin in Wyoming, the Gravelly Mountains in Montana, and Sage Creek in southeastern Idaho. Big, wild country like this supports the world-class wildlife, outdoor heritage and clean water that millions of people enjoy.

In September, U.S. District Judge Elizabeth Laporte reinstated the Forest Service’s Roadless Area Conservation Rule , enacted in 2001. The rule sought to preserve the status quo and prevent industrial development and road-building on millions of acres of Forest Service “roadless areas” nationwide, including those in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem. Greater Yellowstone Coalition joined the States of California, Oregon, and New Mexico, and 19 other conservation groups in a legal effort to protect these remaining untouched tracts of our national forests.

Since Judge Laporte issued her decision, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming have all responded in their own unique ways. Idaho’s Governor Jim Risch released his petition to the US Department of Agriculture, seeking to open much of Idaho’s unroaded backcountry to logging and road-building. Wyoming’s Gov. Freudenthal pledged to revive his state’s lawsuit against the 2001 Roadless rule, and Montana’s Governor Schweitzer is waiting to see how the legal squabbles sort themselves out.

Keeping these remaining backcountry areas free of roads is critically important--both to the health of the ecosystem and to our members. Greater Yellowstone Coalition is working hand in hand with community leaders, agencies, our members and the people of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming to protect these lands--to leave a legacy of clean water, abundant wildlife and unparalleled backcountry recreation for future generations. These special places continue to need people who will speak up for their protection. Please sign up for our e-activist list to get involved.

Until the Bush administration's roadless rule was thrown out by a federal court, a phosphate mine was planned for the Sage Creek Roadless Area in Idaho.

Bureaucratic twists & turns:

Maintaining these special backcountry areas in their natural state just makes common sense. When the Forest Service proposed its 2001 rule, thousands of people praised the idea, urging the Forest Service to keep these areas as they are. We continue to build local support for conserving the backcountry lands of Greater Yellowstone. That includes working with the governors of the three states to make sure they understand the value of these backcountry areas through all the bureaucratic twists and turns.

The Forest Service plays it safe:

The good news is that immediately following Judge Laporte’s decision, Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth issued an agency wide directive prohibiting approval "of any further management activities in inventoried roadless areas that would be prohibited by the 2001 Roadless Rule." On the ground, for now, the pristine unroaded backcountry of Greater Yellowstone’s National Forests is protected from new road-building and commercial logging. GYC will continue working to stop bad projects proposed in roadless areas that fail to meet the provisions of the 2001 rule.

Legal Maneuvering: Not surprisingly, the timber industry immediately appealed Judge Laporte’s decision to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. And the state of Wyoming has asked the District Court to reinstate its 2003 injunction against the 2001 rule. GYC continues to work with our coalition of conservation groups on a legal strategy.

The Administration Pushes on: Under-Secretary of Agriculture, Mark Rey, is encouraging states to continue filing petitions as provided for under the Bush administration’s roadless rule, using provisions within the Administrative Procedures Act. The administration has vowed to defend their version of the rule or remedy it to meet the court’s approval. The Roadless Area Conservation National Advisory Committee will continue to meet to review petitions.

Montana’s governor is waiting for the legal dust to settle before making any decisions about filing a petition. Wyoming’s governor has always said he prefers to resolve this issue through the forest planning processes underway for the Shoshone and Bridger Teton Forests. GYC is working hard with our members and allies to influence these plans. And Idaho’s governor has released a petition that will open up much of Idaho’s unroaded backcountry to development. We will continue working to stop bad projects in these roadless areas.

View National Forest Maps of Roadless Areas in each state:
Montana
Idaho
Wyoming

Background Information- as of June 2006, before Judge LaPorte's ruling.

In May, 2005, the US Department of Agriculture repealed the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, eliminating protections for National Forest roadless areas from new road building and commercial logging or mining. Under the Bush administration’s new rules, governors have 18 months to petition the Secretary of Agriculture asking that U.S. Forest Service roadless lands in their states continue to be protected from roadbuilding.

But there is no guarantee the lands will be protected, even if a governor makes such a request. Because these are federally-owned lands, the Secretary of Agriculture, Mark Rey, will make final decision regarding a state’s petition. If a governor decides not to petition, management of roadless lands will guided by the forest plans developed by each individual forest, many of which allow road building in some roadless lands.

GYC is working to ensure our remaining un-roaded backcountry remains road free in a number of ways, nationally and regionally.

The Greater Yellowstone Coalition also joined 19 other conservation organizations from across the country in a legal challenge to the Bush administration’s roadless rule. You can also read our Press Release concerning this legal challenge.

Each state in the ecosystem has chosen its own path to addressing roadless area conservation. In Wyoming, Governor Dave Freudenthal is concerned that the time and expense spent by the state would be for naught when Wyoming’s recommendations hit Washington, D.C. His preference is to participate in the forest plan revision processes already underway. Both the Shoshone National Forest and the Bridger Teton National Forest have just begun revising these plans that guide management of these forests. Watch for more information on how you can get involved in these efforts.

Montana’s Governor Brian Schweitzer is asking county commissioners and Montana residents for input on whether new roads should be built into the state’s roadless lands. He is asking for any specific road proposals to include an objective and thorough analysis of the environmental impacts, the costs of building and maintaining the roads and a demonstration of community support. Based on this input, the state will put together its recommendations to the Department of Agriculture. For more information on how you can get involved in Montana’s roadless area conservation process, contact our Bozeman office.

In Idaho, Governor Dirk Kempthorne has turned the process over to individual counties which have developed a process for soliciting public comments on roadless areas throughout Idaho National Forests. Counties are conducting public meetings across Idaho, and we encourage our members to attend these meetings. The Idaho Association of Counties has developed a public input form, and you can obtain copies of the form at the meetings or on the web at http://idcounties.org/. You may submit comments on as many roadless areas as you’d like, though you’ll need to fill out a separate form for EACH roadless area. For more information on how to get involved in Idaho’s process, contact our Idaho Falls office.