Sportsmen Criticize Judicial Action Against Roadless Rule
News
for Immediate Release
Aug. 13, 2008
Contact:
Joel Webster, 406-360-3904,jwebster@trcp.org
Sportsmen
Criticize Judicial Action Against Roadless Rule
Federal judge in
Wyoming moves
to invalidate 2001 Roadless Rule; decision jeopardizes important fish and
wildlife habitat on millions of acres of national forests
WASHINGTON – Sportsmen
today voiced their disappointment over a decision by a federal judge in
Wyoming to enjoin a rule
that banned road construction on undeveloped areas of national forests. They
assert that the 2001 “roadless rule” helps sustain healthy fish and game
populations and maintains hunting and fishing opportunities that otherwise
would be lost. The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, a coalition of
hunting and angling groups, is a longtime proponent of the 2001 rule and the
conservation measures it extends to 58 million acres of national forest
roadless areas.
“The
roadless rule presents a balanced plan for the conscientious management of our
national forest backcountry,” said TRCP Roadless Initiative Manager
Joel Webster. “The federal rule was adopted in 2001
following more than 600 public meetings and 1.7 million official comments from
citizens. More than 95 percent of these comments pledged support for roadless
area conservation. Tuesday’s shoddy decision contradicts the wishes of the vast
majority of American sportsmen.”
Yesterday’s
ruling by U.S. District Judge Clarence Brimmer upholds a request by the state
of
Wyoming to
issue a permanent injunction against the rule. It marks a new development in
the controversial rule, which was the subject of a similar ruling by Judge
Brimmer in 2003. While an appeal of the 2003 decision was pending, the rule was
supplanted by a Bush administration alternative. This alternative was rejected
in 2006 by a federal judge in
California,
with the 2001 rule then reinstated.
“Roadless
areas have been shown to provide secure habitat for big game such as elk, mule
deer and bighorn sheep and clean water for trout and salmon,” Webster
continued. “The 2001 roadless rule remains the best law for managing of
America’s
national forest roadless areas. The TRCP will continue to engage our nation’s
sportsmen to ensure that the roadless rule ensures long-term conservation of
prime fish and wildlife habitat and continued opportunities for public-lands
hunting and fishing.”
“This
ruling further clouds legal waters that are plenty muddy already,” said
Tom St. Hilaire, a TRCP vice president. “This legal
uncertainty means that this issue will not be definitively resolved this year,
making it imperative that the next presidential administration and Congress
embrace the preservation values inherent in the 2001 rule.”
Visit the TRCP
Web site to learn more about the importance of roadless areas.
Inspired by the
legacy of Theodore Roosevelt, the TRCP is a coalition of organizations and
grassroots partners working together to preserve the traditions of hunting and
fishing.
Return to TRCP home.
