Hunters and Anglers Can Help Shape the Future of Our National Forest Road and Trail System

posted in: General

September 2, 2026

The Forest Service is revising the rule that determines which roads and trails are open, and hunters and anglers have an opportunity to inform the outcome. 

Virtually every hunt starts from a road. Many of these are National Forest roads that carry friends and families to their Labor Day campsite, the fourth-of-July swimming hole, where kids learn to ride a dirtbike, and where favorite hunting and fishing trips begin.  

The 2005 Travel Management Rule is the primary driver for how the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) makes intentional decisions about which roads, trails, and areas across our national forests are open to motor vehicles. The Forest Service administers more than 380,000 miles of road and 165,000 miles of trails across 193 million acres of national forests and grasslands, a system that supports recreation and wildlife-related visitation for more than 164 million people each year. Managing that system well is one of the most consequential things the agency does for fish, wildlife, and public access alike. 

Last week, the USFS opened a public scoping period on a forthcoming revision to the 2005 Travel Management Rule. This revision is a public process, and hunters and anglers are not opposed to updating the Travel Management Rule. However, refinements should be made to the proposed rule and hunters and anglers need to speak up to ensure that transportation management supports public access, conserves wildlife and healthy habitat, and manages for quality outdoor opportunities. 

Take action

A carefully designed revision can deliver better maps, more consistent game retrieval, expanded access for hunters with mobility limitations, and sustain a road system the agency can actually afford to maintain, all while sustaining the habitat that makes these places worth reaching. 

At TRCP, we see a path forward to improve management across several fronts:

Sustain fish and wildlife habitat alongside access

Keeping wildlife on public land is an access issue as much as a habitat issue. The rule revision is an opportunity to maintain clear fish and wildlife considerations in agency decisions. It is also a chance to retain the ability of local managers to use seasonal restrictions and coordinate closely with state fish and wildlife agencies and other stakeholders for the benefit of fish and game.

Maintain the “closed unless designated open” framework for motorized use

Continue limiting motorized travel to roads, trails, and areas that the Forest Service has designated as open and has identified using authoritative maps. Undesignated, unauthorized, and user-created routes should remain closed unless opened through a transparent process that considers fish and wildlife, conflicts among uses, public safety, and maintenance capacity.

Reduce conflict between user groups through better maps and clear criteria

The revision is an opportunity to keep conflict reduction as an explicit purpose of travel planning, and to strengthen the local collaboration that resolves these questions best. While enforcement is an important part of a safe road system, clear, current, integrated digital and paper maps showing designated routes, vehicle use type, and seasonal closure dates would reduce conflict, which is why the mapping provisions in this notice deserve support. It’s also important that the revised regulations include adequate and appropriate criteria aimed at reducing conflict among users to appropriately balance diverse recreational uses.

Continue making decisions on class 1 e-bikes through local travel planning

The proposal would allow Class 1 e-bikes on national forest lands where bicycles are permitted. E-bikes can expand recreational access, but opening most nonmotorized trails across the national forest system to e-bikes would add more recreational pressure to wildlife. Local managers should continue to determine when and where their use is appropriate through a transparent public process that balances the needs for wildlife and other trail users.

Create a road system that is safe, effective, and affordable

The USFS already struggles to adequately maintain its existing road system. We recommend retaining forest level decision making authority to identify and maintain an adequate road system needed to provide safe and efficient travel while meeting public-access, administrative use needs, and fish and wildlife habitat considerations. A revised rule should help the agency right-size its network to deliver safer roads, better fishing water, and access the public can count on year after year. The revised rule should define an “adequate and appropriate” road and trail network to ensure realistic maintenance and funding is aligned with the capacity the agency, partners, and volunteers can provide. 

How you can make a difference

The Forest Service is accepting comments on the proposed revision through September 23. Comments submitted now help shape the alternatives the agency analyzes, which is the stage where public input has the most influence. 

Use the sample comment below as a starting point. Adding a few sentences about a national forest, hunting unit, trail, or fishery that matters to you will make your comment more personal and more effective. 

Submit your Comments by September 23

Sample Comment 

I hunt and fish on [name of national forest, hunting unit, watershed, or state]. The roads and trails there matter to me because [briefly describe how you use them and what you value about the country they access]. 

I appreciate the opportunity to comment on the revision of the 2005 Travel Management Rule. I support several of the agency’s proposed changes, specifically, integrated digital maps of motorized designations, national consistency for downed big game retrieval, and expanded access for hunters who rely on adaptive mobility devices. I encourage the Forest Service to create a durable framework that supports access for both motorized and non-motorized users and sustains fish and wildlife habitat, while considering the needs of a future road system the agency can maintain. 

Specifically, I ask the Forest Service to: 

Develop clear fish and wildlife considerations into the revised framework that include considerations for route designations, redundant route closures, and other decision tools to account for and balance fish and wildlife habitat needs along with adequate public access

Affirm that local managers retain seasonal management tools to support vehicle class restrictions or seasonal closures when needed to protect winter range, big game migrations, and other resource needs;

Retain the “closed unless designated open” approach for motorized use. Keep motorized travel limited to officially designated and mapped routes. If the agency wishes to open additional routes, I encourage you to do so by examining local opportunities, not by making a sweeping change that will likely increase conflict.
Keep conflict reduction central to travel management to support quality user experiences which includes limiting opening Class 1 e-bikes to a route specific evaluation process;

Define a transportation system that the agency can reasonably afford to maintain by developing “adequate and appropriate” measures guided by realistic long term funding, maintenance capacity, and public and administrative access needs;

Retain coordination with state and Tribal governments, specifically by providing formal cooperating agency status to state and tribal fish and wildlife agencies during the development of this DEIS.

The Forest Service does not need to choose between quality access and healthy fish and wildlife habitat. A revision that improves maps, adds consistency for game retrieval, expands access for hunters with mobility limitations, sustains wildlife security, and right-sizes the road system to available resources would serve hunters, anglers, rural communities, and the agency alike. 

by: Ryan Chapin

posted in: General

August 27, 2026

Flying for the Future of the Lolo, Part II

An aerial tour over the Lolo National Forest highlights growing interest, collaboration, and momentum surrounding the forest plan revision as it moves closer to a public reveal and the 90-day comment window.

Just after sunrise on a recent summer morning, a group gathered at the airport for the second time in two years to participate in an overflight of the Lolo National Forest. Hosted by EcoFlight, a nonprofit organization that uses small aircraft to help people better understand conservation issues, landscapes, and communities, the event included significantly more participants than the previous year, reflecting a growing interest in the ongoing Lolo National Forest Plan Revision as the Draft Plan and the DEIS move closer to public release in the late summer of 2026.

From the window of the six-seat Cessna, this small corner of the 2.3 million acre Lolo National Forest in western Montana’s Rocky Mountains revealed itself in a way no computer screen can replicate. Rugged ridgelines stretched toward the horizon, eventually giving way to the snow-covered shoulders of Lolo Peak. Each gentle turn of the aircraft and dip of the wing offered a new perspective on the landscape below. Narrow creek bottoms converged into the broad ribbon of the Clark Fork River, illustrating just how interconnected this landscape truly is.

Clark Fork River, I-90. Courtesy of EcoFlight

The Lolo National Forest faces growing challenges, including larger and more severe wildfires, increasing recreation pressure, and the need to maintain secure wildlife habitat. Areas such as Marshall Mountain, Woody Mountain, and the Fish Creek landscape illustrate how recreation use can overlap with important big game winter range and security habitat, while future road development and travel planning in traditionally backcountry areas will require careful consideration. The upcoming and revised Land Management Plan will help guide how these challenges are addressed, balancing habitat, clean water, recreation opportunities, forest products, and the economic benefits that support local communities. From the air, participants could see examples of this work already underway near Missoula, Frenchtown, Alberton, Superior, and Lolo, where forest management projects are helping reduce wildfire risk, improve watershed health, and build more resilient forests and communities.

“You can learn about an area on the ground, but an aerial view really helps connect the dots,” said Chet Crowser, Missoula County’s Chief Lands and Communities Officer. “Seeing wildlife habitat, recreation areas, forest management projects, and nearby communities all in the same view reinforces just how important it is to approach these issues collaboratively.“

TRCP’s mission is to ensure all Americans have access to quality places to hunt and fish, and that commitment fuels our active role in forest plan revisions. We work closely with partners and the forest’s planning team to keep wildlife habitat, public access, healthy communities, and resilient forests at the center of future management decisions. The flight’s passengers represented local governments, conservation organizations, sporting groups, journalists, community leaders, and the next generation of public land users, all of whom have deep interest in keeping the Lolo National Forest working as intended.

A bird’s eye view of forest planning

This marked the second consecutive year that the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP) coordinated an overflight of the Lolo National Forest. In addition to seeing the landscape from above, the flight provided participants with a shared view of the opportunities and challenges that will help shape the upcoming Lolo Land Management Plan Revision. Seeing wildlife habitat, recreation areas, active forest management projects, and nearby communities in the same frame reinforced the importance of thoughtful, collaborative planning for the forest’s future.

National Forest Access Roads, Timber Operations in the Lolo National Forest. Courtesy of EcoFlight.

The Draft Land Management Plan and Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) are expected to be published in early fall, beginning a 90-day public comment period. On the morning of the flights, Lolo National Forest Supervisor Ben Johnson joined participants on the ground to learn firsthand what’s important to them about the Lolo National Forest.

Recognizing the importance of coordinated engagement and diverse interests in the forest, TRCP has convened and continues to lead a Lolo Forest Plan Revision Collaborative that includes conservation organizations, sporting groups, wildlife advocates, local partners, and other stakeholders interested in the future of the forest. Many of this year’s flight participants are active members of the collaborative.

The Lolo from the Air

After coffee, conversation and pastries, the flights began. As the aircraft crossed the greater Missoula area and entered the airspace of the Lolo, the bigger picture of the forest came into focus. Participants viewed the wildlife movement corridor of the proposed Sixmile underpass on Interstate 90 that would connect the large ecosystems of the Northern Continental Divide and the Greater Bitterroots, an important connection point in western Montana. Conversations in the air focused on wildlife movement and habitat connectivity, which are major themes that many conservationists hope to see in the new land use plan for the Lolo.

“Seeing our landscapes from the air is so fascinating! The views (even with the smoke), the conversations in the plane, getting disoriented and then reoriented… it all highlighted how people share a love for the land and for our communities. It’s inspiring to see how connected we all are. Working across boundaries is really important to successful stewardship and the flight gave us a whole new perspective on building those cross-boundary connections,” said Cindy Super, Forestry & Prescribed Fire Coordinator for the Blackfoot Challenge.

I-90, Clark Fork River, Near Tarkio, MT. Courtesy of EcoFlight

Farther west, participants observed portions of the Sawmill-Petty landscape, where active forest management projects illustrated how forest health, wildlife habitat, local jobs, and community resilience are often interconnected. From above, the patchwork of timber harvest projects from the Sawmill-Petty projects that support local economies in communities like Alberton and St. Regis spread out like a quilt. These projects both create and sustain jobs while also improving big game forage and habitat by allowing sunlight to reach the vegetation beneath the forest canopy.

A topic that surfaced throughout the morning was balancing growing recreation use with the needs of wildlife habitat and security. In several areas, participants observed how recreation destinations, like the Fish Creek area, overlap with important habitat, reinforcing the need for thoughtful management that supports both conservation and recreation.

The flight also highlighted proactive forest management near communities, where fuel reduction and mining restoration projects are improving overall forest health and reducing wildfire risk. Resilient watersheds, forests and healthy communities go hand in hand.

“The Lolo has been a tremendous partner in restoration efforts like the work in the Ninemile watershed,” said Jeff Lukas of Trout Unlimited. “From the air, you can see how connected these landscapes really are. It reinforces why long-term collaboration is so important for improving habitat, protecting water quality, and making sure these places continue to benefit fish, wildlife, and local communities.”

A 10,000 foot view of our forest’s future

As our plane descended towards the Missoula International Airport, I thought of one of my grandpa’s favorite sayings. “You can’t land on a runway that’s behind you,” he would say with a chuckle. He understood that aphorism firsthand. He flew during World War II and later owned a small plane, often taking us grandkids on flights over the Ohio countryside. Those are some of my fondest memories.

Looking back, I realize his saying wasn’t really about flying. It was about the importance of looking ahead. Forest planning is much the same way.

National Forest Access Roads, Timber Operations in the Lolo National Forest. Courtesy EcoFlight.

What stood out to me most was that interest in the Lolo’s future is gaining altitude. By the time the planes touched down on the tarmac, it was clear that more people than ever are committed to helping chart the course for one of western Montana’s greatest public resources.

As the Lolo National Forest Plan Revision moves toward its public release of the Draft Plan and DEIS, TRCP will continue working with partners, community leaders, and agency staff to ensure that hunters, anglers, and all who value these public lands have a strong voice in the process. Stay tuned to TRCP channels for updates, opportunities to learn more, and your chance to weigh in once the 90‑day comment period opens.

Like we said after last year’s flight, if you’re a hunter, angler, or anyone who values Montana’s public lands, this plan will impact you. It’s up to us to shape how the Lolo is managed for decades to come, so let’s ensure the plan revision reflects the values we hold dear: thriving wildlife habitat and connectivity across the landscape, clean and cold water, and sustainable uses that support hunting, fishing, and our local economies.

For more information, check out the Lolo National Forest Land Management Plan Revision Hub.

by: McKay Fleck

posted in: General

TRCP Brings Hunter and Angler Priorities to Western Energy Initiative

How TRCP is working to meet the West’s energy needs without sacrificing hunting and fishing traditions

The Western Governors’ Association spent the past year examining how Western states can expand energy production, transmission and storage – an effort led by Utah Governor Spencer Cox and branded Energy Superabundance: Unlocking Prosperity in the West. The yearlong initiative included workshops, surveys, and webinars, bringing together policy makers, industry leaders, and conservation organizations from across the West. Energy infrastructure and public lands access aren’t separate issues in the West – the same landscapes that support energy transmission infrastructure and mineral development also hold migration corridors, cold water streams, and hunting grounds that define the region’s outdoor traditions.

The report presents federal policy recommendations to help plan, finance, develop, and deploy energy projects across the West, and includes several key policy recommendations provided by TRCP throughout the initiative, one example being: Madeleine West, TRCP’s vice president of western conservation, participated in the Siting Considerations for Energy Development panel during the WGA workshop held in Pheonix, Arizona. Over the course of the initiative, West, along with McKay Fleck, TRCP’s energy policy advisor, worked with partners to bring together defensible policy recommendations that avoid, minimize, and mitigate impacts to fish and wildlife while still meeting America’s growing energy demands – and account for hunting and fishing access and habitat connectivity from the start, not as an afterthought.

The Energy Superabundance Report echoes several of TRCP’s energy siting recommendations to the federal government. It calls for building transmission lines in already disturbed rights-of-way and siting energy development in brownfields, aiming to keep new projects out of the wildlife habitat that hunters and anglers depend on. The report also backs data driven planning, reinforcing that the best available science should guide durable energy siting policy to ensure responsible energy development.

Special consideration was given to the mining of critical minerals, and building reliable domestic energy will require expanding critical mineral production, processing, and manufacturing, while also recognizing the importance of protections for state equities, tribal interests, hunting and angling, and the environment. Half of all the known critical minerals deposits in the U.S. are upstream of valuable trout and salmon habitat, such as the Wild and Scenic Illinois River in Oregon, or the Pecos River watershed in New Mexico. The WGA report highlights the need to bolster domestic mineral supply chains by expanding our ability to process, refine, and recycle existing ore. Making better use of resources we’ve already extracted means less pressure to open new mines in the sensitive watersheds that hunters and anglers rely on. Western governors and conservation organizations alike agree that energy and outdoor recreation can work simultaneously to build a thriving western economy while retaining the robust wildlife populations and outdoor recreation opportunities that make the west unique in the first place.

Hunters and anglers depend on healthy, connected habitat and reliable access to public land, so how and where energy development happens directly affects the future of those hunting traditions. TRCP has long been a leader in advancing responsible energy siting policy and convenes partners and stakeholders in the hunt-fish community to build scientifically supported policy recommendations to ensure hunting and fishing traditions and outdoor recreation economies continue to thrive as energy demands are met.

This includes the Energy Development & Land Use: Fish & Wildlife Platform developed by TRCP and 21 other hunting, fishing, and conservation organizations; the Wildlife for the 21st Century, Volume VII (W-21) recommendations published by the American Wildlife Conservation Partners, the nation’s top 52 sporting-conservation organizations; the Critical Minerals: A Hunting and Fishing Perspective report, developed jointly by Trout Unlimited, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, The Nature Conservancy, National Wildlife Federation, and the TRCP; and TRCP’s solar siting guidelines which summarize emerging science to inform the siting of solar energy facilities in a manner that avoids, minimizes, and mitigates impacts to big game and their habitats. These efforts share a common goal, ensuring the West can meet its energy needs without sacrificing the fish, wildlife, and public access that hunters and anglers depend on.

Learn more about energy, critical minerals, & your hunting and fishing opportunities HERE

Top photo courtesy of Josh Metten

by: Michael O'Casey

posted in: General

August 24, 2026

TRCP Encourages Balanced Approach to Forest Service Travel Management Updates

Hunters and anglers call for consistent framework to ensure conservation priorities in national forests

Last week, the U.S. Forest Service published a Notice of Intent to initiate rulemaking to revise the agency’s 2005 Travel Management Rule. The notice initiated a 30-day public scoping period, which will be followed by a proposed rule. The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership is urging the agency to ensure that any updates support responsible motorized and nonmotorized access, reduce user conflicts, and conserve important fish and wildlife habitat.

“We are open to thoughtful updates to the Forest Service’s travel management rule to ensure our national forest road and trail system continues to meet the needs of the public and land managers,” said Joel Webster, TRCP chief conservation officer. “At the same time, we believe the proposal needs refinement to ensure the revised travel management rule supports quality recreation experiences, minimizes user conflicts, and helps avoid fragmentation of important habitat. TRCP looks forward to engaging through public comments and discussions with the agency to help craft a durable policy that responds to changing forest conditions and recreational needs while retaining meaningful safeguards for fish and wildlife.”

The Forest Service manages more than 380,000 miles of roads and 165,000 miles of trails across 193 million acres of national forests and grasslands. Hunters and anglers rely on many of these routes to reach important hunting and fishing destinations, and they also recognize that roads and trails must be managed carefully to conserve habitat, reduce conflicts among users, and reflect the financial and workforce capacity constraints — including reliance on volunteers and partners — that limit maintenance capacity. Consistent research shows that route density and motorized use can influence deer and elk habitat use. High route densities can cause big game to avoid otherwise productive habitat, while seasonal use in key habitats can negatively affect wildlife when they are most vulnerable.

“Partner organizations have invested significant time, funding, and volunteer capacity into improving trails and recreation experiences on federal lands through partnerships with the Forest Service,” continued Webster. “Any revised travel management rule should protect that investment by reducing user conflicts, supporting sustainable access, and ensuring that road and trail systems remain sustainable over time.”

Travel management regulations should create a consistent framework to guide how transportation systems are planned and managed on public lands, including how roads, trails, and areas are designated for motorized and non-motorized recreation. Effective travel management helps provide public access and quality recreation opportunities, supports land management needs, reduces conflicts among users, and conserves important natural resources, including fish and wildlife habitat.

Follow TRCP to learn more about the process and how to comment.

Learn more about TRCP’s work on public access here.

The TRCP is your resource for all things conservation. In our weekly Roosevelt Report, you’ll receive the latest news on emerging habitat threats, legislation and proposals on the move, public land access solutions we’re spearheading, and opportunities for hunters and anglers to take action. Sign up now.

by: Michael O'Casey

posted in: General

August 19, 2026

TRCP Responds to Forest Service Roadless Area Proposal with Call for Collaboration

Encourages a solution that supports reduced wildfire risk while maintaining backcountry values

The U.S. Forest Service released a proposed rule and accompanying Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) that could alter future management of more than 44 million acres of inventoried roadless areas on national forest lands. The agency is seeking public comment on the proposed rule through September 21.

“National forest backcountry areas provide valuable habitat for big game, cold and clean headwaters for trout and salmon, and some of the best hunting and fishing opportunities that can be found in America,” said Michael O’Casey, TRCP’s director of public lands. “We encourage the Forest Service to craft a durable outcome that creates additional management flexibility to protect communities from wildfire while maintaining the conservation values of the backcountry. We view the longstanding Idaho and Colorado roadless rules as successful models that could help inform a solution.”

The Forest Service’s proposed rule would rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, but informed comments on the draft EIS can still shift the outcome among the alternatives under consideration. Many hunters and anglers agree that backcountry values and responsible forest management need not be mutually exclusive. The conservation of roadless areas can be maintained while increasing the agency’s ability to thin forests, reduce fire risk in the Wildland-Urban Interface, and protect people and property. The DEIS evaluates a range of alternatives addressing the future management of roadless areas, and the Forest Service has an opportunity to craft a final rule that advances all of these important values.

“Places like the Wyoming Range, the Warner Mountains of Oregon and California, the Blue Range of Arizona, and the temperate rainforests of southeast Alaska have captured the hearts and minds of Americans for generations,” continued O’Casey. “We have an opportunity to continue those traditions while seeking reasonable solutions to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire. Such an outcome would reduce litigation and the political uncertainty that would come with a more drastic approach.”

In the coming days, the TRCP will share more detailed recommendations that hunters and anglers can use to easily weigh in and add their voice in support of a balanced path forward for healthy forests, safer communities, and the long-term conservation of many of America’s most important backcountry hunting and fishing grounds.

Public comments on the proposed rule and Draft Environmental Impact Statement must be received by September 21. Additional information is available on the Forest Service’s Roadless Areas webpage, and comments may be submitted through Regulations.gov.

Learn more about TRCP’s commitment to public-land access HERE.

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