We all have a chance to speak up
If you care about New Mexico’s forests, wildlife and wild places, there is an important meeting in Las Cruces on September 15—and your voice is needed.
For 25 years, the Roadless Area Conservation Rule has helped protect some of the wildest remaining lands in our national forests from activities such as mining, logging and drilling. In New Mexico alone, the Roadless Rule protects approximately 1.6 million acres of National Forest lands. Nationally, it protects about 45 million acres. Now the future of those protections is being reconsidered.
The U.S. Forest Service has opened a public comment period on rescinding the Roadless Rule, and comments will be accepted through September 21. That makes the next few weeks especially important for everyone who cares about the future of our public lands.
A Chance to Speak Up in Las Cruces
New Mexico Wild and its partners are holding a free public hearing in Las Cruces:
Tuesday, September 15
6:00–7:30 p.m.
Las Cruces WIA Building
The evening will begin with a presentation explaining the Roadless Rule and what is at stake, followed by comments from invited speakers and community voices. Most importantly, nearly 45 minutes of the program will be devoted to audience testimony. That means this isn’t simply a meeting where people sit and listen.
It is an opportunity to stand up and be heard.
Why Roadless Areas Matter
Look at the accompanying map of New Mexico’s Inventoried Roadless Areas. These aren’t simply patches of color on a map. They are forests, mountains, watersheds and wildlife habitat. They are places where people hike, hunt, camp, watch wildlife and experience the natural heritage that makes New Mexico extraordinary. Roadless areas can also provide large, relatively undeveloped landscapes that are increasingly important for wildlife. And once wild country is fragmented by roads and development, putting it back together can be extraordinarily difficult.
Don’t Assume Someone Else Will Speak for You
One of the biggest challenges facing conservation today is getting people to move from caring about something to actually doing something about it. This is one of those moments. You don’t need to be a scientist, attorney, forester or conservation professional to participate. You simply need to care about what happens to these public lands.
Come to the hearing. Learn about the issue. Listen to other members of the community. And then tell the Forest Service—in your own words—what New Mexico’s roadless lands mean to you and what you believe their future should be. For 25 years, the Roadless Rule has helped determine what happens to millions of acres of America’s national forests.
What happens during the next few weeks could help determine what those lands look like for the next generation.
Please Join Us
Roadless Rule Public Hearing
September 15 | 6:00–7:30 p.m.
Las Cruces WIA Building
Free and open to the public
The federal public comment period closes September 21. Can’t attend the hearing? Comments can also be submitted through New Mexico Wild’s Roadless Rule information page:
Wild places don’t have a voice at a public hearing. We do. On September 15, let’s use it.