Recreation Coalition Files Brief in Ongoing Roadless Lawsuit

Brian Hawthorne, BRC's Public Lands Policy Director, said, "With millions of acres of National Forests susceptible to disease and wildfire, it should be evident that a top-down, one-size-fits-all management program should never be the answer. Each roadless area is unique, and local conditions should be taken into consideration when actively managing these lands."

"This marks a decade of involvement in the Roadless issue," said Greg Mumm, Executive Director of BRC. "Force-feeding a 'hands-off' policy to manage Roadless Areas, like congressionally designated Wilderness, has been a goal of the preservationist groups for some time. BRC is proud to have protected recreational access to these lands and we are committed to continue this important effort."

Noting the U.S. Forest Service will be revising the regulations for preparing Forest Plans, Paul Turcke, the attorney for the recreational groups, observed in their brief that "our Nation's treasured forest lands must be actively and effectively managed. Such management necessitates detailed, site-by-site analysis; not politically convenient templates. That improper procedural means advance an agenda of less rather than more active human presence is of little legal import. This Court should seize the opportunity to place the 2001 Roadless Rule alongside the 2005 State Petitions Rule and similar misplaced efforts to manage our National Forests via election cycle emanations from the DC beltway, and to begin a return to professionally-driven and project-focused management that our forests and citizens deserve."

The Recreation group's filing can be found online. Learn more about the history of the Roadless Rule and latest updates on www.sharetrails.org.

http://www.sharetrails.org/uploads/Proposed_Brief_as_Amici_Curiae_of_Recreation_Groups.pdf

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