08/19/2026
There are plenty of miles of legal backcountry roads. This repeal of the roadless rule is just another thinly-disguised attempt to privatize public land.
The Trump administration's decision to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule today launches an unprecedented assault on our public lands, threatening to strip critical safeguards from nearly 45 million acres (which accounts for roughly 23% of all National Forest System lands, many of which border parks like Yellowstone and Yosemite). Instead of protecting these pristine backcountry areas that safeguard clean drinking water for millions of families and serve as timeless sanctuaries for iconic wildlife, this administration is prioritizing corporations and unnecessary road building. In addition, the last public comment period revealed that 90% of the commenters were in favor of the Rule. Making it an issue that crosses political and cultural divides. All kinds of forest users, from fishermen to hikers to bird watchers to hunters loved the Rule.
True wild forests are exceptionally rare, with total inventoried roadless areas making up only about 30% (roughly 58.2 million acres) of all national forests, while comprising less than 2% of the entire American land mass. Furthermore, our national forests are already heavily fragmented by over 370,000 miles of existing roads (a staggering infrastructure burden tied to a multi-billion dollar maintenance backlog). Pushing industrial roads deeper into these remaining undisturbed ecosystems breaks wildlife migration corridors for grizzly, moose and elk, and disrupts vital watersheds for our best trout fisheries, and increases human caused wildfire risks.
Folks…they aren’t making any more roadless areas. Once they’re gone, they’re “forever gone”. Which is why I’ve partnered with the leading conservation group in the world (Earth Justice) for a film and awareness campaign on the Roadless issue. We knew this decision was coming. And we’re ready.
What are your thoughts on the Trump admin wiping out America’s last true wild public lands? Drop them below
