In the wake of the Bush administration's announcement last week to reverse the Clinton-era roadless initiative, members of Idaho's conservation community pleaded last week for their governor to recognize the importance of the state's road-free forests.
"Hunters and anglers know that the best hunting and fishing in the state is in our undeveloped roadless areas," said Scott Stouder, a western field director for Trout Unlimited. "Over and over, Americans and Idahoans have voiced their strong support for protecting clean drinking water, wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities in our forests.
"We hope that Gov. Kempthorne can see the value of protecting Idaho's irreplaceable roadless areas."
The Bush administration announced a plan May 5 that repealed a President Bill Clinton-era plan and gives states more authority in managing the nation's 58.5 million acres of road-free lands. There are 9.3 million acres of road-free lands in Idaho.
Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne said the new rules provide an opportunity for local communities to get involved. He said the new rules are an improvement over the Clinton administration's protections, which were widely lauded by Americans who spoke at public hearings in 1999 but bemoaned by the West's predominately conservative politicians.
"It establishes a process of strong state and federal cooperation regarding management of those areas," Kempthorne said. "It will be a great tool for establishing long-lasting, community-based solutions that ensure a balance between responsible use and conservation."
But in Idaho, the new rules also found new opposition.
Conservationists, hunting and fishing groups, and small businesses voiced their disdain.
The Bush plan would immediately open 85 percent of the state's road-free areas to development, through logging, mining and road construction, according to the Idaho Conservation League. The other 15 percent are recommended for wilderness in existing forest plans.
Under the Bush plan, governors would petition the Secretary of Agriculture, recommending management for specific road-free areas.
During a public comment period on the Bush plan last fall, Americans submitted more than 1.75 million comments urging the administration to abandon its plan and uphold the original roadless rule. The total number of comments by the American people over the years in support of protecting roadless areas amounts to well over 4 million, including 15,749 from Idahoans.
Numerous Wood River Valley citizens testified in 1999 in favor of the Clinton-era forest protections. Proponents outnumbered opponents 20-1 at local meetings.
"The American people support a coherent, stable policy protecting the last of our pristine forests," said Jonathan Oppenheimer, conservation associate at the Idaho Conservation League.
The original roadless rule was finalized in January 2001 after years of study, 600 local public hearings and meetings and a record number of public comments.
Over the years of development of the original rule, the Forest Service received more than 2.5 million comments in support of protecting road-free areas.
But Idaho's congressional delegation supported last week's change.
"This rule recognizes that a broad dictate over 60 million acres is simply unacceptable," the delegation said jointly in a prepared statement. "By empowering states to offer suggestions on the management of roadless areas in their states, the Forest Service can craft management plans to local conditions, reflecting local priorities while maintaining the lands for everyone.
"This rule will assist the Forest Service in the daunting job of managing 192 million acres to meet the demands of a vast array of users, while conserving the health of the forest."
