Washington citizens have already spoken, but Gov. Chris Gregoire needs to hear from us one more time on protecting national forest roadless areas.

During the Clinton administration, the U.S. Forest Service implemented protection for roadless areas larger than 5,000 acres (about eight square miles). This 2001 Roadless Rule followed more than a year of public hearings and nearly 2 million comments (more than submitted for any other federal policy). More than 90 percent of those comments from across the nation were favorable. In Washington, 96 percent favored the Roadless Rule.

In 2005, the Bush administration repealed the policy, replacing it with one that requires state governors to petition the federal government if they wish to protect the national forest roadless areas within their states.

Protecting roadless areas requires no road closures. It simply means holding off on building new ones. These areas are generally roadless because they are steep and/or at high elevation, making them less economical to log and replant. According to Forest Service scientists who composed the environmental impact statement for the 2001 Roadless Area Rule, it will not increase the likelihood of fires or their spread. We enjoy more than 9 million acres of national forest here in Washington, with about 2 million acres qualifying as roadless. In this region, less than 3 percent of the Colville National Forest is secured as designated wilderness.

These areas are important for wildlife and native plants. In a May 2000 report, the Forest Service research section said a majority (57 out of 91 species) of animals in decline in our region had been adversely affected by roads and associated human activity. The surest way to introduce destructive weeds into a forested area is to build roads.

People also benefit from roadless areas. Hunters and anglers know that lighter human pressure in these areas results in longer seasons and less restrictive regulations. The cleanest watersheds will also be found in unroaded areas. Combine these values with the aesthetic experience to be found only in undisturbed forest, and it is no wonder that sportsmen, outfitters, horsemen, backpackers, naturalists and folks who just want to get back to their roots focus their activities on roadless areas.

My old knees are hinting that they will soon refuse to carry me into the backcountry. Perhaps then I’ll spend more time on horseback or traveling the 380,000 miles of existing roads in our national forests (for which we now have a $10 billion maintenance backlog). But even then I’ll still support protecting our roadless areas for the sake of our grandchildren – and theirs.