Letter: Roadless Area Conservation must be ensured

Monday, May 17, 2004 | 9:02 a.m.

Will Nevadans look back in 100 years and wish that our generation had acted to protect the beautiful landscapes? Or will they be able to enjoy, as we do now, the natural places, abundant wildlife and clean water? Now is the time to decide.

The fundamental trait of such landscapes is an absence of roads. More than half, or 3.2 million acres, of Nevada's highest peaks and watersheds in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest are roadless, but their protection is shaky.

In January 2001 the Clinton Administration enacted the Roadless Area Conservation Rule to prevent road building and development in roadless areas within National Forests. Since then, Agriculture Undersecretary Mark Rey, a former timber industry lobbyist, has been leading the effort to gut the Rule. He and President Bush refused to defend the Rule against industry court challenges, and have opened roadless areas in the Tongass Rainforest in Alaska to logging. Now they are considering giving the decision to governors, thereby giving them unprecedented power over federal land owned by all Americans.

With 71 million acres in Nevada, 3.2 million will not make or break our industries. It's not a lot, but it represents the finest of outdoor experiences, and sadly lies in the way of special interests. This land belongs to us and future generations, and I think it's time we claim it before it's gone forever.

PETE DRONKERS

Editor's note: The writer is a member of Friends of Nevada Wilderness.