Letter: Roadless areas a win for wildlife, people

Published 1:30 am Friday, May 29, 2026

Editor,

As an environmental advocate and outdoor enthusiast, protecting our national forests is deeply personal to me. These landscapes are where I find connection, renewal and a sense of responsibility to future generations.

The wildest parts of our national forests—“roadless areas”—are the heart of our public lands. They provide clean water, critical habitat for species like elk, wolverines and salmon, and irreplaceable opportunities for recreation. Since 2001, the Roadless Rule has protected 54.5 million acres because they are ecologically vital, socially beloved and economically sensible.

Now, the Trump administration wants to scrap these protections. Their pitch: more timber and fewer wildfires. Reality check: logging roadless forests is expensive, fires are mostly started by humans and opening pristine areas to development will make ecosystems more fragile, watersheds dirtier and communities less safe.

Where I live in Whatcom County, approximately 91,200 acres of the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest are designated as roadless areas under the 2001 Roadless Rule. These areas encompass critical habitats along the North Fork of the Nooksack River, Baker Lake and other tributaries of the Nooksack and Skagit River systems.

Elected officials in Washington, here’s a radical idea: actually protect our public lands. Keep roads out, keep wildlife in and stop pretending that corporate handouts are a substitute for common sense. What will we do once these forests are gone? We cannot eat money when the last tree has fallen and the rivers are poisoned.

Laura Sheehan

Ferndale