Nearly 59 million acres of National Forest are at risk right now

Last month, I went on a hike at the Baker Lake Trail, which is inside the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. I joined the Outdoor Alliance of Washington on this hike, where we looked at the forest and the trails, as well as discussed the impact of the Trump administration on public lands.

The Trump administration has cut staff at the U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service and is rescinding the U.S. Forest Service's Roadless Rule, which protects nearly 59 million acres of national forest. The U.S. Forest Service Roadless Rule prevents and restricts new road construction, timber harvesting, and mineral leasing in designated "roadless areas."

Republicans in Congress also tried to sell off 5.4 million acres of public land. But after news of this came out, and public outcry came roaring back, we were able to beat back that effort to sell off public lands.

We still have a lot of work to do to protect our public lands.

We must protect the Roadless Rule and our environment because a healthy environment is vital to Washingtonians’ way of life and the regional economy.

More soon,

Rick