Commissioners to warn Roadless Rule repeal could derail forest plan rewrite

Teton County’s Board of County Commissioners is set to approve a formal comment letter urging the U.S. Forest Service not to yank the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule while the Bridger-Teton National Forest is rewriting its forest plan, the first full revision since 1990. The letter argues that removing the rule “in the middle of that process” would upend a foundational planning assumption, “require reconsideration of plan analyses and alternatives,” and push the national roadless fight into an already technical, local plan revision where the county is a cooperating agency. Roadless Rule Comment Letter

For wildlife and watersheds, the planning mechanics matter. Forest plans decide, for years at a time, where roads can go, what kind of motorized access is acceptable, and how habitat security for grizzly bears and migratory big game is protected across connected landscapes. The county’s message to federal officials is straightforward: keep the Roadless Rule baseline in place until the Bridger-Teton plan revision is finished, or expect a longer, more legally uncertain process as the Forest Service reworks its analysis mid-course. Roadless Rule Comment Letter