by Patrick Lohmann for Source NM
Most of the roughly 600 New Mexico residents who weighed in on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s proposal to end the 2001 Roadless Rule said it should remain in place to protect watersheds and wildlife, as well as spare roughly 1.6 million acres of the state’s forestland from extractive industries.
But beyond the policy itself, dozens of them, via a public comment portal onRegulations.gov, offered personal reflections about profound experiences in untamed nature, which they see as at risk if the USDA moves forward with the rule’s repeal.
“We never saw nor heard another person, vehicle or anything else manmade,” one person wrote about a backpacking trip in the Gila National Forest, of which roughly one quarter is protected under the Roadless Rule. “Instead we saw skies so lit up with stars we almost didn’t need headlamps to cook. We were woken up at night by a large herd of elk thundering past.”
“Nature is actually quite loud when it’s not drowned out by humans and our trucks, cars, heavy machinery, utility infrastructure constantly buzzing,” the commenter continued. “I dream of the Gila and hope I have the privilege to trek through its quiet loud nature again.”
Another commenter, who described himself as elderly man, said his New Mexico wilderness experiences were the most meaningful of his life. He wrote that he hopes his sons have the same chances to “explore, love, and be restored by these wild places in the same way I have been.”
“Opportunities for solitude are a rare commodity in the modern world,” he said. “We must protect them like the precious treasures that they are.”
The department last week closed its public comment period soliciting feedback for its proposal to repeal the rule, which protects roughly 58 million acres of national forests nationwide from logging, road construction or other development.
The department received more than 370,000 comments from members of the public between Aug. 18 and Oct. 6 on its proposed repeal of the rule. A recent analysis from the Center for Western Priorities, an environmental advocacy group, used an AI large language model to analyze the comments and concluded that more than 99% of them urged the department to keep the rule in place.
USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins first announced her intention to repeal the rule while in Santa Fe in June 2025. The administration has justified repealing the rule as a way to return control to local administrators, reduce wildfires and support the logging industry.
Source NM reviewed comments submitted to Regulations.gov from those who say they’re New Mexico residents or who mention one of five national forests in the state. All but five of the 594 comments from New Mexico residents oppose the repeal. All 120 comments from those who mention the state’s national forests hope the rule stays in place.
Among those in opposition to the repeal were those who identified themselves as ranchers, hikers, hunters, fishermen, and business owners in communities surrounding the Gila National Forest.
Twenty-four comments mention “solitude”; 20 describe the protected areas as “sacred.” One comment came from a 6-year-old child who described enjoying climbing trees and rocks, as well as skiing in the Cibola National Forest.
“I think you should keep the Roadless Rule,” the child wrote.
In addition to those from individuals, several of the comments submitted by New Mexico environmental groups were on behalf of thousands of state residents.
New Mexico Wild, for example, submitted letters opposing the repeal signed by approximately 3,300 state residents. The organization held a series of “people’s public hearings” mobilizing opposition to the repeal after the USDA refused to hold its own public hearings on the matter.
Of the five people who supported repealing the rule, all but one did not provide their names, which was voluntary. Those commenters mentioned concern about wildfires and said the rule gets in the way of commonsense forest management in New Mexico.
Studies have shownthat wildfires are less common in areas the Roadless Rule protects. Introducing roads to protected areas increases the risk of human-caused wildfires, advocacy groups contend.
The one signed letter from a Roadless Rule opponent came from John Paul Bradley, the general manager of the Sipapu Ski Resort in the Carson National Forest in northern New Mexico. He said that a roadless area sits adjacent to the ski resort, and he’s concerned the rule means the area “cannot be managed to improve forest health.”
“We believe in returning decisions to the local level and giving the Forest Service all the tools and support they need to actively manage these beautiful national forests across the West,” he wrote.
Bradley did not respond to Source NM’s requests for further comment last week.