Today marks the official start date of the 60-day public comment period on the Biden administration’s promise to restore the National Roadless Rule to the Tongass National Forest.
Now is your time to act! We encourage Southeast Alaskans, supporters, and members of the public to submit comments to the United States Forest Service through seacc.org/roadless.
Why? We need your support to bolster Biden’s promise and restore essential protections — which are widely supported by our community — on more than 9 million acres of the Tongass. These comments will become part of the public record and both 1) affirm support for the current promises and 2) help demonstrate broad public support to all future federal administrations, Alaska’s federal delegation, and Congress.
And you can have fun with it! Please customize your comment with personalized language like, “I am a mother of four who believes in a livable future for my children,” or, “I am a fourth-generation Alaskan who understands the importance of these protections for our local communities.” A personalized comment is more highly valued within the public process.
In exchange for taking the time to customize your comment, you could win a seafood gift basket valued at $375 generously donated from Alaskans Own — a non-profit and program of Alaska Longline Fisherman’s Association.
And 100% of Alaskans Own’s profits go toward supporting the conservation of Alaska’s fisheries, in turn creating equitable fishery access, supporting our small-scale fishermen, and providing healthy seafood to communities in need. Thank you Alaskans Own and Alaska Longline Fisherman’s Association for your support.
Stay tuned for other awesome prizes you can win if you personalize your comment from Rainbow Foods, Devil’s Club Brewing Company, Sentinel Coffee, and other local Southeast Alaska businesses!
Using and sharing SEACC’s comment portal will help ensure your comment includes critical information for the Forest Service. It will also help us work with our partner organizations to identify the estimated number of Southeast Alaskans and national supporters who submitted a comment, demonstrating to the media, elected leaders, and the public just how many Southeast Alaskans and supporters stand firmly behind protecting the Tongass.
During the 2019 National Environmental Policy Act process, a whopping 96% of commenters spoke in favor of keeping the national Roadless Rule firmly in place on the Tongass. Join us in taking action today to make sure we have the same robust showing this time around and help us ensure that the outcome of this process will be a proud inflection point in the long history and story of this place.
With the Tongass,
Chiara D’Angelo
Tongass Forest Program Manager
