Peregrine Falcon. Image by Steve Rappaport.
ACT NOW: Conservation Issues For Elections
Roadless Rule Under Fire By Trump Administration
The Roadless Rule is a federal regulation that protects undeveloped areas on National Forest System lands from new road construction, reconstruction, and timber harvesting, with the goal of preserving these wild areas for their ecological, recreational, and watershed benefits. Initially established in 2001 under President Clinton, the rule has been a target of legal and administrative challenges, with recent actions by the Department of Agriculture attempting to repeal it, leading to renewed efforts to codify its protections into law.
The Roadless Rule was enacted in 2001 by President Bill Clinton. The rule was a result of years of public input, in which the comment period set a record with 1.6 million public comments. The Trump administration is rolling back this landmark conservation rule from the Clinton era that prevents roadbuilding and logging on roughly 58 million acres of federal forest and wildlands. After Clinton enacted the rule at the end of his term in 2001, it effectively created de facto wilderness protections for scores of forests in the West and Alaska. Special interest groups have tried to overturn it for decades, filing more than a dozen unsuccessful lawsuits against it. Trump’s use of Executive Actions are another attempt to destroy protections. Environmental organizations will sue but the loggers and road builders can start before Courts can rule on legality.
WASHINGTON, August 27, 2025 – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins today announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has taken the next step in the rulemaking process for rescinding the 2001 Roadless Rule by opening a public comment period.
Putnam highlands Audubon Society joins with the National Audubon Society in strongly opposing the proposed repeal of the Roadless Rule and the issuance of an Executive Order by President Trump to remove red tape to boost logging on federal land. This Order and proposed repeal of the Roadless Rule will harm bird habitats, increase fragmentation in National Forests, and remove safeguards for protecting rivers and streams used for drinking water, and increase negative risks to wildlife habitats facing rising temperatures and climate change impacts.
The USDA Forest Service published the notice in The Federal Register on Friday, August 29, 2025. The public is invited to comment on the potential effects of the proposal to guide the development of the environmental impact statement.
Comments must be submitted no later than Sept. 19, 2025, via the Federal Register:
Public comments will be considered during the development of the draft environmental impact statement. We hope additional opportunities to comment will occur as the rulemaking process continues. Environmentalists have already indicated they'll sue to prevent its reversal and the more negative comments will help that effort as well as donations.
Birders and Conservationists need to weigh in before Secretary Rollins and the Trump Administration guts one of the premier pieces of legislation protecting our Forest Lands from being changed forever.
Connie Mayer, Conservation Chair
Putnam Highlands Audubon Society
PHAS Comments on the Fjord Trail DGEIS
During the winter, Putnam Highlands Audubon Society (PHAS) reviewed and discussed the proposed Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail, as detailed in the Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement (DGEIS) released at the end of 2024.
As a chapter of the National Audubon Society, our mission is to protect and preserve local lands and waters. We recognize the project's intent to create safe, accessible outdoor spaces that encourage education and foster a connection with nature.
Cerulean Warbler, a "Species of Special Concern" in NYS and local breeder in Hudson Highlands State Park. Photo credit: Anthony Macchiarola
However, the DGEIS left us with more questions than answers—particularly regarding the permanent impact of such a large-scale development on this ecologically sensitive area. The proposed site is designated as both an Important Bird Area (IBA) and a Bird Conservation Area (BCA), underscoring its vital role in supporting regional biodiversity. The proposed trail also passes through miles of the Hudson Highlands State Park Preserve, which has a higher level of state-mandated biological protection than a state park.
We invite you to read the letter we submitted to NYS Parks in response to the DGEIS.
We also encourage you to read what New York State Department of Conservation had to say about the DGEIS.
If you have any questions, please email phas@putnamhighlandsaudubon.org