The Montana Chapter of The Wildlife Society submitted formal comments to the USDA and USFS in response to the proposed rescission of the 2001 Roadless Areas Conservation Rule (“Roadless Rule”). Montana has 6.4 million acres of inventoried roadless areas protected by the Roadless Rule, which is approximately 37% of all Forest Service lands in the state. The Chapter described in detail the importance of these roadless areas for providing large tracts of unfragmented habitat for Montana wildlife species, including elk, grizzly bears, and wolverines.
