| BLUERIBBON COALITION, INC. October 27, 1999 The Honorable Slade Gorton Dear Senator Gorton: It all depends on what the definition of a road is... Knowing of your concern about how Clinton's roadless directive may affect recreation and access on our national forests, I would like to share my thoughts with you on this subject. Clinton's directive has practically nothing to do with timber harvesting, but everything to do with attacking recreation on, and access to, our national forests. Using new non-Congressionally approved definitions of roads as defined in the interim road policy, the Forest Service will resurvey its multiple-use lands and if those lands do not have classified roads (these are roads that are maintained for long-term highway use and are usually graveled, chip-sealed, or paved) then they will be catalogued as unroaded or roadless. The interim road policy has also redefined all of our legal and designated recreational roads and trails as unclassified roads (roads that are not maintained for long-term highway use). The interim policy also states that the presence of unclassified roads shall not prevent an area from being catalogued as an unroaded or roadless area. Many public campgrounds and other recreation-related infrastructures associated with unclassified roads are now in danger of also being placed in an unroaded or roadless category. The mountain bikers, campers, hunters, fishermen, off-highway vehicle users, snowmobiliers, hikers, rockhounders, sport utility vehicle users, and sightseers that are represented by the BlueRibbon Coalition ask you to protect our multiple-use forest lands that have developed recreational opportunities already in place. These opportunities include designated recreational roads and trails, Level 2 forest roads, developed and/or dispersed campgrounds, staging areas, and parking facilities. Thanks for your time and interest in this all too important matter. Sincerely, /s/ DON AMADOR Don Amador |