Too often, politicians seem unwilling or unable to make the hard decisions needed to protect our diminishing wetlands, forests, and grasslands. Last October, however, President Bill Clinton set in motion a truly momentous land-preservation effort. Atop a hill in George Washington National Forest, in western Virginia, the President announced a plan to protect as many as 60 million acres of roadless national forestland from logging, mining, road building, and other disturbances. The result will be large blocks of undisturbed wildlife habitat that will never be developed.

If carried forward, this initiative will establish an unparalleled conservation legacy for President Clinton. It is the biggest land-conservation action in 20 years, and it should be celebrated by all Americans.

Much of the credit can be laid at the feet of the Heritage Forests Campaign, a project led by the National Audubon Society and supported by the Pew Charitable Trusts. During the past year the campaign has garnered support for preserving roadless areas from more than 250,000 ordinary Americans, 168 members of Congress, more than 300 religious leaders, several hundred economists, biologists and other conservation scientists, and some 600 conservation organizations around the country-a mighty ensemble of forces that has helped move forest protection to a new and exciting level.

Make no mistake, though, winning protection for these lands won't be easy. Already, some timber interests and their congressional allies have labeled the President's proposal illegal and extremist, and they are likely to spare no expense to undermine it.

But they are woefully out of sync with the public. Our polls show that by a margin of four to one, Americans favor exactly this sort of conservation plan. The support cuts across political and demographic lines to include Democrats and Republicans, men and women of all ages, and people from all regions of the country. In addition, the proposal is endorsed by more than 60 leading newspapers.

What does this plan mean for you? It means that Americans will be able to enjoy forest wildlands for generations to come. It means that sources of clean drinking water for more than 60 million Americans will be safeguarded. It means that essential wildlife habitat will remain intact. And it means that tens of millions of Americans will continue to have beautiful wild spaces to enjoy for outdoor recreation.

What can you do to make sure this vision is secured? Tell your friends, family, and political leaders that you support permanently protecting roadless areas in the national forests from logging, mining, and road building. And for more information, visit the Heritage Forests Campaign web site: http://www.ourforests.org/. 

If we don't support our roadless areas now, they could disappear. And once they're gone, they're gone forever.