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Washington, DC, June 29, 2000 -- Economic evidence of the natural values associated with roadless lands in their current condition was brought to light today in a study released by The Wilderness Society (TWS). The report, "Economic Values of Protecting Roadless Areas in the United States," documents values that people who may never visit these roadless areas receive from their continued existence. It emphasizes the need to protect these roadless lands from road construction and logging plans that would alter their existing wild, undeveloped nature and compromise the many sustainable economic opportunities they provide.

Each year, according to the study, roadless areas in our national forests provide Americans with nearly $600 million in outdoor recreation benefits, and 23,705 jobs-as wildland visitors spend about $30 a day in local communities. The study also indicates that roadless wildlands provide some of the cleanest drinking water around--saving taxpayers millions of dollars in water treatment costs.

John B. Loomis, Ph.D., who co-authored the report with Robert Richardson, MBA, said his findings conclude that roadless areas contribute to the economic well being in surrounding communities. Dr. Loomis, professor of Agriculture and Resource Economics at Colorado State University, continued, "naturally functioning ecosystems, such as those found in roadless areas, provide many valuable ecosystem services, including watershed protection, carbon storage, nutrient cycling and fish and wildlife habitat, as well as many forms of recreation."

Pete Morton, Ph.D., resource economist for TWS, encourages communities to see roadless forests as more than lumber. "Communities near wildlands have a golden goose in their backyard. If the goose is protected and its habitat preserved, it will provide enduring economic and ecological benefits," said Morton. He further explained that "roadless lands attract retirees who spend investment income and they attract non-recreation businesses-both help diversify the economies of rural communities."

The report comes at a time when one of the most significant American land protection initiatives in almost a century is underway. After President Clinton's call last October for protection of the last remaining roadless areas in our national forests, the U.S. Forest Service released its Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) on May 9, 2000. Unfortunately, while the DEIS does propose to eliminate new road construction in some roadless areas, logging and other ecologically harmful activities would still be allowed, as would roads in the nation's largest temperate rainforest, Alaska's Tongass National Forest. This ignores the desires of the American people, three out of four of whom, in poll after poll, have responded overwhelmingly in support of Clinton's call for protection. The U.S. Forest Service scheduled over 300 hearings nationwide during the 60-day comment period. The American people have been given an unprecedented opportunity to help determine the fate of our national forests-comments can be submitted through July 17, 2000.

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Editor's Note: The 32-page economic study is available on request by calling The Wilderness Society's Communications Department at (202) 429-2612. The study can also be accessed beginning June 30 via The Wilderness Society's Web.

Founded in January 1935 by Aldo Leopold, Bob Marshall, and six other visionaries, The Wilderness Society is now celebrating its 65th anniversary. The 200,000-member organization works to protect America's wilderness and to develop a nationwide network of wildlands through public education, scientific analysis, and advocacy. Its goal is to ensure that future generations enjoy the clean air and water, beauty, wildlife, and opportunities for recreation and spiritual renewal provided by the nation's pristine forests, rivers, deserts, and mountains.

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