ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Two rallies are planned in Western North Carolina next week as conservation groups urge the public to speak out against a federal proposal to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule.
The first rally is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 14, in Boone. A second will be held Wednesday, Sept. 16, at Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa.
The Swannanoa rally is scheduled for 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Kittridge Theater at Warren Wilson College, 114 Upper College Road. It is being organized by the North Carolina Sierra Club, MountainTrue and The Wilderness Society.
Organizers say the event will give residents a chance to learn more about the proposed rollback, connect with local experts and prepare comments for the federal rulemaking process.
The Roadless Rule, established in 2001, restricts road construction, road reconstruction and timber harvesting in designated roadless areas of national forests, with limited exceptions. The Forest Service says the rule currently applies to nearly 45 million acres of National Forest System lands nationwide.
In Western North Carolina, conservation groups say the rule protects about 152,000 acres in the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests, including areas around Graveyard Fields, Laurel Mountain, the South Mills River, the Black Mountains, Tusquitee Bald, Cheoah Bald, Overflow Creek, Wilson Creek and Chunky Gal Mountain.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Aug. 18 that a proposed rule and draft environmental impact statement recommending removal of the national Roadless Rule would be published in the Federal Register.
The Forest Service says rescinding the national policy would give individual national forests and grasslands more flexibility to decide how roadless areas are managed, including how to reduce wildfire risk and address forest health based on local conditions.
The agency says the public would still have opportunities to participate in those decisions through forest planning.
Conservation groups opposing the change say removing the rule could allow more road construction and timber harvesting in areas that currently have those protections.
The Lake James Environmental Association’s board adopted a resolution Sept. 8 opposing the proposed rescission. The group said the change could affect nearly 32,000 acres of the Lake James watershed.
The public comment period on the proposed rule and draft environmental impact statement is scheduled to close at 11:59 p.m. Sept. 21.
The Forest Service says comments can be submitted through Regulations.gov using docket number FS-2025-0001.
The groups organizing the Swannanoa rally are encouraging residents to attend before the comment period ends.
A Sierra Club representative said a similar rally held in April drew a large turnout, and organizers expect another strong crowd next week.