(October 7, 2026) – The Conservation Alliance delivered a letter to the USDA yesterday to advocate for the retention of the Roadless Rule. The letter, signed by 113 businesses, was submitted at the close of the comment period addressing the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), which proposes a full repeal of the Roadless Rule. Rescinding the rule would open approximately 45 million acres of national forest lands to road construction and reconstruction, logging, mining, and other industrial development, threatening backcountry outdoor recreation opportunities, gateway communities, fish and wildlife habitat, and the outdoor economy.
Brands that signed the letter are headquartered in 27 states and include companies from the outdoor, hunting/fishing, food/beverage, media/marketing, photography, and lifestyle industries. Businesses were organized by The Conservation Alliance, which leads Brands for Public Lands, a coalition of businesses strategically focused on building a collective defense against the significant, current threats to our public lands system.
There is a strong business case for preserving this renowned conservation tool. Inventoried Roadless Areas provide significant economic value through recreation, anchoring the $1.3 trillion national outdoor recreation economy that supports 5.2 million American jobs. According to the letter, “National Forest System lands alone draw an estimated 159 million visits annually, generating substantial economic activity and employment for the rural and gateway communities surrounding them. Opening these lands to road construction, reconstruction, industrial-scale logging, and other extraction risks disrupting income streams from recreation and tourism that gateway communities and businesses depend on and have built their operations around.”
“The Roadless Rule has protected nearly 60 million acres for over 25 years – keeping forests intact and wild – protections that have translated into incredible value for businesses across the country,” said The Conservation Alliance Executive Director, Paul Hendricks. “The economic argument for repealing the Roadless Rule simply doesn’t add up. The long-term loss of recreation economic value for local businesses far outweighs the short-term profits for extractive industries. The wave of corporate support during the DEIS comment period has shown that the success of American businesses depends on well-managed and protected forests.”
“From protecting clean watersheds and critical wildlife habitat to supporting outdoor recreation and the economies that depend on it, Oboz is directly affected by healthy roadless areas. Anything that could spoil the majesty of our local Bozeman ranges like the Bridgers or the Crazies (or 6 million acres across Montana, for that matter) demands our attention.” – Amy Beck, Oboz President
“As a family-owned outdoor retailer, our business exists because our employees and customers have access to wild, undeveloped public lands — and the up to 45 million acres of inventoried roadless areas at stake are among the most intact backcountry landscapes we have left. These lands directly support the hiking, hunting, fishing, mountain biking, and camping experiences our business outfits people for. Rescinding the Roadless Rule risks road construction, reconstruction, and industrial-scale logging across these areas, fragmenting habitat, degrading water quality, and eliminating the undisturbed backcountry experience our customers seek.” – Lisa Lamberson, Mountain Sports Flagstaff Owner
“We strongly oppose the repeal of the Roadless Rule. This short-sighted action would have grave and irreparable consequences for our public lands, the outdoor and recreation industries, and the attractiveness of places like Utah to live and work. It’s a direct threat to the financial health and viability of companies like ours whose consumer base depends on access to public lands.” – Neil Fiske, Black Diamond Equipment President
“Osprey supports maintaining the Roadless Rule because roadless public lands protect the wild landscapes that inspire our products, our employees, and our customers. These places provide irreplaceable opportunities for recreation, conservation, and connection to the outdoors.” – Rob BonDurant, Osprey Packs, VP Marketing
“As a small outdoor brand, protecting these landscapes isn’t separate from our business—it is fundamental to it. Our products are designed to help people recreate responsibly and practice Leave No Trace, and many members of our community have built meaningful relationships with public lands across the country. Rescinding the Roadless Rule would remove a longstanding layer of protection from these landscapes and could allow decisions about future road construction and development to be made without the protections the rule currently provides. For Kula Cloth, that means potentially changing the very wild places that inspire our products, our employees, and our customers. We want future generations to have the opportunity to experience places that still feel wild, intact, and wonderfully bigger than themselves. That is why Kula Cloth supports retaining the Roadless Rule.” – Anastasia Allison, Kula Cloth CEO and Founder
“Some of the best fishing in the country starts where roads end. These wilderness habitats contain some of the last best headwaters for coldwater fish, and once they’re gone, we can’t get them back. We have an obligation as a company to keep these places wild and pass them on to the next generation intact. People come to Montana from all over the world to experience our wild backcountry, and its preservation is not only vital to our business, it’s at the core of our way of life.” – Jim Klug, Yellow Dog Fly Fishing Founder and CEO
About The Conservation Alliance
The Conservation Alliance is the leading business coalition for conservation. Uniting companies across industries, perspectives, and geographies, they harness the collective power of their members to protect lands and waters for future generations. Their dual top-down and bottom-up approach pairs corporate advocacy with funding for grassroots action on the ground. Investing in The Conservation Alliance is not only an investment in protecting the resources businesses depend on—it’s a way to strengthen the outdoor economy, ensure recreational access, and provide long-term business resilience. For complete information about The Conservation Alliance, visit conservationalliance.com.
Media Contact:
Lilly Zoller
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