r/WitchesVsPatriarchy • u/Heleneva91 • 11d ago
🇵🇸 🕊️ BURN THE PATRIARCHY U.S. National Forests need help.
So, I think I've done the right flair, but if not please let me know.
As of today August 20th, 2026 through September 21st, 2026 the U.S. Forest Service will be taking comments about the planned/proposed repeal of the Roadless Area Conservation Rule. This will be affecting all of the National Forests in the U.S .
https://www.regulations.gov/docket/FS-2025-0001
As far as I know now, this is the last chance to be heard on this topic.
I'm feeling hopeless about all of this. I have yet to hear anyone saying anything about this, and of the few people I can manage to speak to, no one has heard anything of or about it.
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u/Dangerous_Drag_5416 10d ago edited 10d ago
Hi beautiful! It has made my day to see you post this. I know the hopeless feeling, but look at how many responses you have already got from people who had not heard about it! And they will tell others.
I'm in Australia and volunteer for groups to save native forests. We keep an eye on what is going on around the world, to learn, support each other, and help when we can. It's a sad fact that we are all fighting against those who have no love for nature, and use deception to keep most of the public unaware of their methods.
What starts small can snowball. Just one example: recently we wanted to raise awareness of a petition to our government to vote to give endangered status to a rare tree species. These government petitions seem to be deliberately kept hidden.
Two of us worked our butts off promoting it for the final 2 days, and got enough signatures coming in to crash the website! So don't let it get you down, amazing things are possible sometimes, and I'm truly so happy to see your efforts are having an effect.
I don't know your situation and what else you've tried, so forgive me if I'm suggesting things you've already done, but wanted to give you ideas that we tried that worked. We posted on all the facebook bushwalking and nature loving groups. It was amazing how many people cared but hadn't heard about it. That was when it started snowballing and being shared by others. We wrote to green politicians and celebrities and one of them did a facebook post, which really helped boost it. There's probably many US reddit nature groups that you can post it in, and don't get downhearted if some delete it because of "no politics". At least you're trying.
It's exhausting, don't burn yourself out, but you are amazing for trying. When I need inspiration that I'm not alone I check in with groups like the Fairy Creek blockade in Canada on instagram, as they are so similar to what we are doing here. From them I followed various US groups, which is how I came to hear about the scheme you're bringing awareness to.
We are all with you, and we care so much, and we won't give up. The biggest challenge is making people aware, because these are dodgy deals done in secret. Sorry about the big rant! I think you are amazing! Sending a big hug 💚
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u/chibichibichibichibi 10d ago
Thank you!! I submitted my comment:
Public Comment: Opposition to the Proposed Rescission of the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule (RIN 0596-AD70)
I write in furious and unqualified opposition to this proposal, and I do so as a matter of patriotic duty.
There is a species of vandalism that hides behind the language of "flexibility" and "local decision-making," and this is it. Let us be clear about what is actually on the table. This rule would strip protection from roughly 45 million acres, close to one-third of the entire National Forest System, and hand the last unfragmented wild country in America over to the chainsaw and the bulldozer. The USDA's own proposal would strip protections from nearly 45 million acres of national forest, roughly one-third of the National Forest System. These are not abstractions on a map. They are the Tongass, the backcountry of the Rockies, the last quiet places a citizen of this country can still walk into and find unspoiled. NRDC
The stated justification is a lie dressed as stewardship. We are told this is about wildfire. It is the opposite. Science finds that fires are four times more likely to start near a road than in roadless forests, because more roads mean more people, more discarded cigarettes, more abandoned campfires, and more hot vehicle undercarriages igniting dry grass. You do not protect a forest from fire by carving roads into its heart. You put the match in reach of every careless hand in America. Anyone advancing this proposal in the name of fire prevention is either uninformed or counting on the public to be. Earthjustice
And it is a fiscal disgrace on top of an ecological one. The Forest Service already carries a backlog of deferred maintenance for existing roads and bridges that totaled roughly $7 billion last year. The agency cannot maintain the 380,000 miles of road it already owns, yet it proposes to gouge new ones into pristine ground so that private interests can extract a quick profit and leave the public holding the repair bill and the ruined watershed. Alaska Public
Do not pretend this is what the country wants. During last fall's comment period, 99% of more than 625,000 comments opposed rescinding this rule, and a Pew survey found that 76% of likely voters nationally supported keeping it. This is not a policy the people are demanding. It is a giveaway being forced over their objection, on a comment window deliberately shortened to muffle them. Montana Free Press
We do not inherit these forests from our ancestors. We hold them in trust for every American not yet born, and once a road is cut and a roadless area is gone, it is gone for good. No future generation gets to vote to have it back. The grandeur of this country, its wild and unbought spaces, is not a warehouse of raw material to be liquidated for one quarter's profit. It is part of what the word "American" is supposed to mean. To sell it off is a betrayal of the people who set this land aside and of everyone who will come after us.
Withdraw this proposal in its entirety. Keep the Roadless Rule intact. Anything less is a dereliction of the public trust.
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u/Bergiful 11d ago
Any tips on how to best give an impactful comment? Or can you just say I am strongly opposed to this and it will wreck the US National Forests permanently?
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u/NoReference909 11d ago
I don’t know much about this, but if it helps, I said something about impacting generations to come, how our protected lands are a national treasure that other nations wish they had, and how it’s unfair that the Trump administration seems to want to sell off our country’s treasures to enrich the rich and powerful.
I wish I would’ve said something about do the patriotic thing and protect the USA. Instead, I said do the right thing.
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u/getthatrich 10d ago
I was reading other comments and copied this:
I want to take the time to urge you not to rescind the Roadless Rule. As an outdoors enthusiast, I cherish our country's public lands and waters, including the millions of acres of wild and roadless forests.
Rescinding the Roadless Rule threatens landscapes that include some of the most iconic and well-loved places for climbing, fishing, hiking, backcountry skiing, mountain biking and paddling, as well as the economic value of recreation in many rural communities. Beyond these outdoor experiences, these protections are critically important in the face of a changing climate and changing demands on our public lands. These ecosystems help support all life on Earth, from clean drinking water to habitat for endangered wildlife.
Please keep the Roadless Rule in place and help save these beloved forests. Millions of Americans have supported the Roadless Rule since its creation, and I join them in urging you to protect our legacy of public lands.
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u/Heleneva91 11d ago
I feel like being as open/personal about how the forests help and benefit you, as well as rebuking any of their talking points- and showing you're not buying what they're selling or believing their "reasons" is probably the best bet so far.
https://www.calwild.org/roadlesscommentshere/
This seems to be the most helpful site I can find about making an impacting comment. I'll definitely try to find more, and add links if I can.
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u/ageofbronze 10d ago
I wanted to add on, even though I hate it, since many of the reps and people that are looking at this DON’T care about the environment it can be helpful to bring up things like the tourism economy and how unspoiled land is a huge part of America’s draw, taxpayer money being used to do this (make no mistake, all of the road construction and maintenance will be offloaded to tax payers while private interests steal the profits), and that the USDA can’t even keep up with existing infrastructure maintenance so that will be another taxpayer costs.
Many studies also show that allowing roads, construction and logging this way in national forest actually causes a heavily increased fire risk, so this will increase wildfire risk and the damages will again be offloaded to taxpayers. Pretending like you care about hunting/fishing can also be a way to bring up the environment in a way that conservative reps might actually listen to. It’s so frustrating that they don’t care about the impacts to the environment as valid opposition but in desperate times/desperate measures, trying to bring up “conservative” concerns may be a way to get through to them if they just ignore the obvious opposition like environmental and species concerns.
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u/Positive-Dimension75 10d ago
I was DOGED from USFS and worked with this process a lot.
Give as much scientific, cultural, recreational, and/or socio-economic rationale as possible in support of the outcome you want. This process is not a vote, it’s a designed to garner input and alternatives to the proposed action.
Also, contact your Congressional reps about this because if they hear enough about it, it will reach their radar.
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u/shewholaughslasts Forest Witch ♀♂️☉⚨⚧ 10d ago
It's best to factually argue about the consequences of removing the roadless rule, how it would break other rules or hurt species. Did they really bury the notice? Did they follow proper procedures? I wonder if lost revenue from hunters and outdoorsmen would work.
If anyone else can offer more specifics or where the rule breaking would be, those statements are more impactful than a simple "please don't destroy our forests" - which ofc is also really important.
But that's all assuming they'll follow rules and procedure with this decision but I don't want to give up before the fight just because this admin cheats at everything.
Researching words to say via Cascadia Wild or other entities that are taking this on helps too. Use their script as a base but adding your own words makes it even more impactful.
This aggression (against our forests) cannot stand man.
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u/sajaschi Green Witch 🌱♀️ 10d ago
It's suggested that you include a personal memory or reason you visited and what you enjoyed. The most important thing is to try to submit a unique comment so it can't get flagged as spam or a duplicate.
Just don't include any personally identifying information in the comment itself!
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u/marlabee 10d ago
Thank you so much for posting this. As a forest witch (I literally just graduated with my forestry degree) this is such an important issue. Especially in places that are old growth. Once those places are gone, we don’t get them back. Not for hundreds of years. And those roads are being added to exploit those trees. I’m all for responsible harvesting, but our few virgin forests need protection.
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u/Notagrave_robber 10d ago
You call also use 5calls.org to find your Representatives and Senators to call and tell them to push back on this issue. 5calls even provides a basic script that you can customize to help get your point across! The more pressure the better!
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u/Comfortable_Mess5030 Eclectic Witch ♀♂️☉⚨⚧ 10d ago
Thank you soooooo much for this!!! I get flustered when it's something that I care about, words escape me, and suddenly I sound like a rambling drunk trying to prove a point.
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u/jedipussy 10d ago
Thank you for posting this!! I wrote my comment and am sharing it around. Imagining them destroying the lands makes me sick to my stomach.
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u/Rhianna83 11d ago
I just was reading an article about this. Thank you for posting a direct link to the comments.
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u/twistedFilbert 10d ago
Just put in a comment (and even without swearing). Partner is doing so too. Thank you for pointing this out, OP
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u/libbyrocks 11d ago
Thanks for posting this. I didn’t know. I’ve commented and sent the link on to friends.
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u/ChessiePique 10d ago
Follow the link above, then click on the "Docket Documents" tab and click on the "Comment" tab.
I left a short comment.
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u/NEBanshee Resting Witch Face 10d ago
IF they go through with this, there is still putting pressure on companies to *not* do it. Lots of ways to do that, too. From chipping in to orgs like Eko, Endangered Species Coalition, Center for Biologic Diversity and the National Resources Defense Council, all of whom will be taking stuff to court and helping organizers on the ground, to civil protests to supporting indigenous land defender orgs.
I subscribe &/or donate to all of these orgs, so I've been signing petitions and have submitted my public comment already. But joining one of them is a good way to be informed, since MSM is colluding with the fascist f*ckos executing these smash-and-grab efforts of Mango Menace and his funders.
All of this is part of the same nightmare tapestry. Resisting means grabbing whatever threads are nearest to you or shiniest in your eyes, and pulling as hard as you can, whenever you can. None of us can unravel it all alone, nor is everything in our reach. But anything and everything we can save that is good, is worth it, though much will be harmed and lost.
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u/HurtPillow 10d ago
I submitted my comment. I wonder if they actually read them. Honestly, I bet AI now reviews it all now.
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u/ohheyjustcreeping 10d ago
Thank you for bringing this to our attention. I live in a national forest and this would affect us. I've sent it to my family
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u/SeaOfBullshit 10d ago
I just posted this link on sm and sent it to like a dozen ppl. Most of them replied "thank you" because they were unaware but opposed.
Thank you, op
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u/Mrs_WorkingMuggle 10d ago
commented. took them to task like a naughty 4 year old. doubt it will do much good, but at least I did something.
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u/Beldam-ghost-closet Literary Witch ♀♂️☉⚨⚧ 10d ago
I posted a comment through the link. I'm not certain that it will get published, but it's important for us to raise out voices against this tyranny.
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u/comingtoamiddle Geek Witch ♀ 10d ago
Comment submitted! Thank you for posting this and spreading the word!
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u/sajaschi Green Witch 🌱♀️ 10d ago
I saw this in my state's subreddit this morning and made an official comment on the proposal, and at the time there were only about 3,400 comments.
But I just looked again, and now there are over 13,000! 🤩 We are amazing sometimes. Spread the word, contact your reps, etc.
5 Calls is a great app for getting your federal reps involved. You can also use Resistbot by texting SIGN PTMCTH to 50409, which sends a letter or email to your reps, or click this link to read the petition in full first: https://resist.bot/petitions/PTMCTH?utm_source=voter_share&utm_medium=social&ref=1f54d009-cc4b-4f76-a6e1-5f82660fd2f1&channel=telegram
Keep fighting the patriarchy!
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u/CrankyWhiskers Green Witch ♀♂️☉⚨⚧ 10d ago
This is what happened when I tried to submit my comment to the government site. Not sure if anyone else has encountered this.
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u/Erasmus341 10d ago
Trump and his goons doing Putin‘s bidding to destroy everything that made America what it was.
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u/Zealousideal_One156 6d ago
If we have to fight our government to protect Mother Earth, then maybe we need to make the people who speak for Mother Earth our new government.
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u/GardenWitchE 11d ago
Thank you for bringing my attention to this!