The Roadless Rule Is Under Threat: What It Means for North Carolina with Carla Fox, The Conservation Alliance

When you think about conservation, it's really easy for us to think about lines on a map.

Um, but what do you really wish that people understood about that connection between these landscapes and the communities that, that all surround them?

I, I love that question.

It- it- everything is connected.

So whether you're thinking about this from a human perspective, uh, like we were talking about the outdoor economy, yes, there is potentially an, um, um, an argument from the administration to say that this is for, uh, increasing timber production.

This is good, uh, for the economy.

Well, there's a 1.3 trillion outdoor economy that's sustainable over time.

It's, it's not dependent on a nonrenewable resource or, or a scarce resource, uh, that's an old-growth forest in a roadless area, that is, is dependent on these places being intact.

So th- th- there, those connections are real, and the local communities, the small businesses that depend on people visiting these areas is, is real.

Um, and, and that's not even including the ecosystem connections, so that, that is countless.

I mean, e- everybody talks about the butterfly effect and, and I, I, I, I truly personally feel that w- we as humans don't even understand the, the true level of intricacies of, of the ecosystem connections.

And so we, we can often underestimate the implications of doing something that upsets that balance of landscape.

That is so well said, and I think that it's never so, [clears throat] excuse me, evident as when you do spend more time in the outdoors or see new places, and then you see new species of the animals and insects and by, you know, flora.

It, it's just it's, it's amazing to me that, you know, I, I, I was recently at a place that's recently been conserved.

It's about 7,600 acres of land, and there are things that I have never seen before in my life, like ever.

And they only grew right there in that particular area.

And so exponentially look at that in a bigger scope, and there's so much out there that we just don't know.

Mm-hmm.

And, you know, I, I don't know what's in th- that I just rambled, but [laughs] that-

No, you're right

... what you just said made it personal for me.

And, and that's what it is personal, so everyone has a different experience of being in these places.

And they, e- each, each one of these roadless areas and the forests that they include have a, have a particular meaning for an individual or a community, um, that is so unique.

And, and that's something that is one of the reasons why we have America's public lands.

That's what makes America unique.

When you think about conservation, it's really easy for us to think about lines on a map.

Um, but what do you really wish that people understood about that connection between these landscapes and the communities that, that all surround them?

I, I love that question.

It- it- everything is connected.

So whether you're thinking about this from a human perspective, uh, like we were talking about the outdoor economy, yes, there is potentially an, um, um, an argument from the administration to say that this is for, uh, increasing timber production.

This is good, uh, for the economy.

Well, there's a 1.3 trillion outdoor economy that's sustainable over time.

It's, it's not dependent on a nonrenewable resource or, or a scarce resource, uh, that's an old-growth forest in a roadless area, that is, is dependent on these places being intact.

So th- th- there, those connections are real, and the local communities, the small businesses that depend on people visiting these areas is, is real.

Um, and, and that's not even including the ecosystem connections, so that, that is countless.

I mean, e- everybody talks about the butterfly effect and, and I, I, I, I truly personally feel that w- we as humans don't even understand the, the true level of intricacies of, of the ecosystem connections.

And so we, we can often underestimate the implications of doing something that upsets that balance of landscape.

That is so well said, and I think that it's never so, [clears throat] excuse me, evident as when you do spend more time in the outdoors or see new places, and then you see new species of the animals and insects and by, you know, flora.

It, it's just it's, it's amazing to me that, you know, I, I, I was recently at a place that's recently been conserved.

It's about 7,600 acres of land, and there are things that I have never seen before in my life, like ever.

And they only grew right there in that particular area.

And so exponentially look at that in a bigger scope, and there's so much out there that we just don't know.

Mm-hmm.

And, you know, I, I don't know what's in th- that I just rambled, but [laughs] that-

No, you're right

... what you just said made it personal for me.

And, and that's what it is personal, so everyone has a different experience of being in these places.

And they, e- each, each one of these roadless areas and the forests that they include have a, have a particular meaning for an individual or a community, um, that is so unique.

And, and that's something that is one of the reasons why we have America's public lands.

That's what makes America unique.