‘Quiet loud nature’: New Mexico opponents of Roadless Rule repeal describe fear of lost solitude

All but five of 594 comments from New Mexico residents oppose the repeal of the Roadless Rule, which protects 1.6 million acres of New Mexico national forests from road construction and logging.

By: Patrick Lohmann

Outlets: Source New Mexico

Published: October 12, 2026

Words: 854

Last Updated: 6 days, 6 hours ago

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Most of the roughly 600 New Mexico residents who weighed in on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s proposal to end the 2001 Roadless Rule said it should remain in place to protect watersheds and wildlife, as well as spare roughly 1.6 million acres of the state’s forestland from extractive industries.

But beyond the policy itself, dozens of them, via a public comment portal on Regulations.gov, offered personal reflections about …

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