Diverse Voices Speak Out on Forest Service Roadless Areas
People from across the spectrum support continued roadless area protection. Below is a sample of supporting voices:
 

"This has much to do not only with how the natural world looks to us, but how we look at ourselves. I think that access to wild places allows individuals not just to recreate, to hike or fish, but to really get free of all the rigid structures in the mind...When I recruit businesses to Denver and Colorado, they want to know about things such as schools and traffic, but they also ask about the mountains, how things are holding up...Once roads go through, we never can go back."
John Hickenlooper, Denver Mayor

“We, as ranchers in Pueblo County, Colorado, would request that no more roads be built in the forests of Colorado. The wildlife need quiet areas; the state and federal forest services are already overwhelmed with work load, under staffed; and more roads will increase erosion and decrease watershed quality.”  
Betsy Brown, 3R Ranch, Beulah, Colorado

“Roadless areas provide the scenic backdrop that my customers come to expect and enjoy when they come to Colorado. Roadless areas are also crucial to protecting healthy watersheds that river outfitters depend on.” 
Bill Dvořák, an outfitter in the Arkansas Valley,

"I lead groups into the backcountry a couple of times a month. These people value the peace and invigoration of a wilderness experience enough to strap on a pack and snowshoes and go after it. We enjoy the forest respectfully, and "leave no trace" of our passing through it. While general access to some portion of the out-of-doors is important, there needs to be a balance. A large and growing segment of Colorado's population appreciate unspoiled areas where nature's sounds and knock-you-over-views are not marred by revving engines or honking horns, and which the wildlife hasn't learned to avoid. Once the unspoiled nature of these areas is gone, we'll never get it back"
Bill Campbell, Sierra Club Outings Leader

“Colorado is one of the top mountain bike venues in the world, and that popularity is directly related to the large number of narrow trails in backcountry settings. Protecting roadless areas will help protect those trails.”  
Chris Herrman, President, Colorado Plateau Mountain Bike Trail Association, Inc.

"Our National Forest roadless areas are where backcountry recreation, such as hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, and mountain biking, is at its best. Without these natural forests, the 3 million Coloradans that enjoy quiet backcountry recreation, as well as the local communities that depend on outdoor recreation for their economic wellbeing, would suffer. Consider that tourism, of which outdoor recreation is a major part, contributes $7 billion annually to Colorado's economy."
Vera Smith, Conservation Director, Colorado Mountain Club