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Central Coast, CA — November 24, 2025 — Los Padres ForestWatch is urging Central Coast residents to speak up in support of the Roadless Area Conservation Act (S. 2042)—legislation that would safeguard long-standing protections for some of the wildest public lands in our region.
On December 2, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will review the bill aimed at providing lasting stability for special designated “roadless areas” in National Forests. The hearing comes at a pivotal moment as the Trump administration moves to roll back these safeguards. The bill is sponsored by Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington. California Senator Alex Padilla, a cosponsor of the bill, serves on the committee.
“Roadless areas are some of the last truly wild places on our public lands,” said Jeff Kuyper, Executive Director of Los Padres ForestWatch. “They protect clean water, shelter wildlife, store carbon, and offer quiet places to recreate and explore. Once we lose them, we can’t get them back—which is why it’s so important for the public to speak up now.”
The Roadless Rule, adopted in 2001, limits new roadbuilding and industrial-scale logging in some of the most undeveloped parts of national forests. It helps keep remote forest areas intact by preventing the creation of new permanent roads and the logging of large mature and old-growth trees. In Los Padres National Forest, the rule protects 37 inventoried roadless areas totaling more than 635,000 acres.
Recent proposals by the Trump administration to repeal the Roadless Rule have prompted strong and coordinated opposition across the Central Coast and throughout the country. The proposal drew over 600,000 public comments nationwide, 99% of which were in opposition to the rollback. Local community groups, conservation organizations, and several city and county officials on the Central Coast also submitted comments urging the federal government to retain the rule.
Conservation groups, including Los Padres ForestWatch, have emphasized that claims linking the repeal of the Roadless Rule to wildfire mitigation are misleading. These groups note that controversial forest thinning projects are already currently allowed in roadless areas, and several such projects have been approved in Los Padres National Forest in recent years. Experts point out that most human-caused wildfires begin near existing roads rather than in remote backcountry, and that removing roadless protections would only increase ignition and decrease community safety.
“The claim that we need to repeal the Roadless Rule to address wildfire is simply not accurate,” said Benjamin Pitterle, Director of Advocacy at Los Padres ForestWatch. “Questionable forest thinning projects already move forward in these areas. The Roadless Rule simply protects the biggest mature and old-growth trees, and those are the trees most resistant to wildfire.”
ForestWatch encourages residents to learn more about local roadless areas and share their perspectives with members of the Senate committee. An interactive map and a link to submit comments in support of the bill are available at forestwatch.org/roadless.
About Los Padres ForestWatch
Los Padres ForestWatch is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that protects wildlife, water, wilderness, and sustainable access throughout Los Padres National Forest and Carrizo Plain National Monument through advocacy, education, and community engagement. Follow ForestWatch on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Bluesky. Learn more at forestwatch.org.
