Research Aid
Wyoming Roadless Areas Survey
Sources & Background
These links are provided for voters who want to review the source material. Source review is optional and is not required to answer the survey. The questions are intended to measure opinion, not persuade.
Research aid — not a legal opinion
This page is a research aid for Wyoming voters. It pairs claims made in the survey context with their primary sources. Links go to official federal sources, enrolled legislation, and Wyoming public-interest organizations. Do not treat this page as legal advice, policy advocacy, or a complete account of any ongoing proceeding. Use the sources to form your own view.
Why this survey was created
Wyoming has more than 3 million acres of inventoried roadless areas on National Forest System lands. A current federal rulemaking process is considering rescission of the 2001 Roadless Rule, and H.R. 7695 would make the 2001 rule have no force or effect while requiring certain permanent and temporary roads where deemed necessary. This creates a timely Wyoming question: what standards should guide our voice before decisions are made?
Short neutral background
The 2001 Roadless Rule generally limited new road construction, road reconstruction, and timber harvest in inventoried roadless areas, with limited exceptions.
USDA and the Forest Service argue that rescission would return more decision-making to local land managers and improve flexibility for wildfire risk, forest health, timber work, and rural economies.
Conservation and recreation groups argue that roadless protections help protect water, wildlife habitat, backcountry hunting and fishing, recreation, solitude, and long-term public-land inheritance.
The survey asks Wyoming voters to weigh these values and choose standards for decision-making.
Key distinctions
- Inventoried roadless area is not the same as congressionally designated Wilderness.
- A temporary road is intended for a limited project or emergency purpose; a permanent road remains for long-term use.
- Rule changes do not automatically approve every project. Project-level review, forest plans, laws, and public process can still matter.
- The public question is not only protection versus development. It is also about water, fire, access, wildlife, costs, accountability, and local judgment.
Claims and source support
Official sources
Official overview of the 2001 Roadless Rule, current rulemaking status, and GIS/map resources.
Official notice of intent, public-comment timeline, purpose, proposed action, and issues for review.
Official state acreage summaries and map links, including Wyoming.
Printable map showing Wyoming inventoried roadless areas on National Forest System lands.
Bill text addressing nullification of the 2001 rule and required road construction language.
Wyoming and public-interest sources
The following sources represent a range of perspectives. Inclusion here does not constitute endorsement by Skovgard for Senate.
Includes a roadless areas interactive map and conservation-focused explanation.
Protection-focused Wyoming discussion of roadless-area values and concerns.
Protection-focused regional discussion of roadless lands in the Greater Yellowstone area.
Access and management-flexibility focused discussion supporting rescission.
Legal-process overview of rescission, NEPA, consultation, public comment, and litigation risk.
Questions to consider while reading
- Which areas are Wilderness, which are inventoried roadless areas, and which are other public lands?
- Which proposed actions would use temporary roads, and which would create permanent roads?
- What water, wildlife, fire, access, and cost information should be published before a decision?
- How should Wyoming voices be gathered, reported, and compared with future decisions?
Notes for responsible use
- The rulemaking process involves ongoing agency action, public comment, and potential litigation. Check official sources for current status before citing.
- H.R. 7695 is federal legislation introduced in the 119th Congress. Its current status should be verified against official congressional records before citing as passed or enacted.
- Distinguish between what the rule says, what agencies claim about the rule, and what courts have held. These are not always the same.
- Results from this survey represent participating voters only. They are not a scientific sample of Wyoming public opinion.
Ready to take the survey or share it with Wyoming neighbors?