AMERICA'S NATIONAL FORESTS

and other wild lands are national treasures, however, wilderness protection groups and their supporters worry that not enough is being done to preserve these lands in their natural condition. Politics and special interests, they say, continue to allow logging, drilling, mining and road-building in pristine areas that we can never get back.

Industry groups and others insist they are also concerned about preserving wilderness but that things have gone too far. They say that overprotection of wilderness hurts the economy, takes away jobs, causes wild-fires and keeps the public from actually enjoying that which we are protecting.

What do you think?

Celebrating 10-years of the Road less Area Conservation Rule - heralding the environmental, recreational and business impact of a rule that protects nearly 60 million acres of wilderness but still faces a variety of legal challenges.

"In spite of seven years of Bush administration effort, road less areas remain protected in the National Forests of the lower 48 states, but more litigation to remove protection is in progress with the outcome uncertain.

This rule has played a key role in protecting wildlife habitat, preserving clean drinking water, providing recreational opportunities for people, and providing a defense against global warming. The highly popular policy has also kept nearly all the lands free from energy development, mining, logging, and road building.

To read more on both sides of the America's national forest issue, go to http://www.wilderness.org/ or http://www.westernroundtable.com/