Los Padres ForestWatch and regional partners invite the community to learn what proposed changes to the Roadless Rule could mean for public lands across California’s Central Coast.

Community members, conservation advocates, and outdoor organizations will gather in Santa Barbara for a public town hall focused on proposed federal changes to the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 10 at Toad&Co. Courtyard, 2020 Alameda Padre Serra, Santa Barbara.

This is one of the nation’s most significant protections for backcountry public lands, according to Los Padres ForestWatch, which is hosting the event in partnership with Sierra Club, CalWild, Latino Outdoors, The Wilderness Society, and Keep the Sespe Wild.

The event is part of a broader series of community meetings being held on the Central Coast.

For 25 years, the Roadless Rule has protected millions of acres of national forest lands from new road construction, large-scale logging, and mining, Los Padres ForestWatch said.

The rule currently safeguards more than 635,000 acres within and surrounding Los Padres National Forest, helping preserve wildlife habitat, clean drinking water, and recreation opportunities throughout the region.

The Trump administration is proposing to roll back those protections while dramatically limiting public participation in the process, according to ForestWatch.

Organizers say the U.S. Forest Service is expected to open a short public comment period — potentially as brief as 15 or 30 days — without holding a single public hearing.

“This is one of the most important forest conservation protections in the country,” said Jeff Kuyper, Los Padres ForestWatch executive director.

“The Roadless Rule exists because millions of Americans demanded protections for backcountry forests. The public deserves transparency, public hearings, and a meaningful opportunity to participate,” he said.

First adopted in 2001 following more than 600 public hearings and 1.6 million public comments — the largest public response to a federal rule in U.S. history at the time — the Roadless Rule continues to receive broad bipartisan support, ForestWatch said.

A 2019 national poll found 75 percent of Americans supported maintaining Roadless Rule protections.

Organizers emphasize the rule does not prevent public access. Despite the name, roadless areas already contain existing roads and recreation infrastructure, including 349 miles of designated roads and motorized and non-motorized trails within Los Padres National Forest alone.

“This isn’t about closing forests to the public,” said Ben Pitterle, director of advocacy and field operations at Los PadresForestWatch. “The Roadless Rule simply prevents new permanent roads and the most intensive forms of logging in some of our most intact backcountry landscapes.

“Recreation, trail access, and wildfire mitigation projects are already happening in these areas.”

Advocates also note the growing maintenance backlog on existing forest infrastructure. In 2024, the Forest Service reported a nationwide road maintenance backlog exceeding $5.6 billion.

“The issue isn’t a lack of roads,” Pitterle said. “It’s that we’re struggling to maintain the roads and trails we already have.”

The Santa Barbara town hall is one of four regional events organized to raise awareness ahead of the anticipated public comment period. Meetings already have taken place in Ojai and Ventura, with an additional town hall scheduled for June 24 in San Luis Obispo.

Attendees will hear from conservation advocates and organizers about what the proposed rollback could mean for forests, wildlife, watersheds, and recreation access across the Central Coast, as well as ways community members can engage once the public comment process begins. Spanish translation will be provided.

Learn more at https://forestwatch.org/event/santa-barbara-roadless-town-hall/.