America's remaining roadless forests are some of the last intact wild landscapes in the country. They provide clean drinking water, protect biodiversity, and safeguard the watersheds that countless species—including California's threatened Southwestern Pond Turtle (Actinemys pallida)—depend upon.

Those protections are now at risk.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced plans to rescind the Roadless Rule, a landmark conservation policy that has protected nearly 59 million acres of National Forest from most road construction and commercial logging since 2001. If finalized, the proposal would remove longstanding safeguards for some of America's most ecologically important public lands, opening previously protected forests to new roads, logging, and development.

For the Turtle Conservancy, this proposal strikes at the heart of our conservation mission.

Over the past decade, we have worked to recover one of California's most imperiled reptiles, the Southwestern Pond Turtle. Through field research, and habitat restoration, we are helping rebuild populations throughout Southern California. But successful conservation requires more than protecting turtles—it requires protecting the landscapes they call home.

Many of the streams, wetlands, and watersheds that sustain Southwestern Pond Turtles originate within California's National Forests, including Los Padres, Angeles, Cleveland, and San Bernardino National Forests. These forests provide essential habitat, maintain water quality, reduce erosion, and support the interconnected ecosystems that allow native wildlife to persist.

Roadless areas are especially valuable because they remain largely free from the fragmentation caused by roads and large-scale development. Once roads are built, they permanently alter ecosystems by increasing erosion, introducing invasive species, fragmenting wildlife habitat, and increasing human disturbance. For freshwater turtles that depend on healthy stream systems, protecting entire watersheds—not just individual ponds—is essential.

This is not simply about forests.

It is about protecting the rivers that turtles inhabit, the wetlands that support countless species, and the public lands that provide resilience in the face of drought, wildfire, and climate change.

Take Action

The proposal to rescind the Roadless Rule will undergo a federal rulemaking process, and elected officials are already hearing from constituents. Public engagement can influence how Congress and federal agencies respond.

Call your Members of Congress

Call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121

An operator will connect you with your U.S. Representative or either of your U.S. Senators.

You can also contact them directly:

Find your U.S. Representative:https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative

Find your U.S. Senators:https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm

Sample message

Hello, my name is [Name], and I'm a constituent from [City, State]. I'm calling to ask Senator/Representative [Name] to oppose efforts to rescind the Roadless Rule and protect America's National Forests. Healthy forests protect clean water, wildlife habitat, and species like California's threatened Southwestern Pond Turtle. Please support policies that keep our remaining roadless forests intact. Thank you.

Calls take only a few minutes, but they send a powerful message that Americans value healthy forests, clean water, and the wildlife that depends on them.

For the Southwestern Pond Turtle and countless other native species, protecting habitat remains the most effective form of conservation. Healthy forests protect healthy watersheds. Healthy watersheds protect turtles.