SHERIDAN -- Today, the Wyoming Chapter of the Sierra Club, Biodiversity Associates, the Wyoming Outdoor Council (WOC) and Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance (JHCA) celebrated President Clinton's announcement of the final decision on the Roadless Initiative that will protect the last unspoiled areas of our National Forests. Protecting these unroaded areas completes the largest forest conservation initiative in generations -- protecting over 58 million acres of wild forests from New Hampshire to California, including over 3 million acres in Wyoming.

"The hundreds of Wyoming citizens who testified at local hearings and called for the protection of places like Rock Creek Roadless Area in the Bighorns, Buffalo Creek Roadless Area in the Medicine Bow, Beartooth Plateau Roadless Area in the Shoshone and Mt. Leidy Highlands in the Bridger Teton National Forests have achieved the greatest land protection victory in a generation," said Liz Howell, Conservation Organizer for the Wyoming Chapter of the Sierra Club.

The final plan is an improvement over previous drafts because it provides real protection to the wild areas of the Tongass National Forest in Alaska, America's last great temperate rainforest. The Forest Service also tightened up a loophole that would have allowed destructive logging in our wild forests under the guise of stewardship.

Today's decision marks the end of a multi-year public process that included more than 600 public meetings and nearly two million official comments—the majority of which strongly supported complete protection without exception.

Jeff Kessler of Biodiversity Associates adds, "Today we congratulate the President for leaving a legacy of wild Wyoming forests for all Americans who love to hike, fish, and recreate responsibly in these areas. Wyoming's imperiled wildlife species like the Grizzly Bear, Canada Lynx and the Pine Marten need these roadless areas protected."

Kelly Matheson, WOC's Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem Program Coordinator notes, "The Roadless Conservation Initiative will neither limit road-based recreation opportunities nor effect public access to our wild places. This rule merely strikes a balance for the numerous users of our forest resources. It allows motorized use and access everywhere that it currently exists while protecting the intrinsic natural characteristics that outfitters, hunters, hikers, horsepackers, skiers, and other recreationalists value most."

"This is a tremendous gift to Wyoming's wildlands and wildlife -- a gift that will grow in value over time as more of our public lands become developed. Only 3 millions acres will be protected which is less than 5% of the entire state -- a small but important part of multiple use," states Franz Camenzind, Executive Director of the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance.