The National Environmental Trust will host a telephone press conference where Gov. Bill Richardson will announce his petition for complete protection of roadless national forests in New Mexico, making him the first western governor to petition the Bush administration for roadless area protection under a new rule established last year. New polling shows that New Mexicans strongly support Gov. Richardson’s efforts to protect roadless areas.
Gov. Richardson’s petition seeks to protect nearly 1.7 million acres of roadless areas in New Mexico. Included in the petition is a 100,000 acre area known as Valle Vidal in the Carson National Forest, which was added to the National Forest System after the original roadless inventories were conducted.
