In May, the U.S. Forest Service authorized the use of chainsaws by commercial outfitters and guides for seven months a year for up to three years on 542 miles of trail in about half of the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness in Idaho. The Forest Service made this decision after a year of secret, behind-closed-door negotiations with the Idaho Outfitter and Guides Association with no public comment or environmental review, and little regard for federal laws, including the Wilderness Act. We absolutely do not believe this authorization is legal under the Wilderness Act or the National Environmental Policy Act. Not only does this move go against the mandate of the Wilderness Act prohibiting the use of motorized equipment in Wilderness, it could also set a dangerous precedent for the management of Wilderness across the country. While we weigh our next steps, including possible legal action, one important thing you can do right now is sign this petition opposing the Forest Service authorizing chainsaw use by commercial outfitters and guides in the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness, and elsewhere across the National Wilderness Preservation System, and urging the agency to rescind the authorization. Our goal is 10,000 signatures on the petition, so after you sign it, please share it widely! Wilderness Watch and our partners at Great Old Broads for Wilderness also recently hosted a webinar about “Chainsaws and the Wilderness Act." You can watch the webinar here, and learn more about why this Forest Service action goes beyond chainsaws and represents a significant threat to the National Wilderness Preservation System. Also, for a deeper dive on this issue, please check out our detailed fact sheet and FAQ document. Together we will stop this attack on the Wilderness Act, and ensure that these special landscapes remain wild for generations to come. | 
