One of the last two wild runs of spring Chinook salmon in the Klamath Basin depends on roadless country along the South Fork Trinity River in Six Rivers National Forest. A federal proposal would scrap the rule that keeps that land free of new roads, and the public comment period closes October 6. The Pew Charitable Trusts laid out the stakes in an analysis published Monday, noting that the U.S. Department of Agriculture proposed on August 24 to rescind the Forest Service’s 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which restricts road building and timber harvest on 44.7 million acres of national forest. A final decision is expected in 2027. … The federal analysis found the change is likely to adversely affect 327 threatened and endangered species and 71 critical habitats.

Other endangered species and habitat news:

• San Francisco Chronicle: California, 16 states join forces to try to save the Roadless Rule
• Pew Charitable Trust: Report: U.S. Department of Agriculture proposes eliminating the Roadless Rule
• Grist: Trump is gutting the Endangered Species Act. These 10 species show what’s at stake.
• Outdoor Life: Podcast: The public waters rollback that ‘should be avoided at all costs’