Sportsmen fight USDA plan to cut roadless headwaters on Olympic Peninsula public lands with map of at-risk salmon streams, demand permanent protection

For immediate publication September 8, 2025

QUILSIN, WA – September 8, 2025: Today Athletes for the Wild Olympics released a new map with images illustrating the devastating effects development of prime roadless public lands in the Olympic National Forest can have on the headwaters of major fishing rivers and public access on the Olympic Peninsula. The group is calling on Congress to pass the Wild Olympics Act as a proactive solution to permanently protect these lands.

“This map says to Congress and the administration: Protect public lands on the Olympic Peninsula — don’t privatize or develop them,” said Ashley Nicole Lewis, a hunting guide with the Quinault Indian Nation and a member of Sportsmen for Wild Olympics. “It gives our fellow men and women athletes something to fight for, not just against – and it is a lasting solution to the threats we now face.”

This urgency comes as the Trump administration announced an abbreviated comment period ending September 19 on its plans to rescind the roadless rule in order to log and develop sensitive spawning habitat on public lands, a key federal safeguard for remote, undeveloped areas across national forests, including the Olympic National Forest. The new map with photographs highlights and names the critical ancient forest headwaters and salmon streams of the Olympic National Forest that are now threatened by the Trump administration’s plan to lift protections for these remote public lands that Olympic Peninsula athletes value for the clean water, critical habitat and access they provide.

What is the rule without a path?

The Road Rule, established in 2001, protects more than 59 million acres nationwide of the last remaining undeveloped areas of national forests from new road construction and logging. These “roadless” areas are often rugged, backcountry landscapes that provide critical habitat for fish and wildlife, protect water quality, and provide remote hunting and fishing opportunities. Removing these protections opens the door to industrial development on some of the country’s remaining intact forest land.

“Repealing the on-the-road rule is another attempt to hand over our essential public resources to special interests — at the expense of salmon, clean water, and future generations,” Lewis said.

The coalition — which includes thousands of local and regional hunters and anglers, and more than 30 leading sporting organizations — has already punched far above its weight earlier this year as it played a major role in the national backlash opposing unprecedented threats to public lands coming from both Congress and the administration. Lewis says these threats highlight why the group supports the Wilderness, Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, which was recently reintroduced by Sen. Patty Murray and Rep. Emily Randall.

“The various efforts to sell off public lands in Congress and the plan to strip protections from 59 million acres of prime forest headwaters across the country — including the Peninsula — show they will use any tactic to privatize or exploit our public lands,” Lewis said. “This map shows what that would look like. Congress and the White House should reverse course and pass a Wild Olympics to permanently protect these important salmon streams instead.”

The Wild Olympics Act, developed after years of local input, would promote hunting and fishing while permanently protecting some of the best intact salmon spawning habitat remaining in the Lower 48. Most importantly, it will not close existing roads or cost timber jobs. It has broad local support with over 800 local endorsements.

The new map and photos show how the Wild Olympics proposal would protect key areas like the South Quinault Ridge, Moonlight Dome and other ancient forest headwaters and rivers vital to hunting and fishing on the peninsula — areas the administration now plans to open to logging by eliminating the road rule.

(The steep, forested slopes of the roadless Moonlight Dome area form important headwaters for both the East and West Forks of the Humptulip River (see left), one of the top ten fishing rivers in Washington state.)

The map also reveals that 300,000 acres of Olympic National Forest were identified as eligible for sale under various plans by the administration and some members of Congress during earlier drafts of the budget bill passed earlier this year. While the land sale item was removed from the budget, supporters continue to push the idea forward.

Senator Murray bans Mike Lee, throwing down the gauntlet for wild Olympics

Unprecedented threats to public lands recently prompted Senator Murray to throw down the gauntlet to the Wild Olympics in the Senate, declaring It would block any public lands legislative package that comes out of Utah Sen. Mike Lee’s Energy and Natural Resources Committee unless it includes a Wild Olympics bill.

Lewis hopes the map will inspire more hunters and anglers to join the thousands who have already signed their petition.

“The outdoor community is strong. Our hunting and fishing guides are pillars of this community. Let’s use this collective power to ensure that one stroke of the pen can never take away our public lands. Let’s pass the Wild Olympics Act.”

How to fight.

1) Sign on WildOlympics.org/wild-olympics-petition/ To tell Congress that the ancient temperate rainforests of the Wild Olympics are not for sale and to permanently protect the Olympic Peninsula, public lands and rivers from such parodies in the future.

2) Those who can afford it please WildOlympics.org/DONATE To fuel our fight. We helped defeat this four years ago. Help us defeat it again and pass the Wilderness & Scenic Rivers Act to permanently protect ancient forests and salmon streams once and for all.

For more information, including a rotating list of articles from sportsmen’s outlets covering threats to public lands, visit www.SportsmenForWildOlympics.org/threats/

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Testimonials from athletes to Wild Olympics members about the Wildlife Code, Wild Rivers and Landscapes of the Wild Olympics:

Casey Weigel: Western Waters Guide Service, Elma, Washington
“I support the Wild Olympics and Wild Rivers and Landscapes Act because our rivers and salmon are our lifeblood, and without them, businesses like ours, the local jobs they support, and the dollars they bring into our local economy would dry up. The Wild Olympics proposal would simply make the existing safeguards that protect our rivers in the Olympic National Forest permanent. That’s all it does. It doesn’t change access or cost timber jobs. And if it did, I wouldn’t support it, because my family is in the timber industry.”

There are many challenges facing our rivers and our salmon, with much debate and millions of dollars spent trying to help restore clean water and habitat downstream. But one simple, essential piece of groundwork that we can lay now that won’t cost any of us anything is to permanently protect healthy habitat on upstream federal lands against misguided attempts to develop them in the future. That’s why I’m a proud supporter of the Wild Olympics Wild Rivers and Landscapes Act. For our future.”

Olympic Peninsula Fly Fishing Guide, Bob Triggs, Port Townsend.“We must not waste this unique opportunity to preserve and protect the headwaters and watershed forests that are vital to our fish, birds and wildlife here. It is much simpler and less expensive to preserve the wild habitats we have, rather than trying to restore these places later. Some wild places are worth more than the money.”

Aaron O’Leary: Hunter’s Obsession Guide Service, Forex “Supporting the Wild Olympics will help preserve salmon and steelhead fishing on the Olympic Peninsula for generations to come.”

Captain. Dave Drury: Peninsula Sportsmen’s Guide and Outfitting Service, Port Townsend”That’s a good reason to support the headwaters of some truly wild local rivers.

Dave Bailey: Greywolf Fishing Club, Gardiner “People often ask, are these public lands and salmon streams really under threat? Unfortunately, the answer is yes. There is an unprecedented torrent of attacks on our Andean public lands and running waters right now, and full legal safeguards in the Wild Olympics Act are the only way to permanently protect salmon streams for our future.”

Roy Morris: Able Guide Service, Sekio “The Wild Olympics will protect and enhance hunting, fishing and athletes’ access for our future without closing any roads.”

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Member athletes of the Wild Olympics include:

Waters West Guide Service (Montsano)

Bad outdoor ash (tahula)

Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association

Northwest Hunters and Guides Association

Washington Wildlife Federation,

Isaac Walton League (Seattle Grand Branch) Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, (Washington Branch)

Northwest Steelheaders Association,

Gray Wolf Fly Fishing Club (Sequim)

Sage fly rods

Doug Rose fly fishing (at family request)

Bad Ash Hunting (Tahula)

Washington Trout Council Unlimited

Little Stone Fly Fisher (Port Townsend)

Johnson Manual Service (Sequim)

Olympic Peninsula Skagit (Forks) Tactics

Qadir Guide Service (Sico)

Mike Z Service Manual (Forks)

Brazda fly fishing

Hunter’s Mania (Thistle)

Naval pursuits

Peninsula Sportsman’s Guide and Outfitting Service (Port Townsend)

Waters West Fly Fishing Company (Port Angeles)

Wild Steelhead Alliance

Fish appendages (thistles)

Capable Guide Service (Sekiu)

LimbSaver

Women are first on the fly

Western Fishers International Council

Puget Sound Fly Fishers

The coastal alliance thug