Calling himself a rancher, "but an environmentalist by deed and heart," Peter Salant of the Applegate pushed his cowboy hat back on his brow and dutifully filled out his roadless area comment form for the governor, observing, "What people want is way in favor of conserving wilderness areas and the federal government is trying to do what most people are against."

It was like a church social without the Jell-O. People milled in the Medford City Hall council chamber, thought about their answers for Gov. Ted Kulongoski's "comment form," and seemed kind of glad they didn't have to sit through a slide show and listen to data they'd already heard.

"He made it very efficient for us. I don't need to listen to hours of testimony," said Joan Kalvelage, an Ashland forest activist. "He's going to get nuanced input this way."

In no-host forums around the state, Kulongoski is asking for Oregonians' comments about what they value about roadless areas. Hiking? Hunting? Views? Needs of future generations? Logging? Jobs? Clean water?

He questions what management practices are appropriate for roadless areas, such as fuel reduction, thinning, logging, post-fire salvage and restoration, habitat enhancement. And he asks if people actually go to such preserves.

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After doing their civic duty, people enjoyed the casual visiting that went on — and some complained to an aide about the chief executive not attending. Some even stomped out, fuming.

Most, however, appreciated the de-politicized approach to gathering information, which governors need in order to respond to President Bush's repeal of the President Clinton's 2001 Roadless Conservation Rule, which banned timber cutting and road construction in roadless areas — which cover 31 percent of National Forest land.

Governors have 18 months to propose regulations for such areas or they will revert to normal National Forest regulations, wrote Kulongoski in his "concept paper."

"I'm totally opposed to opening any roadless area to logging, because we need them for future generations, for wildlife, for recreation — and just to have wilderness left," said Hope Robertson of Jacksonville. "I'm thrilled the governor is opposing what Bush has done. It's a terrific forum and all views are getting in. It's a shame some people make it about economy vs. wilderness. It's not."

Eden Luz of the Applegate said, "It's disappointing the governor isn't here because he's taking a stand to protect our national treasure and we want to support him. As for roads, we already have plenty of places with roads."

Especially problematic after the Biscuit fire, said Salant, is that "if you allow logging in roadless areas, then the federal government, which failed to put Biscuit out, now has incentives to continue not putting fires out." Salant added, "I'm all for thinning, fuel reduction, logging small diameter trees and getting rid of dead trees, but in some parts of the forest, roadless areas need to be protected. The governor is a bulwark against the federal government and what the Bush administration is trying to do."

In a rare dissenting voice, Jennifer Phillippi, a member of the family that owns Rough and Ready Lumber Co. in Cave Junction, said roadless rules have dried up timber supply for their mill, forced them to truck logs from California and even made scenic and camping attractions too far from roads for anyone to use.

"The Northwest Timber Plan (in 1994) has been real tough for us," said Phillippi. "The federal forests shut down around us. We've gotten way out of balance, what with all these cries, 'the last of this' and 'the last of that.' "

With a quarter million people living from Ashland to Grants Pass, roadless areas are not just a space and habitat issue for salmon, elk and deer, but a quality of life requirement for humans, said Mike Beagle, field coordinator for Trout Unlimited in Medford, speaking to a press gathering outside City Hall before the forum.

"Even if they don't go in the back country, the angler and hunter will benefit by roadless areas. We're not for closing roads, but just not building any more," said Beagle.

Pete Wallstrom, owner of Momentum River Expeditions in Ashland, said "there are such a small percentage of roadless areas left and Bush is lifting the ban on (building) roads, then putting the responsibility on governors to block it or not."

There are almost 2 million acres of inventoried roadless areas in Oregon's national forests, including 368,000 acres in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. The inventoried roadless areas are in blocks of more than 5,000 acres.

Comments on roadless areas may be sent to the governor at www.governor.oregon.gov/Gov/GNRO/oregon_forests.shtml

John Darling is a freelance writer living in Ashland. E-mail him at jdarling@jeffnet.org.