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| The
Vroom Report The State of Off-Road Vehicles (ORVs) Across America
October 22, 2002 In this edition: Hunting Ethics and Off-Road Vehicles Hunting Ethics and Off-Road Vehicles Many hunters around the nation use off-road vehicles for their hunting needs, however, it has been the opinion of some hunters that the use of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and other off-road vehicles has changed they way many hunters view the sport. Some hunters have expressed the opinion that "an influx of ATV use in hunting is helping to destroy the ethical and cultural values of hunting," and that off-road vehicles are, "diminishing the love and appreciation of wildlife and wild places that comes from hard work and effort, from countless hours of chasing elk and deer through rugged, wild country." Many issues surround off-road vehicle use while hunting and as one hunter put it, hunters are: "high-teching [their] way out of hunting opportunities." Some of the most widely talked about issues are listed below: - What some hunters are saying: "I've had few encounters with off-road vehicles because I generally select areas where they don't go. I go to Wilderness Study Areas or classified Wilderness simply because I prefer to hunt in those areas. Nevertheless, those places are becoming more difficult to come across primarily because public land managers refuse to accept the responsibility to address the issue of ethical hunting and provide ethical hunting environments or circumstances. Allowing people to pursue animals by machinery violates the most basic ethical perception of what hunting is about and has been for at least 100 years" - Jim Posewitz, hunter "I see a shift away from the backcountry horse-and-mule-oriented outfitting and packing and hunting. I see it going to the 4-wheel drive, the snowmobile, the road-hunting type of operation, where they can lease large sections of private land. And I'm not sure that's good. Yes, the elk have moved there; yes, the elk are protected in a lot of respects; but a good fair-chase hunt is done in the wilderness, the backcountry and, of course in my opinion, is done by horse and mule. I don't like to smell gasoline when I'm huntin'. When I'm huntin', I want to smell nothing but pine needles and elk." - Smoke Elser, hunter and outfitter in Montana " Off-road vehicles used inappropriately can change you whole experience in the backcountry. One time we were 50 yards from a herd of elk when a bunch of riders came along. They took the first shots and they chased all of the elk off." - Andy Tuller, hunter Jet Ski Bans to Take Effect In June 2000, the National Park Service recognized significant safety and environmental impacts associated with jet ski use within the entire park system. As the result of a settlement agreement with Bluewater Network, a national organization fighting to protect public lands from off-road vehicle abuse, the Park Service was given over 18 months to complete individual environmental studies to determine if jet skis belong in 21 park units. In April 2002, the Park Service ended jet ski use in 13 parks under the settlement agreement, and five of those parks will end jet ski use altogether. Unfortunately two parks, Cape Lookout (NC) and Gulf Islands National Seashores (FL, MS), that originally announced a full closure to jet ski use under that deadline may continue to allow jet ski use. As for the rest of the parks, the Service eluded to the reentry of jet skis once it completes its regulatory requirements and environmental reviews under the settlement agreement. On November 6, the Park Service will be closing the following seven parks to jet ski use. This means that almost every Park Service unit in the United States will be officially closed to jet ski use for the time being. · Amistad and Lake Meredith National Recreation Areas in
Texas, At Lake Mead National Recreation Area in Nevada, the Park Service has until January 1, 2003 to complete its final regulation. NATIONAL FORESTS Off-Road Vehicle Planning in the White River National Forest The White River National Forest (WRNF) in Colorado has 1163 miles of authorized routes for off-road vehicles, plus an estimated 500 miles of unauthorized, user-created motorized routes. The Forest also touts the highest percentage of non-motorized visitors of any national forest in the state, resulting in significant overall environmental impacts to the forest in addition to highly problematic user conflicts between motorized and non-motorized users. In May 2000, the Forest Service received nearly 15,000 public comments on their Draft Forest Plan that originally called for closing some duplicative, user-created, and/or ecologically damaging routes and trails to off-road vehicle travel. However, the off-road vehicle recommendations in the Forest Plan were so hotly contested, that the Forest Service separated travel planning (off-road vehicle management) from the Forest Plan. Initial public comments on off-road vehicle management (Travel Management Plan) for the WRNF are due by October 31, 2002. The Travel Management Plan will detail where off-road-vehicles can legally travel and where non-motorized users can go to find places away from these vehicles. ATV SAFETY West Virginia to Adopt ATV Safety Legislation After many attempts to pass ATV safety legislation in West Virginia
that would help prevent the increasing numbers of ATV-related deaths
across the state, it now seems likely that ATV safety legislation
will become law in 2003. While several cities and towns have passed
their own ordinances in the face of the state's failure to adopt
legislation, it has unfortunately taken three ATV-related deaths
in one week to prompt the state legislature to work to ensure the
enactment of a state-wide safety law.
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