Vroom Report - January 28, 2003

Off-road Vehicle Lobby Driving Land Give-away: Recent reports indicate that the off-road vehicle lobby is a key backer of the Administration's "disclaimer rule," that would authorize the Bureau of Land Management to give away the public's interest in its land to facilitate road building, more off-road vehicle use and industrial development across the western United States and in Alaska. The rule will become effective on February 5, 2003.

On January 21, a front page story in the Los Angeles Times described how some off-road vehicle interests view this new policy as means to implement their vision for the public lands. According to the Times, "[T]hat vision -- of unfettered motorized access to remote country that has for decades been the province of wild animals and a few hardy backpacking humans -- is a lot closer to reality thanks to a Bush administration policy quietly adopted earlier this month." Moreover, the role of the Blue Ribbon Coalition and other off-road vehicle interests in asserting claims is becoming increasingly clear. The Times reports: "[T]he Blue Ribbon Coalition's California chapter has made three rights-of-way claims, pushing for motorized access across hundreds of miles of wilderness in Sequoia National Forest, through the King Range National Conservation Area on the north coast and in non-wilderness tracts in the Six Rivers National Forest."

California Commission Denies Funding to Support Off-road Vehicle Use in Algodones Dunes: Last week, the California Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission rejected a $1.1 million funding request from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to facilitate dirt bike, ATV and dune buggy use in the Algodones Dunes of southern California. The Bureau has repeatedly failed to effectively manage such use while at the same time proposing to open more critical habitat for threatened plants and wildlife to these vehicles. According to a Los Angeles Times report, this is the "commission's first refusal in more than 15 years to help pay for maintenance of the desert expanse in the southeastern corner of the state." Rather than view this decision has a clear call for common sense limits on off-road vehicle use, a BLM spokesperson informed the Times that the agency is "not likely to limit the number of off-roaders who can drive their dune buggies, trucks and dirt bikes through the desert sands."

Critical Month Ahead for Yellowstone National Park: By late February, the Department of Interior is scheduled to issue a final environmental review that is all but certain endorse continued large-scale snowmobile use in America's first National Park. Based on the current schedule, the final document will be issued on or about February 21. This action continues a two-year effort by the snowmobile industry and the Bush Administration to reverse a previous Park Service decision to phase-out these machines and maintain winter access using a mass transportation system. That Park Service decision was based on a decade of scientific study that documented how snowmobiles pollute the air and water, threaten wildlife and endanger public health and safety in violation of federal laws, regulations and long-standing Park Service management policies.

While the Administration forced the Service to conduct this wasteful study, rangers at certain Park entrances were outfitted with respirators last winter in order to reduce their exposure to harmful snowmobile exhaust. This winter, as the final touches are being put on the new snowmobile policy, visitors will see rangers wearing special hearing protection as well as respirators.

Scott Kovarovics
Director, Natural Trails and Waters Coalition
(202) 429-2696
scott_kovarovics@tws.org

The Natural Trails and Waters Coalition includes conservation, recreation, hunting and other groups working to protect and restore all public lands and waters from the severe damage caused by snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, dirt bikes, jet skis and all other off-road vehicles.