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| The
Vroom Report The State of Off-Road Vehicles (ORVs) Across America
July 2, 2003 In this issue: Editorials Continue to Call Administration to Task on Yellowstone - Editorial writers across the country continue to call on Secretary of Interior Gale Norton to reverse course and protect Yellowstone National Park from the damaging effects of snowmobiles. Over the past several weeks alone, the Cincinnati Enquirer, Indianapolis Star, Lansing State Journal, Sentinel Tribune (Ohio), Kennebec Journal (Maine), and Peoria Journal Star have all weighed in on this issue. The Lansing State Journal commented: "Where there is snow, there will be snowmobiles. Northern Michigan is ample evidence of that. But there are places that should be off-limits to snow machines. Yellowstone National Park is one." The Cincinnati Enquirer highlighted how Park protection stands at a crossroads: "Only a change of heart by the Interior Department or an act of Congress can reverse the decision [to keep snowmobiles in Yellowstone]. We hope for one or the other. There is no good reason to let snowmobiles back onto our national treasures, and plenty of reasons not to." And the Peoria Journal Star discussed the appropriate role for this Administration: "[But] the federal government is not in the snowmobile business, it is in the national park business, and it fails that mission when it settles for a partially polluted Yellowstone." U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Weighs in Yellowstone Once Again - In comments submitted earlier this month on the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (FSEIS), the EPA reaffirms its consistent conclusion that phasing out snowmobiles will provide the best protection for air quality, human health and other values in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. The EPA directly comments on the Park Service's "adaptive management" plan for snowmobiles: "There are no available mitigation measures, including the adaptive management program, that would provide equivalent or better protection to park resources than provided by [the snowmobile phase-out] while still allowing motorized access to an equivalent number of winter visitors." The EPA also points out that because the Park Service has underestimated total snowmobile emissions "the adverse impacts to human health and visibility could be greater than predicted" under the Service's preferred alternative. Furthermore, the agency notes that the Service overestimates emissions from snowcoaches; therefore, the benefits associated with this mode of winter transportation have been underestimated in the FSEIS. Please contact Alix Rauschman if you would like a hard copy of the complete comments. Eastern Forests Need Protection from Off-Road Vehicles - On Earth Day, Forest Service Chief Bosworth identified off-road vehicles as one of the top threats to National Forests. Although many may consider this a "western problem," a recent editorial in the Boston Globe states that off-road vehicles are "a new threat to New England's forest ecology and to the public's enjoyment of wilderness." While the Chief is highlighting the problem and the need to respond, some forests are proposing to expand off-road vehicle use or authorize it for the very first time. For example, the White Mountain National Forest (WMNF) in New Hampshire and Maine, which is currently protected from ATVs and dirt bikes, has developed a preliminary forest plan that includes an alternative to establish ATV use. The Forest Service is considering this action in spite of strong
public opposition and well-documented damage caused by illegal off-road
vehicle use occurring today. According to the Forest Service, "many
of the comments [in reference to off-road vehicle use in the WMNF]
are opposed to motorized recreation use in general." The Service
documents that about half of the comments expressed a concern regarding
snowmobile use, which is currently legal on designated routes. However,
illegal snowmobile use occurs cross-county, unmanaged and unmitigated,
and noise pollution from these machines has been identified as one
an issues for other hikers and people who live in surrounding communities.
As the Globe editorial points out, snowmobile use is so prolific
that "quiet winter solitude is now hard to find." The
editorial calls on state and federal officials to protect these
special places from the damage caused by unmanaged off-road vehicle
use. Read: RUINOUS RIDERS Federal Court Upholds BLM's Emergency Closure Authority in Algodones Dunes - In a June 18 opinion, a federal district court judge dismissed a lawsuit by the off-road vehicle community that challenged BLM's authority to temporarily close portions of the Dunes to protect threatened and endangered species. The lawsuit contended that BLM was required to conduct detailed NEPA analysis prior to imposing emergency closures. The Court made clear that previous decisions by other federal courts establish that NEPA analysis is not necessary for actions that conserve the environment. The Court also found that BLM has "ample authority" under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) to close portions of the Dunes in order to protect natural resources. While this decision is positive, the BLM is rapidly moving to reopen the area at issue in this suit to ATVs, dirt bikes and dune buggies through the administrative process. The Center for Biological Diversity is leading an effort to formally protest this decision.
With increasing frequency, off-road vehicles are spilling out of public lands onto adjacent private lands as well. Private property owners across the country, from Maine to California, are fighting to protect their homes and property and are looking to federal land managers, such as the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM), to adopt sensible management criteria to curb trespass and damage. Wilson Canyon in Nevada represents the latest example of this phenomenon. Located about one hour south of Carson City, Wilson Canyon, which is under BLM jurisdiction, is a dramatic natural valley cut through the heart of a desert mountain range by the West Walker River. It contains a rich and beautiful juxtaposition of Great Basin wilderness and verdant river habitat. It's also one of the few places for many miles around where the public has access to the river. However, unlimited and unmanaged dirt bike, all-terrain vehicle (ATV) and other off-road vehicle use is destroying the scenic, cultural, archaeological and environmental importance of the Walker River, surrounding public land, and adjacent private property. To see the damage, visit www.wilsoncanyon.org. Alix Rauschman The Natural Trails and Waters Coalition includes conservation, recreation 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.
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