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American
Hiking Society * American Lands Alliance * Colorado Mountain Club*
Natural Trails & Waters Coaliton * North Cascades Conservation
Council * Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility * Sierra
Club * The Wilderness Society * Washington Wilderness Coalition
* Wildlands CPR Draft Off-road Vehicle Rule Well-Intentioned, But Largely Ineffective Proposal Must be Significantly Strengthened to Address Growing Threat Washington, DC - Conservation, recreation, hunting and other groups across the country today called proposed rules issued by the USDA Forest Service for off-road vehicle use on America's National Forests well-intentioned, but largely ineffective. While the proposal is a small step forward, it needs significant strengthening. Although some of the proposed changes are positive, they alone
will not solve this growing problem. Oddly, while Forest Service
Chief Dale Bosworth has identified unmanaged off-road vehicle use
as one of the greatest threats to National Forests, the proposal
frequently highlights the importance of "enhancing" opportunities
for off-road vehicle recreation rather than creating a better balance
between this small use and the many other uses of National Forests.
To ensure necessary and common-sense protections for public land,
wildlife and other recreational users, the Forest Service must include
additional measures in the final rule. The most important of these
include: Inclusion of a timeframe in regulation for completing route designation is even more important in light of following statement in the proposal: "The proposed rule would have no effect on the ground until designations of roads, trails, and areas are completed at the field level, with opportunity for public comment." (see page 41) In spite of the seriousness of the threat, the Forest Service refuses to make any firm commitment to starting and completing route designation in a reasonable period of time. "The proposed rule unfairly favors relatively few off-road vehicle riders at the expense of millions of recreationists who seek some peace and quiet," said Jim Furnish, who ended a 34-year career with the Forest Service as the agency's third highest official overseeing the National Forest System. "Off-road vehicle reform is badly needed to heal the land and create some peace -- this proposal is sluggish and doesn't get to the heart of the problem." The Forest Service is proposing several policy changes that would
be beneficial if effectively implemented on the ground. These include: "Tens of millions of hikers and other human-powered recreationists turn to National Forests to experience fresh air, clean water, abundant wildlife, lush vegetation, and quiet, natural sounds," said Celina Montorfano, Director of Conservation Programs for the American Hiking Society. "However, uncontrolled off-road vehicle use is adversely affecting that experience in National Forests across the country through resource damage, pollution, and incursions on non-motorized trails." "Unregulated, irresponsible and out-of-control use of ATVs threatens our hunting heritage," said Dave Stalling, President of the Montana Wildlife Federation. "Simply put: unmanaged ATV use is reducing habitat security, increasing big game vulnerability and, in the long term, greatly reducing hunting opportunities." Last year, Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth identified unmanaged recreation, particularly off-road vehicle use, as one of the greatest threats to America's National Forests. He described a litany of adverse impacts to the land, wildlife and other visitors and highlighted the proliferation of unplanned - or renegade - dirt bike and all-terrain vehicle (ATV) routes that crisscross many National Forests. Since then, Chief Bosworth has also stressed the urgent need to address this problem: "This is not an easy issue to tackle, but if we wait a day, a week, or even a year, the impact on the land and the issue surrounding this problem will become even harder to deal with. We need to address the issue now." "The Forest Service has taken a small step forward today," said Scott Kovarovics, Director of the Natural Trails and Waters Coalition. "The proposed rule is a start, but it must be significantly strengthened by including a two-year timeframe to designate routes and immediately prohibiting use of renegade ATV and dirt bike routes." The underlying legal framework for off-road vehicle management on federal public lands is provided in Executive Orders issued by Presidents Richard Nixon in 1972 and Jimmy Carter in 1977. President Nixon's Order (number 11644) states that the purpose of federal off-road vehicle management is to "ensure that the use of off-road vehicles on public lands will be controlled and directed so as to protect the resources of those lands, to promote the safety of all users of those lands, and to minimize conflicts among the various uses of those lands." This Order further requires that agencies "minimize" adverse impacts on natural resources, including water, soils and vegetation, and wildlife and wildlife habitat, as well as conflicts with other uses when designating routes for off-road vehicle use. The proposed rule is available today on the Forest Service's website
at: http://www.fs.fed.us/recreation/programs/ohv/index.shtml. Publication
of the proposal in the Federal Register, expected in the next several
days, will begin a 60-day public comment period. Comments can be
submitted to the Forest Service via the following: Email: Fax: -end-
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