BLUERIBBON COALITION NEWS RELEASE
4555 Burley Drive, Suite A
Pocatello, ID 83202
Contact: Brian Hawthorne, Public Lands Director (208) 237-1008 ext. 102
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BlueRibbon Coalition Feels Forest Service Draft OHV Regulations Generally on
the Right Track, But The Devil is in the Details
July 9, 2004 (POCATELLO, IDAHO) --
The US Forest Service recently released draft regulations concerning the use
of motorized vehicles on National Forest Lands. These regulations will
restrict motorized vehicles to designated roads, trails, and areas, and will
require each National Forest to inventory roads and trails, and then after
involving the public in the inventory and analysis of the inventory, to
eventually designate roads, trails, and areas for motorized vehicle use, and
eliminate cross-country travel. The BlueRibbon Coalition supports the
concept of restricting use of motorized vehicles to designated roads, trails,
and areas, but we have serious concerns about some of the details of the
draft regulations, as well as questions about implementation of the
regulations.
Motorized recreation has grown dramatically in the last 30 years, and it is
appropriate that the Forest Service restrict indiscriminate cross-country
travel by wheeled vehicles, except in certain, specific areas where such use
may be appropriate. The BlueRibbon Coalition also supports making motorized
recreation management a higher priority of the agency to sustain existing
opportunities, as well as working to enhance and expand opportunities when
and where appropriate. After reviewing the draft regulations, we have the
following concerns about the regulations and how they will be implemented:
· With no additional funding, we question the ability of the agency to
complete the process in a timely and thorough manner.
· Base inventories must be comprehensive, and include all routes.
Sacrificing accuracy for expediency is unacceptable
· The public should be involved in the inventory process as early as
possible
· Consumer GPS data and maps provided by the public must be
considered
· Designation of all unpaved roads should be automatic
· No arbitrary timelines should be applied.
· Implementing this process should be done at landscape levels smaller
than a Ranger District to facilitate faster progress.
· Efforts should focus first on areas with high levels of use, and
move towards areas with low use or minimal issues.
"We are pleased to see the Forest Service elevate OHV management through this
regulation process, and we will work to energize our members to engage in the
process at the local level" commented BlueRibbon Coalition Executive Director
Bill Dart. "This is a watershed moment for OHV recreation, but there is
tremendous potential for loss of opportunity if the process is not thorough
or the public doesn't participate" Dart added.
"We are still analyzing the proposed regulations, and we will be providing
detailed comments in the coming weeks to the Forest Service planning team as
well as our membership" stated BlueRibbon Coalition Public Lands Director
Brian Hawthorne. "The agency is undertaking a major project without any new
commitment of resources, and this concerns us greatly" Hawthorne added. "The
stakes are high for the American public, but the Forest Service doesn't seem
to have recognized that when they propose to complete this major job using
existing resources. The message we get is they are not serious about doing a
thorough job." Hawthorne concluded.
Additional information on this release and/or other BlueRibbon media releases
are available on our website at
http://www.sharetrails.org/MediaReleases/index.cfm
The BlueRibbon Coalition is a national non-profit organization dedicated to
promoting responsible recreation, equal opportunity and recreation access to
all. The BlueRibbon Coalition works to "Preserve our natural resources FOR
the public instead of FROM the public," and to promote cooperation among the
various user-groups.
