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FOREST SERVICE OFF-ROAD VEHICLE RULESIn November 2005, the USDA Forest Service released new rules governing the use of dirt bikes, all-terrain vehicles, and other off-road vehicles on national forests and grasslands. Although the rules include some positive measures, they fail to adequately address urgent threats such as the continued creation and use of unauthorized, renegade routes in America’s forests.The new policy requires each national forest and grassland to identify and designate through a public process those roads, trails and areas that are open to motor vehicle use. The agency expects that it will take up to four years to complete the designation process for all 155 national forests and 20 grasslands. Once the designation process is complete, motor vehicle use off these routes and outside those areas (cross-country travel) will be prohibited. Each unit will also publish a motor vehicle use map. The prohibition does not apply to snowmobiles. American Hiking and the Natural Trails and Waters Coalition urge the Forest Service and its local forest managers to adopt the following measures:
Additional steps you can take to support ORV reform in national forests and other public lands:
BACKGROUNDThe Forest Service manages 192 million acres of national forests in 44 states, providing a variety of important public values, including critical wildlife habitat, clean air and water, and places where we can experience natural quiet and solitude. More than 90% of the 177 national forests and grasslands have routes and areas open to dirt bikes, all-terrain vehicles, snowmobiles, and other off-road vehicles, but unauthorized ORV use and the proliferation of unplanned, renegade routes places many forests at risk.Unchecked motorized recreation causes severe and lasting damage to the natural environment on which human-powered recreation depends, placing soil, vegetation, air and water quality, and wildlife at risk through pollution, erosion, sedimentation of streams, and habitat fragmentation and disturbance. Unmanaged motorized use also alters the quiet, remote, and wild character of the backcountry, contributes to user conflicts, and presents safety and health threats to other recreationists. View the new rules on the Forest Service’s Web site: http://www.fs.fed.us/recreation/programs/ohv/.
Documents in PDF format can be downloaded and printed from your computer. You will need Adobe's Acrobat Reader to view or print these documents.
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