GROUPS URGE OHV'S LIMITS ON NATIONAL FORESTS

The U.S. Forest Service is moving to tighten where OHV'S can ride on national forests and grasslands

                                                                  By John Myers

                                                                                        New Tribune Staff writer (Duluth, MN)
    

     Nearly 300 conservation, recreation, religious and other groups from 39 states wrote to U.S. Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth this month pressing the agency for strong new rules limiting OHV'S in national forests. Their letter comes as the agency decides how to proceed with new regulations limiting where all-terrain vehicles can ride in the nation's 177 national forests and grasslands. A draft of the new rules could come by the end of April.
     "Hundreds of organizations representing millions of Americans from small communities in rural America to major cities called on Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth to put an end to unrestricted, renegade and ecologically indefensible off-road vehicle abuse on our treasured national forests," said Lisa Dix, national forest program director of American Lands Alliance.
     One year ago, Bosworth identified unmanaged recreation, particularly off-road vehicle use, as one of the four greatest threats to national forests. He described adverse impacts caused by off-road vehicles, including soil erosion, habitat destruction, damage to cultural and sacred sites, and conflicts with other visitors.
     Bosworth also highlighted the growth of unauthorized ATV and dirt bike routes across national forests, and he stressed the need for fast action by his agency to curb the 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 issues surrounding the problem will become even harder to deal with. We need to address this issue now," Bosworth said at the time.
     He laid out a vision that would ban cross-country travel in all national forests while asking each forest to develop a system of limited, designated trails and road routes for ATVs that are clearly marked.

     Heidi Valetkevitch, a Forest Service spokeswoman in Washington, said the agency had not yet reviewed the group's letter.
     "We're still looking at having something (a draft regulation) out later this spring, but exactly when we don't know yet," she said. "We're progressing. It's moving forward."
     That the issue needs attention isn't challenged. In Minnesota alone, ATV registrations have skyrocketed from about 140,000 to more than 205,000 in the past two years. Complaints about ATV conflicts with hunters, hikers and other people in the woods are mounting, as is evidence of widespread erosion and environmental damage.
     The new rules would apply to all national forests, but exactly how is unclear. For example, the Superior, Chippewa and Chequamegon-Nicolet national forests already are developing their own ATV regulations as part of their long-term management plans.
     On Wednesday, the 290 conservation groups, including more than a dozen from Minnesota and Wisconsin, urged Bosworth to:
*  Establish a two-year timeline during which roads and off-road vehicle routes must be designated for motorized recreation. After that period ends, motorized recreational use would only be allowed on roads and routes that have been analyzed and then designated for such use.
*  Designate roads and routes for off-road vehicle travel following careful environmental analysis and public input.
*  Authorize off-road vehicle use only to the extent that the Forest Service has the personnel and other resources necessary each year to effectively monitor the impacts on the land, wildlife and other visitors, and enforce the rules.
      The groups also called for increased law enforcement, noting the average Forest Service officer now patrols nearly a half-million acres.
     "The Forest Service has an opportunity to address one of the greatest threats to America's national forests," said Scott Kovarovics, director of the Natural Trails and Waters Coalition.
      Many ATV riders support designating trails, but counter that routes currently being used should not be closed until an adequate network of designated trails is developed. Earlier this month, two groups seeking to protect ATV access to forests -- the Blue Ribbon Coalition and United Four Wheel Drive Associations --asked Bosworth to retain access for ATV enthusiasts.

      "Although we generally support the broad goals of the OHV initiative, we have serious concerns that must be addressed," said Carla Boucher, legal counsel for United Four Wheel Drive Associations.
     The ATV groups strongly oppose any rule that would allow riding only on trails with signs, the "closed unless posted open" policy preferred by conservation groups.
     "We have strongly cautioned the Forest Service that any change in management must be done legally, with full public involvement," said Bill Dart, executive director of the Blue Ribbon Coalition.