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Better guidance, enforcement needed for ORV use, experts say |
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Written by ERIC BONTRAGER, E&E Daily
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Critics of off-road vehicle use said yesterday that Congress must take a larger role in preventing destructive use that is threatening some of the West's most valuable natural resources.
While administration officials said they are working hard to keep public lands protected, witnesses told the House National Parks Subcommittee yesterday that federal land agencies' inability to enforce rules on ORV use was coming at a great cost.
Unmanaged ORV use can take a great toll on natural resources, destroying vegetation and disturbing wildlife. ORVs can threaten private, historical and cultural lands often without retribution because of overburdened land agencies that cannot manage the problem, critics say.
"Congress must step up to the plate," said Jack Gregory, a former Forest Service official and member of Rangers for Responsible Recreation. "The agencies have demonstrated time and time again their inability to address the problem."
Irresponsible use can also threaten public safety, Gregory added, citing a gathering of ORV enthusiasts at Little Sahara Recreation Area in Utah last Easter weekend that produced more than 37 injuries and more than 300 arrests and citations.
The Forest Service's fiscal 2009 budget proposal calls for a $17 million decrease for its law enforcement activities, further threatening the agency's ability to police ORV use. The Bureau of Land Management's resource protection and law enforcement budget faces a net decrease of $365 million in the president's budget.
Joel Holtrop, deputy chief of the National Forest System, said the explosive growth in ORV use in recent years has put a strain on land managers' ability to enforce proper use.
With 64 million acres of national forest open to vehicle use, Holtrop said the key is increased cooperation with local ORV groups so they understand the costs of irresponsible use.
"We believe most ORV users want to do the right thing," he said.
Russ Ehnes of the National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council said the BLM and the Forest Service management plans have shown how active management can be effective against abusive ORV use.
In San Bernardino National Forest, for example, the National Forest Association trains volunteers and organizes patrols to encourage ORV users to use designated routes in the forest so as to minimize their impact.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 17 March 2008 )
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