Forest Service Sacrifices Wildlands to Off-Road Vehicle Damage
For years, irresponsible off-road vehicle users have trashed meadows, streams, botanical hotspots and roadless wildlands on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. Speak up for non-motorized forest values in the RRSNF Travel Management Plan.
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For years, irresponsible off-road vehicle users have trashed meadows,
streams, botanical hotspots and roadless wildlands on the Rogue
River-Siskiyou National Forest. The photo to the right is an example of
the impact of off-road vehicles near Eight Dollar Mountain Botanical
Area.
Many forest visitors breathed a sigh of relief when the Forest Service
finally began its "travel management planning process" to determine
where off-road vehicle use on public lands should be allowed and where
it is incompatible with other recreational, botanical and watershed
values.
Thousands of concerned citizens wrote to the Forest Service asking them
to develop a plan that would protect sensitive areas from damage while
directing motorized use to existing forest roads. Oregon's Congressional
delegation echoed those requests by asking the Forest Service to
protect Botanical Areas, Roadless Areas and backcountry hiking trails
from ORV damage. [See the 2009 Delegation letter by clicking here]
Yet the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest is ignoring the values that
most Americans find in public lands and is pushing ahead with "plan
amendments" to encourage and codify ORV use in botanical areas, research
natural areas, and wilderness quality roadless forests.
Speak up for non-motorized forest values!
