Off-Road Vehicles

KS Wild works to ensure that ORVs don’t threaten rare species, sensitive watersheds, or non-motorized recreation.

There are appropriate places for ORVs and there are responsible ORV users. However, many public lands in the Klamath-Siskiyou have been seriously degraded due to unregulated and illegal ORV use. The Klamath-Siskiyou has special places, such as meadows, botanical preserves, and high elevation lakes that are at particular threat from ORVs. Wilderness areas, roadless lands and non-motorized recreation experiences are harmed when loud and aggressive ORV users take over an area.

KS Wild responds to specific problem areas and attempts to force administrative action when illegal and destructive ORV use occurs. We encourage appropriate ORV use away from sensitive areas of public lands on the existing road system.

Programmatic Action

KS Wild also takes programmatic action to protect National Forests and BLM lands from ORV abuse. Through planning processes on several national forests KS Wild is able to remove ORVs from sensitive area and push for the ORV route designation only where appropriate.

KS Wild is also an active member of the Natural Trails and Waters Coalition, which works to protect and restore all public lands and waters from the damage caused by off-road vehicles using a variety of legislative, administrative, legal, media, and grassroots strategies.

Travel Management and OHV Route Designation Process

Inappropriate Places: Destructive 4X4 use in the Oregon Mountain Botanical Area, Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest.

Nationwide the Forest Service is beginning the long-overdue process of designating where ORV use is allowed, and where it must be restricted in order to protect sensitive areas. KS Wild is participating in that designation process by encouraging local National Forests to protect rare plant species, sensitive wildlands and riparian areas while allowing ORV use on many existing logging roads and motorized trails.

Click here to learn about the nationwide "Travel Management and ORV Designation Process" on the USDA Forest Service website.

by entering your email in the 'Get Email Alerts' box on the right of our site. We will keep you updated on public meetings, field trips and comment deadlines regarding the OHV planning process in the Klamath-Siskiyou.