December 2009

West Pioneers Wilderness Study Area Protected

Created by Sarah Peters on December 23, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE         December 23, 2009

CONTACT:

Bethanie Walder, Wildlands CPR
(406) 543-9551

John Grove
Friends of the Bitterroot
Phone: (406) 777-2423

FOREST SERVICE AGREES TO END CONTROVERSIAL SNOWMOBILE GROOMING PROGRAM

Conservation Groups Settle Lawsuit: Agreement Protects Core Wolverine Habitat and Nearly 148,000 Acres in West Pioneer Wilderness Study Area

An End to Snowmobile Grooming in the West Pioneer Wilderness Study Area

Created by Sarah Peters on December 23, 2009

Today Judge Molloy signed a settlement agreement between Wildlands CPR, Friends of the Bitterroot, and the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest that removes authorization for snowmobile grooming in the northern half of the West Pioneers Wilderness Study Area for the 2009-2010 season, and terminates the authorization entirely after the present season. 

Future gets brighter for state's aging national forest roads

Created by Bethanie Walder on December 22, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Dec. 21, 2009

Future gets brighter for state's aging national forest roads

OLYMPIA - Congress and the Obama administration are responding with on-the-ground results in response to appeals by a coalition of conservation groups and the state Departments of Ecology and Fish & Wildlife.

Federal action is now occurring to repair and reclaim crumbling national forest roads in Washington state that have been harming endangered salmon and clean water.

Setting triggers to curb illegal off-road vehicle use

Created by Bethanie Walder on December 22, 2009

Future gets brighter for state's aging national forest roads

Created by Bethanie Walder on December 21, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Dec. 21, 2009

Future gets brighter for state's aging national forest roads

OLYMPIA - Congress and the Obama administration are responding with on-the-ground results in response to appeals by a coalition of conservation groups and the state Departments of Ecology and Fish & Wildlife.

Federal action is now occurring to repair and reclaim crumbling national forest roads in Washington state that have been harming endangered salmon and clean water.

Beaverhead-Deerlodge NF 2009 Monitoring Results

Created by Adam Rissien on December 9, 2009

Wildlands CPR worked with Montanans for Quiet Recreation this past summer helping to coordinate off-road vehicle monitoring on the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest.  Overall, MQR conducted or received monitoring data on 28 trails and areas, and collected 322 pictures showing a variety of ORV impacts as well as signs, closure devices and scenic views. Some of the worst damage was found at trailheads leading into in the West Pioneer WSA, and from user-created routes in the East Pioneer IRA.

2010 Legacy Roads Regional Allocations Released

Created by Bethanie Walder on December 9, 2009

On October 30, Congress appropriated $90 million for the Forest Service Legacy Roads and Trails Remediation Initiative.  The funds are used to protect and restore clean water by reclaiming unneeded roads and fixing the roads we do need. 

We just received the 2010 regional allocations, and added them into a chart showing how they compare to the 2008 ($40 million) and 2009 ($50 million) allocations:

Wildlands CPR challenges Oregon Dunes ORV Project

Created by Sarah Peters on December 8, 2009

Yesterday Wildlands CPR and four other conservation groups, Cascadia Wildlands, Umpqua Watersheds, Oregon Wild and the Center for Biological Diversity, joined forces to challenge a trail construction project slated for an undeveloped Roadless Area in the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area on the Siuslaw National Forest. 

Wildlands CPR and Four Other Groups Seek Protection for Oregon Dunes

Created by Sarah Peters on December 7, 2009
Five environmental groups jointly filed a lawsuit today against the United States Forest Service to stop construction of a new road for off-road vehicles (ORVs) in the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area (Oregon Dunes). The lawsuit challenges the Forest Service’s approval of the “Riley Ranch Access Project,” which involves building a 14- to 24-foot wide motor vehicle route through the heart of both an Inventoried Roadless Area and a section of the Oregon Dunes that has long been closed to motor vehicle use.