Mt. Hood puts the brakes on motorized abuse

Mt. Hood National Forest published a plan Friday, August, 27 for the management of off-highway vehicles (OHVs) such as ATVs and dirt bikes on the forest. The OHV Plan provides for a total of 146 miles for OHV routes on roads and trails in four areas of the forest. Bark, forest users and other environmental groups are applauding the new plan.

“This decision is a step in the right direction for protecting our drinking water and a victory for the hikers, campers, and anglers who love Mt. Hood,” says Lori Ann Burd, Restore Mt. Hood Campaign Manager and Staff Attorney at Bark. “I’ve been hiking in Mt. Hood all of my life,” says Tom Kloster, a transportation planner and founder of the Mt. Hood National Park Campaign, “and I am relieved that this decision will protect special places like the Surveyor’s Ridge trail and the recently reopened route to Owl Point from being overrun by ATVs and dirt bikes.”

Hikers, birders and anglers are happy with the plan because it clarifies that OHVs are not allowed outside the designated areas – and officers can go after them.

"It's going to allow them to begin to get a grip on some of the out-of-control OHV use. Managing OHVs on Mount Hood has been a nightmare for the forest's already stretched-thin law enforcement team." says Lori Ann Burd of Bark. 

Read Bark's press release here.

Read the news article here.