National-Level Off-Road Vehicle Efforts

1999 Petition and 2005 TMR and FS progress report

In 2000 we submitted a rule-making petition to the FS to overhaul ORV management.  That petition was the catalyst for the Forest Service’s 2005 national Travel Management Rule requiring all national forests to limit ORVs to designated routes only and effectively banning cross-country travel as each forest adopts its new travel plan.

Over the years since the 2005 rule has been published, Wildlands CPR has been assisting activists in engaging on their forests, through both stand alone publications and articles in our quarterly journal, the Road RIPorter. links to MVUM republication document and following Road RIPorter articles:

As a result of our on-going efforts, so far (with 47 decisions still to come), the Forest Service has removed 7,890 miles of roads and motorized trails from the designated travel system, and refused to designate 28,679 miles of user-created routes.

National Forest Management Act: Revised Planning Rule

The National Forest Management Act of 1976 (NFMA) requires the Forest Service to issue specific regulations directing the creation of forest plans and what they should contain. These regulations were first established in 1979, revised in 1982 and then again in 2000 when President Clinton issued new rules intended to simply the process, reduce costs and strengthen the role of science.  However, some questioned the feasibility of the new rules prompting a review by the next administration and in 2005 President Bush issued new regulations, which were found to be in violation of the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act. The administration tried again in 2008, but the rules were still found to be in violation of these same laws.  In December 2009 the agency re-issued Clinton’s 2000 regulations, which provides the option for land managers to use the 1982 rules.

On February 14th, 2011 the Forest Service issued new draft planning regulations citing the need for rules that reflect current science and are more responsive “…to issues such as the challenges of climate change; the need for forest restoration and conservation, watershed protection, and wildlife conservation; and the sustainable use of public lands to support vibrant  communities.”[1]  However, the new rules also seek to streamline the 1982 regulations, and allow more latitude for local interpretation.

Wildlands CPR is engaged in the regulation revision process to share our expertise in road and recreation management and encourage the Forest Service to implement planning regulations that will guide the agency in the years to come as they revise these cornerstone management plans.  We’ll keep you posted on the outcome, and how best to use these new regulations to usher in a new era of recreation and road management on our national forests.

To learn more, click here.

 

[1] National Forest System Land Management Planning Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement Ch. 1, p. 7.