ATV abuse reported

[Zookeeper]

This is from a journalism industry newsletter that helps reporters ferret out story ideas.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service says "unmanaged recreation" is threatening our national forests. One instance of this type of recreation occurs when all-terrain vehicle (ATV) riders ride off trails wherever they wish. Illegal trails are now showing up everywhere. Motorized vehicle abuse has been called one of the biggest problems facing public lands.

The Forest Service reports:

• One of the fastest growing forms of outdoor recreation involves the use of off-highway vehicles .(OHVs) OHV users have grown tenfold since 1972, from approximately five million to 51 million in 2004. OHV users account for about 11 million annual visits to the national forests and grasslands.
• Surveys conducted in 1983 and 1995 shows that Americans over the age of 15 who:
  • Used OHVs sometime during the year grew from 4 to 14 percent.
  • Took recreational trips to distant destinations grew from 40 to 67 percent.
• Of visitors to the national forests, 11 million visits involve OHV use.
• Decreasing availability of open space outside of pubic land along with the surge in the use of OHVs is likely to increase the demand for OHV use on NFS lands.
• Other public and private lands will be affected by the increasing use of OHVs. Increased population growth, urbanization, and changing demographics are creating competition for space and activities.

The Associated Press has this to say about the problem:
A report released earlier this summer by Wildlands CPR, a Montana-based group that aims to stop off-road vehicle abuse, encourages stiffer patrols, tougher penalties and electronic monitoring to deter ATV drivers. It also suggests encouraging more self-policing by closing the legal off-road areas hit by repeat offenders.
"Everyone has a right to access our public lands, but no one has the right to abuse these lands or ruin the experience of others enjoying America's great outdoors," said Jason Kiely, one of the group's leaders.
ATVs and other off-road vehicles had almost unfettered access to federal lands until 1972, when President Nixon issued an executive order that required agency heads to develop regulations. President Carter expanded it five years later to allow agencies to ban ATVs and other off-road vehicles on trails if they're damaging the forests.
Since then, illegal trails have exploded. Rangers say that thousands of miles of trails now crisscross federal forestland. Many are disused logging trails, but in some cases ATV drivers armed with axes, machetes and other tools carve out their own paths.
The U.S. Forest Service has tried to sate the demand by setting aside vast tracts of land for ATV use, but they're often seeing those areas turned into a hub for more illegal trails.
The agency now lists this type of "unmanaged recreation" as one of the greatest threats to the federal forests. They say the renegade drivers disrupt wildlife, expose terrain to invasive species, and endanger hikers and others who use the trails legally.
"If the general public decides they're going to ride their ATVs across the forest, there's nothing anyone can do about it," said Mitch Cohen, a spokesman with the Forest Service.
"If the people don't see the damage they're causing and don't value they're national resources enough, there's no amount of law enforcement we can put out there to stop it."
Here is some additional information on the topic:

Off Highway Vehicles (OHVs) are a popular choice for outdoor recreation. According to a national survey on recreation and the environment about 36.3 million people participate in off-highway driving, ATV use, or motorcycle use. The same survey found that 11.6 million people use snowmobiles. Cordell reports a 43.8-percent increase in OHV use and a 34.8-percent increase in snowmobile use between 1982-83 and 1994-95. An estimated 11 million visits to national forests involve OHV use; this constitutes about 5 percent of all recreation visits to national forests.

Another trend is the uncontrolled proliferation of trails arising from repeated
cross-country forays by OHV traffic. Unauthorized trails from motorized use cause
much of the natural resource damage and some of the public safety concerns on national
forests. Unauthorized trails are a major problem for forest managers. For example, Lewis
and Clark National Forest personnel in Montana currently estimate that the forest has
1,348 unauthorized roads and trails extending for 646 miles.

The U.S. population in the southern and western regions is expected to increase
nearly 50 percent by 2050. Given the popularity of OHV use on public lands throughout these regions, it is reasonable to assume that the recreational use of OHV will become increasing significant for national forests for the foreseeable future.

[Trail_Fanatic]

Wildlands CPR

The "CPR" stands for 'Coalition to Prevent Roads' or 'Council to Prevent Roads'. I can't remember which.

Thier Mission Statement (Emphasis Mine):

Mission

Wildlands CPR works to revive and protect wild places by promoting watershed restoration through road removal, preventing new road construction, and stopping off-road vehicle abuse.
Vision

We envision wildlands that sustain natural and human communities, where native plants and animals thrive, clean air and water abound, and nature's quiet prevails. Roads will be limited and, where they exist, thoughtfully designed and maintained. Motorized vehicles will travel only on these roads. We will work cooperatively with diverse communities to protect and restore our remaining wild places, fostering a growing citizenry that supports this vision.

[Trail_Fanatic]

WOW!

You should look at the rest of their site!

We have some work to do to catch up to them.
They have some good ideas we could 'borrow' from . . . just reverse the positions.

[Trail_Fanatic]

Anyone want to write a rebutting article that shows how the 'environmental' groups are actually anti-access?