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Off-road — or off-highway (OHV) — vehicles zip through the state's national forests as drivers enjoy the speed and the beauty of their surroundings. However, that excitement might be limited if Mt. Hood's newly released travel plan (pdf) sets any kind of standard.
It specifies 146 miles of roads and trails in the Mt. Hood National Forest for use by vehicles like ATVs and dirt bikes. Environmental groups such as Bark and Oregon Wild applaud the decision. They are pleased this will force vehicles to stay in designated areas. And will give law enforcement the ability to chase them down if they don't. Lori Ann Burd, from Bark, told OPB reporter Rob Manning:
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.
People who enjoy the sport are less pleased. Marvin Ohlde from the Central Oregon Motorcycle and ATV Club told me he thinks the plan simply doesn't allow enough trail for ATVs in the forest.
How do you use the state's national forests? For hiking? Biking? Off-roading? Or bird watching? How do other people's activities affect your enjoyment of the space? How do you think recreation and conservation should be balanced in the forest?
GUESTS:
- Malcolm Hamilton: Recreation Program Manager for the Mt. Hood National Forest
- Neal Bursell: President of the Northern Oregon Motorcycle & ATV Club (NOMAC)
- Lori Ann Burd: Restore Mt. Hood Campaign Manager and Staff Attorney for Bark
- Randy Rassumssen: Consultant for two organizations – The American Hiking Society and Responsible Trails America
Tagged as: conservation · forest · recreation
Photo credit: Curtis Gregory Perry / Creative Commons
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I've seen the destruction these machines cause. They're bad for wildlife, they're bad for fish, they're bad for water quality. Lets get our priorities straight and not let a very few people do huge amounts of damage to values that the majority hold. One concern I do have, if they are going to be allowed on our national forests will is with enforcement. In general, off roaders don't follow rules very well and you'll need a lot of enforcement. J
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I'm an alpine climber, backpacker, hiker, mountain biker and avid backcountry/xc skier. I'm also a decade+ monthly financial contributor to Oregon Wild. Incongruously to some, I also own 3 motorcycles one of which is a dirt bike. Do dirt bikes cause damage to the ecosystem and do they create noise pollution? Yes. So does logging, ranching, downhill ski resorts and lots of other things that take place in our National Forests. OHV access clearly needs to be controlled and I grudgingly support the MHNF rule change. My more general objection - one that I think will eventually cause me to cease contributing to organisations such as Oregon Wild - is what I perceive as the secret desire to eliminate all OHV usage on public land. OHV users pay taxes to the federal government and they should be able to recreate - in selected areas - in their National Forests *even* a if it causes some level of damage. I was never aware that the old MHNF policy allowed OHV access anywhere unless posted so I only ever rode at official OHV areas such as McCubbins Gulch. So to me, the expansion of OHV areas as part of this "compromise" is really rather paltry. A win for Oregon Wild and Bark? For sure. As for more enforcement. I would be happy to have the OHV fee raised significantly to pay for more enforcement and also be subject to more "education". The problem is that, in an economic downturn, or perhaps in general, the government cannot be trusted to not redirect such funds into other uses, case in point the recent reallocation of WA NOVA funds.
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I once contributed to Oregon Wild also, I don’t anymore for exactly the reason you mentioned, please quit contributing today.
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I agree let us ban all vehicle access to everywhere that is not paved, and then let's ban ANY repaving!
I love my solitude also let us restrict ALL non paved areas to being accessed ONLY be humans that are 100% Naked, Nude, Unclothed! What of the pack? Ah-Ha! No man made materials allowed, no petroleum based fabrics, zero metals or glass, nothing that is not of nature including TP!
Think of the money we will save friends, no ski resorts, no fuel wasted accessing them, no winter time human degradation of the natural environment at all most likely!
Just stay in your cities, which would be fine with me I don’t live there!
Tens of thousands of dollars saved (we could send it to the country of Africa) not rescuing stupid humans off Mt. Hood, even the dead ones!
Even in the summer time the solitude in the wilderness will improve because if we leave no trace we will not be wearing erosion causing “Boots” nor should we build or maintain trails for human access to these scared spaces. BURN all the Maps! Hey, We could ban fishing!
I say if it is good to ban this motorized access then it is far better to BAN ALL HUMAN ACCESS!
Join my cause send $29.97 to me care of this station.
You will feel much better about yourself if you join in banning all human access to nature!
Today here, tomorrow the world!
STOP HUMAN ACCESS!
STOP HUMAN EXPLOITATION!
SAVE THE…
Save the…
...save something… -
This comment has been deleted at the request of the person who posted. -Sarah Rothenfluch, Executive Producer, Think Out Loud
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The OHV community argues that their recreational desire is as valid as any other in the forest: hiker, birdwatcher, wildlife enthusiast, for example. However, these quiet recreational pursuits are impossible to enjoy when OHVs are nearby. The noise alone makes off-roading incompatible with almost every other recreational activity. The opposite is certainly not true: the activity of a birder in the forest does not ruin the experience of an OHVer nearby. Balancing different types of recreational activities—as the Forest Service attempts to do—must account for the exclusionary nature of one activity over others.
Further, OHVs cause an astonishing amount of environmental destruction—always have, always will. Check out LaDee Flats sometime: it is a wasteland of erosion, pollution and litter, nearby to some of the prettiest wet fir forests on the mountain. Certainly, the Forest Service has a responsibility to protect the forest, not to mention my drinking water, from actions that violate EPA standards!
I wish the Forest Service had not rewarded this behavior with sanctioned use. And four playgrounds on the mountain—three of them quite large—seems absurdly generous, considering that OHV users account for less than one percent of forest users. I'm glad, however, that they have concentrated the playgrounds in areas where OHVers already congregate and where they Forest Service has at least a reasonable chance at enforcing the rules.
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It would be nice, if certain groups in their press releases (and their associated supporters) stopped using the word "playground". It is intentionally derogatory and totally unproductive in terms of facilitating compromise. It just confirms my worst fears as I stated earlier.
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I am a active member of NOMAC ( Northern Oregon Motorcycle and ATV Club ) and our mission statement is:
We are a non-profit organization made up of individuals with a love of the outdoors and a passion for Off Highway Vehicles. We are committed to the preservation, enjoyment and sustainment of our riding areas and keeping our sport available for generations to come.
I have recently received a copy of the Forest Service decision on Mt Hood National Forest OHV riding areas and I am very disappointed in the Travel Management plan as it is described. It has removed my ability to enjoy the Mt National Forest as an OHV enthusiast and will destroy our forest areas in the future.
The plan has condensed OHV users to and area which will over crowd and become an unsafe area for usage. The Quoted staging area and camping facilities will be inadequate and will be imposable to bring my RV into and use.
I feel the language used in the Travel Management plan is vague at best and clarification will be nesccessary along with additional periods of comment and adjustment will be needed before any implimtation of the plan.The Law enforcement issues alone are going to be impossable to keep up with as an individual.
I would like to extend an invitation to any one as a supporter of OHV usage to help us in our fight for improved and safe riding areas in the Mt Hood National Forest where we plan on supporting forest preservation as well as safety and training for the OHV community
Robert Kuenzinger
Activities/Membership Director
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This comment has been deleted at the request of the person who posted. -Sarah Rothenfluch, Executive Producer, Think Out Loud
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Kudos to Mt Hood Nat'l Forest supervisor Gary Larson and his staff for this very well thought out decision. I agree with Mr. Larson's statement that this decision is "legally defensible, socially responsive, and environmentally sound." My thanks also to Bark and Oregon Wild for investing an untold number of hours advocating for the highest protection of the forest and wildlife. As I understand, many of the sites that were dropped would have been unregulated overnight camping areas. The degree of activity on a 24 hour basis would have caused untenable consequences due to the harassment of wildlife and the solitude that the greatest majority of forest users value highly.
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Anti OHV zealots don’t want to hear a motorized vehicle in the woods, this is just to high a burden. I participated in the Deschutes National Forest OHV working group. The anti OGV zealots spouted unsubstantiated anecdotes about OHV erosion, cross country travel, and other abuse constantly. The Deschutes National Forest intentionally assembled a working group heavily weighted against OHV users, OHV users had practically no say, it was not a consensus process it was a vote and move on with OHV users significantly outnumbered.
The anti OHV zealots mouthed platitudes about getting along and supporting expansion of existing OHV areas and establishing new OHV areas all the while knowing that the next phase for them was to oppose any and all OHV areas. The largest OHV area in the State is the East Fort Rock OHV area and it is barely big enough to not ride the same trails constantly in a day. OHV areas with one or two hundred miles are simply not worth riding, you can ride 200 miles of trail in two to four hours, then what, ride the same trails again and again?
Meanwhile the mountain bikers are out in the woods creating outlaw trails, expanding legal trail systems and causing more erosion and impact to the forest than OHV users ever could. Why is it OK? Simply because they don’t make noise. The anti OHV zealots were joined by horse users to ban OHVs. Horses cut deep ruts in trails and spread weed seeds wherever they travel. Both these groups cause more damage to forests than OHVs ever could, we were simply singled out by an anti OHV zealot in a top USFS position in Washington DC.
For me it doesn’t matter much anymore, I sold my bikes and gave up the recreational activity, It’s too bad for the next generation though. Less users in the forest means less support for the Forest Service. It might just be time to sell the forests into private hands so we can have a chance to use them again.
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I’m listening to your guest right now, 25 miles of trails amounts to one hour or less of riding, simply worthless.
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Why does the Forest Service feel obligated to allow such damaging activities on our public land? As a taxpayer I would rather see this kind of thing happen on private land where entry fees could be charged and the impacts can be localized and managed without using taxpayer dollars.
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Oregon land use laws do not allow OHV parks on private lands.
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If John Muir could see these machines in our preserved wilderness lands he would be aghast. It is unnatural and therefore not deserving of the right to use and destroy our great National Park system.
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My family is an off-roading one. Normally we stick to the dunes and the coast but occasionally venture out to the mountains. What these restrictions mean is that we will have no reason what so ever to go to theses areas. We won’t camp, buy food, visit nearby shops because the access to off roading is honestly the only reason why we visit. I understand that the non- motorized dislike our sport but we pay fees and dues just like everyone else and deserve reasonable and sizable access to wild spaces. This is how we appreciate the forest and without that appreciation I am not sure that I would care as much about what happened to the forest. Lastly, by cramming us all together is just going to lead to more accidents. NaTasha
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This comment has been deleted at the request of the person who posted. -Sarah Rothenfluch, Executive Producer, Think Out Loud
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NOISE AND THE NEED FOR SCIENCE
As a leading Acoustical sciences and Noise Control professional for the last twenty years, I have have been studying the way government agencies around the world interface human made noise with wildlife. I am happy to see a few leading wildlife biologists in the BLM trying to make strides on studying the impact of ATV riding and yet the amount of money we have spent to study the issue using actual sound level measurement equipment with unbiased professionals is pathetically limited. Just like Earl and his spending on Bikes and no money to create QUiets Zones in urban areas. As long as NOISE is seen as a minor issue, there will be little change or bad decision making processes.
We should be asking the old guard of Federal elected officials such as Ron Wyden and Earl Blumenauer why they spend almost ZERO dollars studying the impact of Noise on wildlife in our state and in Mt Hood National Forest.
I am interested in studying the lack of muffer design focus from the primarily Japanese manufacturers of ATV's. I am not against OHV areas, but am generally supportive of more limits on ATV use and instead an expansion of off-roaders who camp and are stewards of outdors. I am an avid offroader, but drive a far quieter set of vehicles and am always surprised at just how impactful ATV's are with their current tire and muffler designs and lack of US made or engineers parts. ATV's---Bad for the environment, and sorry my Tea PArty friends,-- bad for the US economy.
State Forestry folks in particular have demonstrated no ability to protect sensitive Bald Eagle nesting by allowing loud engine noise in extremely close proximity to active nests.
I would suggest that our Federal elected folk put a body of experts from the Acoustical Sciences together to develop a good approach for resolving some of the tensions from ATV's in our NW forests.
Respectfully,
Paul van Orden
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Your post has great ideas.
Model airplanes also use two cycle engines and they have figured out to both make them quiet and as a result, more powerful. Tuned exhausts.
This reminds me that years ago, construction machinery was sold through the idea that they were very powerful and they showed power through muscular throaty mufflers. But Germany made noise laws and now their equipment is quiet, you can stand right next to an air compressor for jackhammers and talk normally, it is so quiet.
I've heard a big diesel on a trackhoe when the muffler fell off and the noise in unbearable, it hurts physically. I had to tell the operator to shut down and stop working until he got it fixed.
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Utah is pro OHV and has thousands of miles of OHV trails, although I was born in Oregon and used to love the state between the Sierra Club, Nature Conservancy, PETA, ONRC and numerous other special interest exclusionary groups I am seriously considering moving to another state.
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I think Utah is a good example of how destructive OHV use can be. The fragile cryptobiotic crust around Arches national park has taken a beating. While environmental groups can be overzealous, I think they are largely compatible with non-destructive users.
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My husband and I recently had the good fortune of purchasing a small cabin near Mt. Hood and have been actively exploring the trail system all summer. As hikers who, like many urban dwellers, crave the solitude and majesty of the wilderness, we have discovered how easily the sound of motorized vehicles can completely ruin that experience. From the traffic on nearby highways to vehicles on the trails, the sound carries and echoes through the valleys for miles, drowning out the natural sounds of birds and flowing water.
I'm guessing that off-roaders don't even realize how far their engine noise travels and how many hikers are affected by the sound pollution (and this doesn't even mention the destruction of the environment and affect on animal/bird life in the area). To expect that more forest should be open to off-road vehicle use is like smokers expecting that they should be able to smoke wherever, even if their second-hand smoke is bothering everyone around them. Laws have been passed to protect us from second-hand smoke pollution - let us keep similar stringent regulations to prevent the sound and environmental pollution of off-road vehicles from ruining both our forest lands and the experience of wilderness that the vast majority of forest users are looking for.
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I think it's appropriate to set aside areas for each kind of rec. Ski areas on a few mountains but not on all. Motorized on a few areas but quiet on others.
I remember when we were building the Summit Lift on Mt Bachelor; one day an older hiker arrived at the top at about noon, he had decided on a nice quiet days hike up Mt B but it just happened to be a day when we were pouring concrete and we flew over a hundred cubic yards up to the top, one yard at a time by a very noisy helicopter, over one hundred flights.
I felt sorry for that hiker and I feel that hikers ought to be able to have their own quiet areas of the mountains to hike in.
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There are some important distinctions between riding an ATV and, say, hiking. Hiking is often a marriage with the surroundings, it seeks them out, and it can generally be accomplished anywhere. Hiking clearly leaves less of a footprint and it has a different intent, whereas an ATV uses nature as a kind of game-board. Nature becomes a player, because it provides the necessary geography, the necessary course, that is integral to the ride. You often use nature on an ATV not in a sense of discovery or atmosphere, but only because it provides the landscape with the necessary architecture or trajectory that will bring you a physical, and often speed-based, thrill. It uses the landscape not just to pass over and through, or to experience as it is, but as the foundation for a type of carnival ride, with the environment serving as the rails for your roller-coaster.
Certainly rock climbing might be said to be similar to the use of an ATV, because it is more of a sport then general hiking, but there is a greater degree of separation with off-roading because a physical and complex, motorized machine is involved. And this machine is being used not simply as a form of transportation, but as the equipment for a game of sport. It is similar to hunting for entertainment or the game, rather then to actually survive by eating your kill.
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If the amount of usage keeps going up, and we have limited space. Why do we not permit the trails like we do our rivers? Allow a set amount of permits per season and allow people to apply for use of public lands in a lottery.
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I'd like to see horseback riders limited to certain areas and kept out of wilderness areas, there is nothing worse for a hiker than trying to straddle a trail without stepping in those roadapples.
And they ruin every campground, it gets hard to find a place to pitch a tent that is not fouled by horse biscuits.
To a hiker a horse is just dogfood on the hoof, yuck!
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I agree completely. I have had many negative encounters with horse back riders. I have not had any negative encounters with ATV riders. Equestrians trash all areas they visit. Visit a regularly used horse camp to witness the mess equestrians leave.
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Hope some of you horse riders that helped the elitist extremists ban OHV form the forest are reading this, you are next, and I’m going to be on the side of the elitist extremists this time just to get even.
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I'm a hiker and birder now but have ridden motorcycles.
I very much enjoy driving my car (Subaru) on logging roads but those are increasingly being shut off to all outside access. As we get older this will be the only way we can get to some parts of the forest. Allowing access to licensed vehicles should be considered as part of any forest plan.
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Don't confuse the travel management rule for OHV users with logging road access for licensed vehicles. They are different.
Until 1991, private forestlands and roads were open to the public. Private forestland owners enjoyed property tax breaks for providing recreational opportunities to the public, and were generally held not liable for accidents.
Open access ended in the 1990s. Teenagers in Astoria had developed a game they called ‘looping,’ driving loggingroads at night at high speeds, often while drinking. In 1991,two teens “looping” on a logging road south of Astoria ran their car off the road, fell several hundred feet, and died. Their parents sued the landowner for wrongful death, and won a settlement of $8.5 million in 1993. Two years later this verdict was overturned on the grounds that access to the forests was a community good, so the landowner could notbe held liable for accidents (Lavis & Navarro vs. CavenhamForest Industries 1993, Clatsop County Circuit Court). But, within months of the initial accident, the first of thousands of gates went up across logging roads. Even though the original settlement was overturned, gates have remained closed, continuing to bar access.
http://www.npsoregon.org/kalmiopsis/kalmiopsis17/sayce.pdf
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First some history -- In 1985, the Oregon ATV Fund was created to provide off-road recreation financial support from gas tax revenue attributed to off-road ATV use. The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) annually awards more than $4 million in grants to help maintain trail systems; provide education, emergency medical and law enforcement services; and to develop new ATV riding opportunities. Oddly, the OPRD does not build trails in state parks. Instead, OPRD gives National Forest and BLM managers grants to build trails on federal public lands. Rather the the DMV, the OPRD is the agency that issues two year ATV permits for $10.00 but does not require users to display a license number on their vehicle so reporting violations isclose to impossible.
Since 1990, sales of quad (Class I) and off-road motorcycle (Class III) ATVs have increased more than 400%. There are more than 150,000 active ATV operating permits in Oregon. According to the Oregon Motorized Trails Plan: 2005-2014, more than 270,000 Oregonians participated in Off Highway Vehicle (OHV) trail use in the last year. In addition, Oregon’s OHV riding areas are destinations for many tourists. The increased number of ATV enthusiasts brings in money for local communities. OHVs are expensive machines costing several thousand dollars each. Dearlerships help organize and inform their customers about changes to regulations and advocate for their interests in the legislature locally and at the state and federal level.
Before the 2005 travel management rule, a national rule regarding travel management on National Forest System lands,OHV users went were they pleased. The rule was passed because OHVs are destructive and non-compatible with other uses of the forest. The rule requires each national forest to designate those roads, trails, andareas that are open to public motor vehicle use. Designated roads, trails and areas will be identified on a motor vehicle use map (MVUM) and OHV users are required to stick to those.
The days of out-of-control OHV use is over. Quit breaking the law and destroying public property. Quit moving roadblocks, tearing donuts in the fragile soils, and making so much noise that nobody else can enjoy the place.
References
http://www.oregon.gov/OPRD/ATV/docs/HB_intro.pdfhttp://www.fs.fed.us/r4/mantilasal/recreation/final_rule_ohv.pdf
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Who will speak for the forest? A clean environment is very valuable to tourism and our children.
Please ask your Oregon legislator to insist that OPRD include adequate enforcement (all summer and not just holiday weekends) with any grants and require anyone with an ATV permit to display the permit number on their vehicle (so violations can be reported).
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This comment has been deleted at the request of the person who posted. -Sarah Rothenfluch, Executive Producer, Think Out Loud
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This comment has been deleted at the request of the person who posted. -Sarah Rothenfluch, Executive Producer, Think Out Loud
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I live on a ranch in central Oregon and quite often have to listen to my neighbors burn around on dirt bikes, in and out of BLM land, for hours. Do I love it? No. Do I want them prohibited? Definitely not. I am sick and tired of everyone trying to set the world's rules for themselves. People gripe about not being able to get away from OHV noise and disturbance. Hogwash. There are hundreds of places inaccessible to OHV's, either by designation(wilderness) or physical access limitations. I hike, hunt, fish and ride horseback in Oregon's wildlands, and nearly never encounter anyone on an OHV. People that want to continuously complain about these certain specific areas and events are simply trying to prevent others from doing something they enjoy, because they don't approve of it. Live and let live. This is a small planet, and everyone needs to stop starting wars for themselves to fight....
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I am a OHV owner and i have been listening to the discussion about this topic. I have two issues with this topic, #1- There was no discussion about the use of public land for OHV other than in the mount hood area. oregon has lots of OHV owners and it seems to me that there should be areas all over oregon to accomodate everyone. #2- No mention has been made about 4-wheel drive trucks/suv. Now i do understand that these vehicles do even more damage to the terrain than the smaller OHV but, oregon has a lagre amount of these vehicles and they should be considered in this discussion. Not all 4-wheel drive vehicle/suv owners are irresponsible and with proper control, i.e.- numbered permits attached to v.i.n. numbers on vehicles, i believe it could be managed.
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I am an OVH rider, Hunter, Hiker, tried horse back riding too. I praticpate in Trail repairs and managment Also pay my dues to ride. I see what we do to the enviroment and understand the impact on those that hurn and make new trails out there. It feels that all of you special intrest enviomental groups bunch each an every one of us together, giving us all bad names us that keep and try to help keep us in the ever shrinking bounds we all are given to ride.
The noise i agree has beeen getting horrific where it hurts to listen though my helmet its rediculas. I would like to point out that stock exhast mufflers are Well under the current db limmets. Its not what most of you say the 'manufactures' doing. Actually its the owners of the machines them selves that 1 modded them for other uses like racing of some kind, or 2 Poor upkeep. (Yes upkeep for those of you that are not mechanicaly inlcined) The muffler Packing litterly burns away with use. And need being replaced. Most people dont know this and buy an after market one and dose no reseach into what the mufflers specs are.
Now, I have Yet to see any one take the time from the you green people into why those people ride where the they do. Or in the fact to take the effort to think for the moment the more you close down of the legal area to ride or keep us from expanding an area that they wont follow the laws or rules becasue in the days end you left us with nothing to do and no where to go. Now I ask you all to think on this side if you were told you cant Hike, Bird watch, Camp, Or have the area where you go Cut in Half or more. What Would you do? Use some common sence and go in depth and understand before you all pull out the pitch forks and torches. This is why neather side get along or in fact have any respect for one an other.
In my own oppinion if you see fit to cut back my Freedoms as OHV rider, one that actually keeps inside the bounds you all close in on me and the others. All other areas should also be limited, My freedoms have been limited so shall yours. I my self will dread the day that comes to be. So Do us and your selves a favor and use common sence. Quit pointing the finger in a general group and work out those that ruin the fun at our parks of recreation.
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