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Save our trailsU.S. Forest Service program will decide where you can ride Get involved or get shut out.That’s the choice facing trail riders across the country as the U.S. Forest Service launches a massive program to inventory every road and trail on the 193 million acres of public land it manages. This effort, known as the Travel Management and Off-Highway Vehicle program, will take up to four years to complete for all 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands. But under a schedule approved by the Forest Service, the process will be wrapped up in some areas this year. And that means off-road riders need to take action now.National forests represent an extremely important part of the country’s trail system. In states that haven’t developed their own trail systems, they may provide the only public riding opportunities. And even in the West, where the Bureau of Land Management controls a large percentage of public land, national forests still are critical to off-road motorcyclists and ATV riders. About a year ago, the U.S. Forest Service announced this plan to inventory all roads and trails in existence, and to specifically designate those that will be open to motorized recreation. There’s good news and bad news for trail riders in this plan. The good news is that rangers are being told to consider all roads and trails in their forests—even unplanned, user-created trails. The bad news is that if you miss this chance, it will be very difficult to get future consideration for your favorite trails. Each forest or grassland will publish a motor-vehicle use map that will show exactly which routes are legal to ride—and yours may not be on it. "This is a great opportunity for off-road enthusiasts to ensure that we get designated routes where we can legally ride," says Royce Wood, AMA legislative affairs specialist. “If we can demonstrate where trails already exist, land managers and anti-access groups won’t be able to ignore them." Once the mapping stage is complete, each forest will schedule a public-comment period before making final designations of which routes are open to off-highway vehicles. The message, then, is simple: Get out now and map the trails in your local national forest. Share that information with the rangers who administer the forest. Then work with other riding groups in your area to promote your trails through written comments and in public hearings. Yes, it can be hard work to give land managers a map of all the trails in their area, especially when they may not be aware of some of those routes. But several groups are working to make that job easier and more accurate.As you’ll see in our story at ("Map it or lose it," right), the National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council, the Colorado Off-Highway Vehicle Coalition and the video company L&M Productions have combined to create a step-by-step DVD guide to the entire process. Meanwhile, the Motorcycle Industry Council, the Specialty Vehicle Institute of America and Americans for Responsible Recreational Access have partnered with the NOHVCC to design workshops—in collaboration with the AMA, the BlueRibbon Coalition and United Four Wheel Drive Associations—to help bring together Forest Service personnel and OHV enthusiasts. The purpose is to help the Forest Service personnel better understand the needs of the OHV community and to facilitate rider involvement in this process. Want to know more about this massive project? Go to U.S. Forest Service's web page about the program, where you can find further details, plus the scheduled completion dates for all forests. © 2007, American Motorcyclist Association |
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