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Archived OHV Articles
Important
Info.
We
feel that some articles and information are so important that they should always
be accessible. We've listed them below and hope that everyone will read them.
US Forest Service Abusing programs and we're losing land use!
Editorial Article about the misuse of Recreation Site Facility Master Planning (RSFMP) program
National Forests Could See Large Closures - enough said!
California OHV Funding At Risk!
Informative Article About The US Government and the Recreation Site Facility Master Plan (RSFMP) program. - a must read!
Articles of Interest To The Off Road Community
March 16, 2007
BLM
Has Knee-jerk Reaction And Closes 3,985 Acres of Public Land In Nevada
On March 15th the BLM bowed
down to environmentalist pressures and announced an emergency closure of 3,985
acres of public land known as Sand Mountain Recreation Area to all OHV vehicles
to protect the rare Sand Mountain blue butterfly. Reportedly the species is suffering
from increased habitat loss due to the growing number of ORV trails. The closure
was a response to a petition to list the Sand Mountain blue butterfly under the
Endangered Species Act. This is how the greenies get their way! Just a month ago
the BLM announced that they would allow the ORV area to remain opened. The greenies
get boisterous and file some fancy paperwork and there you are! The Sand Mountain
Recreation Area consists of 4,795 acres of public lands that have completely open
to unrestricted ORV use in the past.
New
KY Off-Road Park Grand Opening On Weekend of March 30-April 1st
HillzNHollarz Offroad Park
is having their grand opening March 31st through April 1st.
Idaho
Senate Panel Stops ATV Paved Road Ban
A
Senate committee killed a bill that would have banned off-road vehicles on city
and county roads unless local officials passed rules to allow them. Panhandle
ATV riding groups and sheriffs lobbied against House Bill 187, contending it would
cause confusion and hinder riders. But supporters said the move obstructs state
efforts to comply with federal vehicle safety requirements and to regulate other
unconventional vehicles. Some counties, such as Kootenai and Shoshone, allow ATV
riders with motorcycle license plates to ride on pavement as long as they follow
traffic laws HB 187 aimed to bridge that discrepancy by prohibiting ATVs on local
roads unless officials allowed them. The Idaho House passed the bill without debate,
but ATV groups pressured senators for more time to negotiate a compromise. One
ATV advocate group told the politicians that the current situation has worked
for years and the proposed legislation would only burden local governments with
creating unnecessary ordinances. The State Senators apparently listened. Just
goes to show you what can happen when you get politically active and speak up.
Big
Cypress National Preserve (FL) OHV Trails Reopened!
The preserve's managers agreed to reopen 22 miles trails that cut through the
Bear Island section. Environmentalists, had successfully sued for limits on the
use of the trails, were not happy with the decision.
A Greenie Speaks Out Against Reopening of ORV Trails In Florida
BLM
Looks To Limit OHV Use With Management Plans In Colorado
"Management
Plans" for BLM lands in San Miguel, Ouray, Delta, Montrose and Gunnison Counties
are being revised/redone, and it doesn't appear that the news will be good for
the OHV crowd. The BLM Uncompahgre Field Office has made the first move in changing
“Open” designation to “Limited to Existing” for motorized vehicles within the
entire 578,000-acre planning area. The BLM is holding a 45-day public commentary
and information gathering period that is supposedly intended to provide information
about the project and to gather input from the public in determining issues to
be considered during the environmental review process, which will take approximately
18 months. According to a BLM manager there are two parts to the new plan which
are to take all the areas that are open to motorized cross county travel and limit
all activities to existing routes and roads. A question I have is what is considered
a route? The second part of the plan will see the BLM looking at land between
Dave Wood Road and the Delta/Nucla road and making route by route decisions on
whether to allow them to stay open or be closed. Why have the meetings bureaucrats,
when you've apparently already made your decisions?
Utah
Counties and OHV Group File Suit Against Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
Several Utah counties and a town joined an ORV advocacy group in filing suit against
the Bureau of Land Management over the agency's OHV closures in the Factory Butte
area of Wayne County. The BLM says that the historic OHV use threatened some endangered
cactus species. The BLM put in force rules limiting motorized vehicle use to 220
miles of trails and a 2,600-acre OHV riding zone, locally known as Swing Arm City.
The Factory Butte BLM area contains almost 200,000 acres. The lawsuit charges
that the BLM's action has "permanently biased" the agency against OHV use as it
completes a supposedly non-biased management plan for how the Factory Butte area
can be used. The suit seeks for the court to overturn the temporary restrictions
pending completion of the plan and an accompanying environmental study. The plaintiffs
also want the court to ensure that they are allowed to participate in preparation
of the management plan and that it is developed consistent with county land use
plans to the maximum extent.
New
Jersey Off-Road Park Set To Close In 2008
Hundreds of ORV enthusiasts have contacted the Pinelands Commission, expressing
their concerns and frustrations over the closing of New Jersey Off-Road Vehicle
Park next year. Many predict that the closure will worsen problems with illegal
riding. The 10-year agreement for the park expires in 2008, and the state is far,
far behind schedule in its promise open two off-road parks. One of the parks was
supposed to have been opened already! A goal set in 2005 by former state Department
of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bradley M. Campbell. Environmentalists,
while apparently giddy over the park closure in 2008, are opposed to any park. The Sierra Club is opposed to
the creation of any off-road parks. Their position now is that doing so would
be a diversion of funds using public money for private interests. A club spokesman
said that they would go to court to prevent it.
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