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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.

Tellico ORV Area Under Attack

MOAB Under Attack!

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

July 9, 2007
Deschutes and Ochoco National Forests (Oregon) Next Up On OHV Travel Plans List!
Currently in the 2.5 million acres of the Deschutes and Ochoco National Forests, ORVs can drive anywhere they want as long as it’s not in a prohibited area and doesn't’t damage resources. That rule is going to change in a couple of years, however. ORV use will be restricted to designated trails and specified areas. The Forest Service will be holding a series of public meetings in central Oregon in the next couple of weeks to talk with people who use the forests about some proposed changes.

The changes could affect not only the people who drive ATV and motorcycles, but also campers and hunters who drive to reach campsites. This all stems from the 2005 travel management rule, which states that national lands must designate specific trails and areas for use including motorized travel such as motorcycles, ATVs, and other OHVs. The travel plans for Deschutes and Ochoco national forests is scheduled to be released in 2009. Forest Service staff held meetings last year supposedly soliciting public input on favorite spots for activities in the forests. Although there aren’t specific trails proposed, the agency reportedly wanted to get comments before they started drawing up more specific proposals.

The Forest Service assembled a working group of about three dozen people, representing a range of organizations and interests to get some ideas of trail use. During a four-month period, the group met a dozen times to develop a series of recommendations about potential trail systems and access to camping areas. The gist of the matter is that we are going to lose riding areas and trails. There is no question of this, and I really understand why. We're not the only ones using the forests and others like to get away from the sounds of modern life. That's all okay with me as long as we receive fair consideration and are allowed the use of a proportionate amount of the forests! There is 2/5 million acres available and we should see an equitable amount of land opened to OHV use.

As one ORV enthusiast put it “you have your radicals on both sides..” It appears there were radical elements that wanted to eliminate motorized use altogether. What else is new? Another ORV user added that he hopes that the trails the Forest Service ultimately designate include areas for the different types of motorized vehicles, a variety of trail difficulties, and trails that are long enough. Amen to that brother! He hopes there will be a good turnout at public meetings regarding the travel plans as participation from the OHV contingent has been low in the past. If you're going to preserve your rights to use as much of the land as possible, you are going to need to attend these meetings and have your voices heard (don't just sit back, let them do what they want, and then whine about it later!).

The scheduled public meetings are as follows:

From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Monday (July 9th) at Summit High School, 2855 N.W. Clearwater Drive in Bend.
From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday (July 11th) at La Pine High School, 51633 Coach Road in La Pine.
From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on July 17 at Crook County High School, 1100 S.E. Lynn Blvd. in Prineville
From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on July 19 at Redmond High School, 675 S.W. Rimrock Drive in Redmond

Quest For New Hampshire ATV Park Ends In Disaster for Owners
Larry and Sharon Boisvert purchased 525 acres of land in southern New Hampshire in an attempt to turn it into a private ATV park. Their dream instead turned into a nightmare filled with political and legal battles that will finally end when the land is sold at auction next week! The Boisverts fought a gallant battle but ended up losing a decision in State Supreme Court that lead to their decision to walk away (a $300,000 mortgage was foreclosed upon by a private revocable trust that holds it). Boisvert was quoted as saying that he was a victim of politics, had spent way too much money on legal battles to hold onto the land, and had received unfair coverage by the press.

As soon as they started advertising the property as an ATV riding place with overnight camping, the nearby residents started voicing complaints about concerns of noise and traffic. Lyndeborough politicians, almost immediately cited town laws forbidding overnight camping and issued a cease-and-desist order in 2001. Mont Vernon pols followed suit the following year. Thus the legal battles began. They ended in 2004 when the New Hampshire Supreme Court ruled that state law does not override a town’s authority to require such things as site-plan review or traffic studies. No public trails have opened in southern New Hampshire since then, and none probably ever will!

Larry and Sharon Boisvert are now scheduled to face trial in October for allegedly assaulting a neighbor during an argument in April 2006. Mr. Boisvert, having personally gone through something like this myself, my heart goes out to you. I'm sorry that things didn't work out and I wish you well on your future endeavors. I hope that they put in a landfill on the property now. This is a great example folks of what private off-road parks battle every day of their existence. Politicians are hypocritical jackals. Only looking out for their political well-being. When the citizenry gets upset, they will do whatever placates them whether it is fair or not. They are only concerned that they stay in office. What kills me in this scenario is that the neighbors complained about theoretical noise and traffic. How do we know that there was going to be any problems? When you can have landowners' rights stripped away based unsubstantiated concerns, it becomes a very scary scenario.

Petition In Support of Creating an OHV Park in Rhode Island
The push has started to open an OHV park in Rhode Island by members of RIOHVA (Rhode Island Off Highway Vehicle Assoc.). Why not go and sign their petition and offer them support. We need all of this we can get across the country. Learn more at RIOHVA's web site.

Proposed ATV Park in the Adirondacks (NY) Is Opposed By Environmentalists
What a surprise! We have some private landowners proposing to place an ATV park in a remote area of New York and the enviro-wackos are coming out against them. The landowners, Richard and Kathy Mohring, cited a lack of public land for ORVs has given a proposal for a motocross, ATV and campground park on 738 acres in Johnsburg and Thurman counties. Plans call for three ATV and three motocross tracks, 30 miles of back-country trails, four homes, six rental cabins, a maintenance shop and a bridge. The name of the proposed park is RPM's @ Glen Creek . These folks applied to the Adirondack Park Agency for approval of the park's plans in April, but a conservation group immediately opposed the project and asked for it be located somewhere else. The enviro-wacko group's, Residents' Committee to Protect the Adirondacks, Executive Director Peter Bauer has been reported to have said that Rpm's at Glen Creek would severely damage the environment and ruin the rural aesthetics for those living in the area. Bauer was reported to have said "We feel it's a bad project for that piece of land and a bad project for the park....Maybe there are other places in the state more appropriate."

Mr. Bauer and his ilk are just plain ole hypocrites. Just where can a park be placed sir? Each and every place someone chooses the same things are said! We understand the need for protecting the environment, but this is ridiculous! People like to ride and want, need and deserve a place to ride. You wackos don't want to allow us new places and you go around shutting down existing places.

A New Watchdog Group Formed Against "Outlaw" ORV Riders
Just what we need another watchdog group, but hey they are reportedly only against outlaw ORV riders. Yeah, we're really going to believe that one! Remember the tactics: sound reasonable, only be against those breaking the rules, then go after total elimination. That is how these people operate! The conservation group, PEER (Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility) has launched a campaign to toughen enforcement against off-road riders who "carve up delicate ecosystems" (no they're not biased). The group is formed of former public lands rangers and administrators and is called Rangers for Responsible Recreation. These are former top officials of the US Bureau of Land Management and the US Forest Service, and they have already called off-road vehicles the top threat to public lands. They will be pushing for tougher laws allowing confiscation of off-road vehicles when drivers are cited for violations and jail time for repeat offenders. Just take a look at their web site and you'll see that PEER is an environmentalist group and, looking like they could easily be against all ORV users and not just the lawbreakers. Take a look at their Rangers for Responsible Recreation and what they had to say.

This is one of their stated goals "3. End Hidden Costs to Taxpayers: Taxpayers are footing the bill for the damage and havoc caused by reckless off-roaders. As yet, we do not know the full extent of these costs. Congress needs to conduct a thorough investigation and enact common sense solutions to the growing off-road problem." Aren't offroaders taxpayers too? We pay for all kinds of programs only the extremists want, how is that fair or equitable? It looks to us like these folks could be very dangerous. They have already gotten a ton of press! We are all for heavy penalties for the rule breakers! But, we cannot side with folks like this because I strongly believe that their underlying and stated goal is the total elimination of ORV activities.

New Trail Opened in MI's UP and Northern Wisconsin
The Pioneer Multi-Use Trail was officially opened to ATVs on June 30. A rider can go east of Iron River and actually ride an ATV to trails that start north of Green Bay, Wis. Trail maintenance is shared by two clubs, the Lake Gogebic Snowmobile Club and the Superior Snowmobile Club.

July 2, 2007
Tellico Under Attack!
This is no joke. The Tellico ORV Area is now under attack! According to the Southern Environmental Law Center and some conservationist groups, The U.S. Forest Service is violating multiple federal and state laws (and its own regulations) by failing to prevent dirt/mud from eroded trails (ORV trails) from polluting the streams in the Tellico River watershed in the Nantahala National Forest in North Carolina and Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee. It is reported that the silt is devastating one of the last strongholds for native brook trout in North Carolina and Tennessee, a native species in decline in both states.

According to the conservationist groups, the Tellico area has twice as many designated ORV trails as allowed by the Forest Service's own plan - not to mention the numerous illegal trails. The agency (Forest Service) has also documented dozens of areas where it reports that trails are within 100 feet of streams, which is against its own rules. In wet conditions, the eroded trails turn into ditches that send muddy water (heavy silt) directly into nearby creeks and streams, violating state and federal (turbidity / siltation) water laws. The Forest Service has been asked repeatedly to do something about the ORV damage, but it is reported that little action has been taken. In their letter (dated June 28th) the groups - the North Carolina and Tennessee Councils of Trout Unlimited, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), and the Southern Appalachian Biodiversity Project - notified the Forest Service of their intent to sue for repeated violations of the Clean Water Act and other laws.

DJ Gerken, staff attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center, which represents the groups, said "The Forest Service has come up short in taking decisive action to fix this problem. We are letting them know that the law is unambiguous - water quality and mountain trout come first."

The groups are calling on the Forest Service to permanently close the most environmentally damaging trails, and temporarily close the entire system in the wettest months.

This will be a big battle folks and we had better be prepared for a huge dogfight to keep Tellico anywhere near what it is today, a 4x4 wheeling Mecca!

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Other important offroad / OHV / Public Land articles!
Look over all of these important articles and happenings with public land battles.

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