| A unit of Lasting Forests
evolving since March 30, 1999 |
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A Total Forest Management Plan
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Reported in 2004 Between 1976 and 2000, the number of off-road vehicle users (USFS) increased from 5 million to 36 million, causing conflicts with other users such as horseback riders as well as with the growing number of homeowners who live near national forests.
Off-road riders and their vehicles can produce significant problems on the land. Posting no-trespass signs will rarely be sufficient. "Official Trails only" signs may not work for it's often hard for enforcement staff to tell because the paths are so well-traveled. Ghost roads need to be closed. For outdoors enthusiasts, there's nothing like a hike or cross-country ski trek into the wilderness to experience the rich natural beauty of the back country. But dirt bikes, all-terrain vehicles, snowmobiles or other boisterous off-road vehicles have a way of marring an otherwise serene experience. Their activities conflict with other forest users, such as hikers, hunters and horseback riders.
More disturbing than the noise is the physical damage done to the ecosystem by these illegal roads and trails. The devastation from a few vehicles, cumulative, can become a real threat with meadows churned into dust bowls, wetlands ruined that once that served as spaces for wildlife, and riverbanks collapsed into waterways. Off-road vehicles need to be a part of managed recreation and allowed only on trails marked on travel maps for each Tract. Such maps may be provided to select, well informed users.
Off-road vehicles authorized for trail use include any motorized vehicle that is 40 inches wide (max 72 inches) or less in total width and has 2 or more wheels, tracks, or other contrivances for over-land travel and will operate on a trail with tread width 24 inches wide or less. Four-wheel drive and other motorized vehicles are restricted to system roads. Exceptions are motorized vehicles used for administrative or emergency purposes and use on special-event days. All designated roads open to the public are within State Police enforcement jurisdiction. Therefore, all vehicles using the roads must conform to all State laws and regulation established for such vehicles.
In the past, ORV use has created major problems for resource managers. Their use has increased and there now appears needs for regulations and special plans. A Presidential Executive Order in 1972 directed agencies to "control and direct the use of off-road vehicles so as to protect the resources of those lands, promote the safety of all users of those lands, and minimize conflicts among the various uses of those lands."
One approach to a solution is a improved sign system telling where these vehiches may go.
In an email note Wed, Apr. 14, 2004,
Groups urge national ATV limits
OFF-ROAD RECREATION:The U.S. Forest Service is moving to tighten where ATVs can ride on national forests and grasslands.
BY JOHN MYERS, NEWS TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Nearly 300 conservation, recreation, religious and other groups from 39 states wrote to U.S. Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth Wednesday pressing the agency for strong new rules limiting ATVs in national forests.
Their letter comes as the agency decides how to proceed with new regulations limiting where all-terrain vehicles can ride in the nation's 177 national forests and grasslands.
"Hundreds of organizations representing millions of Americans from small communities in rural America to major cities... called on Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth to put an end to unrestricted, renegade and ecologically indefensible off-road vehicle abuse on our treasured national forests," said Lisa Dix, national forest program director of American Lands Alliance.
One year ago, Bosworth identified unmanaged recreation, particularly off-road vehicle use, as one of the four greatest threats to national forests. He described adverse impacts caused by off-road vehicles, including soil erosion, habitat destruction, damage to cultural and sacred sites, and conflicts with other visitors.
Bosworth also highlighted the growth of unauthorized ATV and dirt bike routes across national forests, and he stressed the need for fast action by his agency to curb the problem. He laid out a vision that would ban cross-country travel in all national forests while asking each forest to develop a system of limited, designated trails and road routes for ATVs that are clearly marked.
That the issue needs attention isn't challenged. In Minnesota alone, ATV registrations have skyrocketed from about 140,000 to more than 205,000 in the past two years. Complaints about ATV conflicts with hunters, hikers and other people in the woods are mounting, as is evidence of widespread erosion and environmental damage.
The new rules would apply to all national forests, but exactly how is unclear. For example, the Superior, Chippewa and Chequamegon-Nicolet national forests already are developing their own ATV regulations as part of their long-term management plans.
On Wednesday, the 290 conservation groups, including more than a dozen from Minnesota and Wisconsin, urged Bosworth to:
Scott Kovarovics, is director of the Natural Trails and Waters Coalition.
Many ATV riders support designating trails, but counter that routes currently being used should not be closed until an adequate network of designated trails is developed. Earlier this week, two groups seeking to protect ATV access to forests -- the Blue Ribbon Coalition and United Four Wheel Drive Associations -- asked Bosworth to retain access for ATV enthusiasts.
"Although we generally support the broad goals of the OHV initiative, we have serious concerns that must be addressed," said Carla Boucher, legal counsel for United Four Wheel Drive Associations.
The ATV groups strongly oppose any rule that would allow riding only on trails with signs, the "closed unless posted open" policy preferred by conservation groups.
"We have strongly cautioned the Forest Service that any change in management must be done legally, with full public involvement," said Bill Dart, executive director of the Blue Ribbon Coalition.
JOHN MYERS He can be reached at jmyers@duluthnews.com. Quoted from Duluth Superior newspaper
There are, on the area, potential conflicts perceived as noncompliance with the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) for the National Forest Management Act (36 CFR 295.2), noise abatement, spark arresters, law enforcement, monitoring and evaluation. The CFR does provide guidance for refining a set of criteria to identify appropriate ORV-use areas.
The potential conflicts with ORVs are real and include:
Using ORVs on ocean beaches can
Some people go to forest and outdoor areas to get away from noise. "Peace and quiet" is a commonly voiced desire or results of outdoor trips. The ORV's noise is usually conspicuous and of a type likely to produce a negative antagonistic psychological reaction in many people. Numbers of vehicles are small (capacity is typically 10,000 recreation visitor days per 1000 acres) but their presence is highly visible and audible to other area users. Users are highly varied in their equipment, experience, interests, and motivations. Vehicle preference, itself is dynamic.
The users of the ORV's can be classed into three types --- "casual rider", "competition rider" and "trail rider" -- as described in the American Motorcycle Association publication Trail Rider's Guide to the Environment. Most cyclists are male (86%). Age is not a factor, only experience.
The "trail rider" is a user looking for a pleasant ride through scenic country requiring some skill on a route more difficult than the usual dirt road. The "trail rider" use will be met by designating a route using a combination of various classes of roads and trails in a loop or designated configuration. The trail is to be signed and marked so as to be easily followed.
The "competitions rider" has special needs with travel usually over a predetermined route calling for proficiency and skill in competition with others - as found in an "Enduro" run. The needs of the "competition rider" (Enduro enthusiast) will be met by issuance of a special use permit for each event to a responsible club or sponsor who is able to provide a restoration bond against possible resource damage. Route for each event is to be selected in advance of issuing the permit. Competition riding opportunities may be needed in the future.
The "casual rider" is described as a hunter or angler who uses his or her ORV as a means to pursue sport into remote areas of the forest. The needs of the "casual rider" will be met by opening and closing various roads to coincide with the hunting season. (Serves a secondary purpose in providing hunter distribution.) Roads in this class will be identified with appropriate signing.
The owner will attempt to furnish a meaningful experience for all three classes of riders but only with minimal conflict with other uses of the area. One conflict is with the objective of energy conservation, both fossil energy and embodied energy.
Use of ORVs for the purpose of protecting and administering the land under permit, lease, or contract and for emergency or law enforcement purposes, of course, is permitted.
It seems possible that on most areas, people of good will having respect for the land, resources, and each other, can eliminate or drastically reduce conflicts. For some people in certain situations this may be impossible. This is regrettable. Efforts to reduce the dissonance will continue. In the spirit of a democracy, with majority rule, it, nevertheless, is possible to separate users from those who object to ORV use in both time and space.
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Since pressure for ORV use on the land is likely to increase, we plan to:
1. Select areas where sound is buffered and erosion potentials are low and can be managed. These will be set aside for ORV use. Others may elect to use the same are, but these are selected and reserved for primary ORV user use. Several areas of about 30 acres (12 hectares) may be selected.
2. Design trails, then locate, and construct them for proper and safe use of ORVs so as to minimize conflicts with other uses and protect resources (SAF 1976). Many old skid trails and narrow openings have invited vehicular traffic that has resulted in ruts where there was never any road construction. These small-rut roads are numerous and are a critical source of erosion. Other trail design criteria are:
3. Control use of ORVs, allowing them only on explicitly designated roads, trails, and areas. Rarely will cross-country movement be allowed. Require equipment such as:
4. Reduce noise production (mufflers, etc.) Operation of ORVs will comply with noise emission standards established by the Environmental Protection Agency, section 6 of Noise Control Act of 1972, P.L. 92-574, or applicable State standards. Electric vehicles may be promoted.
5. Enforce compliance to the extent possible.
6. Avoid creating campsites or other developments within the likely noise zone or soundscape of the major designated ORV areas.
7. Develop clear road, trail, staging areas, campsites, signs, and maps and brochures. All trails will be opened for prescribed use; however, to protect natural resources, motor vehicle use will be permitted only on those system trails designated for their use. The trails designated for motor vehicle use will be signed with the symbol of a person on a motorcycle.
8. Develop a campsite with parking for key area users and ORV enthusiasts.
9. Develop toilets for ORV users.
10. Later require a special license, primarily to assure that rules are known, safety precautions well established, and knowledge of actions to take in an emergency is certain.
11. Prohibit chases of any animals.
12. Fence rare-plant areas.
13. Protect against fire by the requirement that all vehicles powered by internal or external combustion engines shall be equipped with a properly installed approved muffler in good working condition. (e.g., See Spark Arrester Guide, Forest Service, USDA, as referred in FSM 5113.32a -- 2, Item 4.)
14. First we have to educate drivers, riders, observers, and owners about the interests, needs, sport, economy, and efforts of responsible four x four and other ORV participants. Then we have to enforce behavior requirements. On designated trails, no person may operate a motorized vehicle without a valid operator's license or learner's permit, unless accompanied by or in sight of a responsible adult who has a valid operator's license. In addition, no person shall operate a motorized vehicle:
15. Require all wastes to be removed and excessive littering to result in area closure for periods.
16. Provide, where requested and if appropriate, areas in which controlled races may be held by ORV organizations.
17. Encourage all vehicle crossings of flowing streams at designated reinforced crossings.
Snowmobiles
Snowmobile trails will be developed for the primary purpose of satisfying the needs of family group recreational snowmobiling. They may be the only means to stabilize food delivery to wildlife in critical subpopulations.
Vertical Alignment - Sustained grades should not exceed 25% with short pitches to 35% being acceptable provided the bottom approach is straight and level enough to build up the necessary momentum to make the climb safely. The top approach to these pitches should also allow slowing down for making the descent safely. Grades should never exceed 35%.
Horizontal Alignment - Generally, the alignment for new trial location should minimize the need for earthwork in tread construction by avoiding sidehill sections. Ideally, the alignment will cross contours at 90 degrees (as a practical goal, not at an angle greater than that which results in a maximum 5% cross slope).
Abrupt changes in alignment should be avoided. Curves of less than 25-foot radius should never be used. Curve approaching this degree should not be used in conjunction with profile grades of more than 10 percent.
Approaches to junctions with other trails, highways, and railroad grades should be straight and level with sight distance requirements met in accordance with the values given below. The use of speed-reducing curves in advance of final approaches should be considered. The angle of intersection should be not less than 75 degrees.
Sight Distance - Adequate safe stopping sight distance must be provided at all points along the trail. A good rule of thumb is the ability to stop in one half the sight distance. This is necessary to permit the operator to bring the machine to a safe, controlled stop when meeting other traffic, approaching objects blocking the trail, or approaching intersections with other trails, roads, highways, or railroads.
The following values are based on good visibility, level to 10% grades, and groomed trails. Adjustments may be necessary for different conditions. Warning signs must be used when distances are less than these.
| Sight Distance by Operating Speed | |
|---|---|
| Operating Speed (mph) | Sight Distance (feet) |
| 10 | 120 |
| 20 | 220 |
| 30 | 320 |
| 40 | 430 |
Clearing - Trail width clearing should be a minimum of 8 feet with adjustments to meet on-site conditions. Overhead clearing should be to a minimum of 7 feet above average snow depth.
Grubbing - The effort devoted to developing a smooth, well-drained tread, free of obstacles and woody vegetation, will pay off in safety and in reducing cost and time for off-season maintenance. This is especially true in areas of marginal snowfall.
Junctions - An objective for planning and location should be to keep all junctions with trails and other transportation facilities to an absolute minimum. When a snowmobile trail must cross a public road or railroad right-of-way, the responsible authority should be contacted at the earliest possible stage for plan coordination and approval. This will usually include final selection of the crossing point, approval of approach alignment and sight distances, sign plan for both highway and trail, and agreement on respective responsibilities. Some guidelines for trail-to-trail junctions are:
1. No more than two trails shall intersect each other at any point regardless of type.
2. Crossings or T-junction should be made at right angles. In no case should the intersections angle be less than 75 degrees.
3. Approaching warning, regulatory, and guide signing should be carefully designed.
4. Particular attention to grade conditions should be given at junctions between snowmobile and cross-country ski trails. For safety, approaches should be level to minimize the risk of either user, particularly the skier, losing stopping control on a downgrade approach.
The manager may close any road, snowmobile route, trail, or area at any time that he/she finds it necessary and justifiable to protect the resources of the area or users' health or safety. This includes lack of funds for maintenance and restoration.
Plans include to carry on correspondence with local ORV retailers and national organizations to project likely future ORV sale and use, nationally and within the area. Monitor, every 2 years, soil, vegetation, and scent post stations to determine effects and to interview 30 people in the field about effects, if any of ORV noise. It is expected that actual area of impacts will be less than 3% of the total area (TVA 1983).
This section of The Trevey is closely linked to the sections in Noise management, Soil management, Emergency Systems, Recreation, Transportation, Trails, and Law Enforcement.
Recent email(1-23-2000):The popularity of OHVs and other forms of recreational transportation has grown exponentially since the 1970s. Technological advances have made it possible for OHVs to reach more and more remote terrain. Suburban sprawl, especially in the West, has turned once-remote public lands into playgrounds for OHV owners.
The BLM (Bureau of Land Management) has kept an eye on OHV use since the early '70s. Two policy papers, one adopted in 1972 and the other in 1977, established procedures for regulating the use of OHVs on federal land. But many of the policies are outdated and don't account for dramatic changes in the environment.
The number of endangered and threatened flora and fauna on BLM land has jumped from more than 50 in 1982 to nearly 300 in 1997. While these public lands suffer, BLM's resources, including recreational specialists and law enforcement personnel, haven't kept pace with increasing OHV traffic.
BLM's resources, including recreational specialists and law enforcement personnel, haven't kept pace with increasing OHV traffic. "Our agency is developing this strategy at a time when westerners recognize the crucial role that BLM lands play in maintaining the appeal and lifestyle of their fast-growing, fast-changing region," said Fry. "Now, more than ever, the public is turning to BLM-managed land as the final frontier for wide open space, as an outdoor recreational playground and as a sanctuary from the stresses of urban life. The OHV management strategy will recognize the importance of each of those values. "
The agency has established OHV regulations for about 90 percent of the public lands under its jurisdiction. About 37 percent of that real estate, or 94,850,054 acres, is open to OHV use. Travel off existing roads and trails in these areas, which include sand dunes and dry lake beds, is permitted.
Of the remaining land, 49 percent is designated "limited" and 4 percent is closed to motor vehicle use. Limited-access areas generally restrict vehicles to travel on designated roads or trails.
"The strategy to be developed will reflect substantial input from OHV user groups, environmental organizations, state and local agencies and the general public," said Henri Bisson, assistant director for planning and renewable resources at the BLM. "Once the strategy is written, the BLM's next challenge will be to implement it. I am confident that with adequate resources and the help of our public and private partners, we can achieve our on-the-ground goals." ***
posted Wednesday, June 7, 2000
By DENNIS WEBB The Glenwood Post
GLENWOOD SPRINGS -- Roadless areas are not equivalent to areas off-limits to motorized uses on national forests.
Both a White River National Forest official and a representative of a local citizen coalition that advocates for such uses have made that point in connection with a new roadless area initiative by President Clinton. And a local environmentalist would like to see the situation changed.
The motorized vehicle rule applying to roadless areas was a point of distinction made Monday by Mike Herth, resources director for the WRNF, during an open house the agency held at the 1st Choice Inn on Clinton's initiative.
"There is no such thing as an ATV trail. It's just a smaller road." said Richard Compton of the Aspen Wilderness Workshop. Based on that initiative, which was announced last October, the Forest Service is proposing generally halting road building and reconstruction in nearly a quarter of the 192-million-acre national forest system. In the 2.2-million-acre WRNF, 642,000 acres would be affected.
These include a total of 89 areas. Some of the largest include Red Table Mountain near Basalt, at 39,100 acres; Mamm Peak in western Garfield County (25,330 acres), and Sloan Peak near Basalt (19,840 acres).
Herth pointed out that roadless areas are defined as those without roads capable of being driven by a full-sized vehicle. These roads are 50 inches or more in width.
All-terrain vehicles still can travel in some roadless areas, on smaller trails.
"Some people have confused this with a motorized use issue," Herth said of the roadless initiative. "It shouldn't be confused with that."
Randy Parsons, president of the White River Forest Alliance, a forest user group made up of motorized vehicle enthusiasts and other recreationists, agreed that the matter "is confusing to a lot of people."
Richard Compton, of the Aspen Wilderness Workshop environmental group, would like to see things cleared up by banning ATVs and snowmobiles from roadless areas, just as all motorized vehicles are banned from wilderness.
"I think the Forest Service has been doing its best to avoid that issue for a long time and I think it continues to do so," he said.
"There is no such thing as an ATV trail," he said. "It's just a smaller road."
"Parsons disagrees, saying ATV paths are only 40 inches wide and consist of two parallel trails. ATV tires exert fewer pounds per square inch than human footprints do, he said.
Hearing Compton's concerns about ATVs leaves Parsons suspicious of where the roadless initiative could head, and worried about a possible ban on motorized use. He notes that the roadless initiative supposedly would continue to allow existing uses, instead only precluding future uses. "On the face of it I think that sounds pretty innocuous, but I don't know what it really means," he said. "What worries me is the camel's nose under the tent. They say they're not going to close trails, but why call it roadless, why the hurry to get it through?"
Public comments on the proposal must be received by the agency (not just postmarked) by July 17,2000, and the final decision is expected this fall, before Clinton leaves office. "I think the whole thing's political. Clinton's move is a political move to help get (Vice President) Al Gore into office," said Parsons.
Compton said the Aspen Wilderness Workshop generally supports the measure, in part because it protects diverse, lower-elevation habitat not generally protected by current wilderness designations. However, he said he would prefer that it allow no logging of any kind. He also wishes that the measure wouldn't not have excluded the Tongass National Forest in Alaska from its provisions.
A decision regarding the Tongass would not occur until 2004 under the proposal. Elsewhere, logging would still be allowed where it occurs via helicopter use or from existing roads. Other alternatives the Forest Service considered would have banned logging altogether, or except in the case of forest stewardship purposes.
Nationally, the initiative as it stands is expected to cut logging activity by only a few percent. Herth said the WRNF doesn't know how much logging would be affected locally, but he estimated the impact would be minimal.
"A lot of these roadless areas, a lot the time there's good reason for them being roadless, so a lot of the time the impact (on logging) wouldn't be that great," he said.
Compton noted that the roadless area road construction moratorium that preceded the initiative put a stop to a proposed logging project near Basalt.
He said that as he understands it, Gore has endorsed a more restrictive roadless initiative that would prohibit logging. Gore's presumptive Republican opponent for president, Gov. George Bush of Texas, has called for more management discretion on the roadless issue, Compton said.
"If you can get through the oatmeal, I think he's basically against (the initiative)," he said.
Parsons said the roadless initiative is not as controversial as the WRNF's draft long-range management plan has been, and his group is not opposed to the initiative based on any fundamental principles.
"There's nothing I can point to right now and say that's a horrible, awful thing," he said.
He likes that it seems to leave a lot of the management decisions at the local level. But Parsons' group probably will oppose the measure on general principle as being rushed through too quickly and with too little understanding of its consequences, he said.
Even local forest officials acknowledge not fully understanding its implications, he noted.
"If they don't have a real handle on it, then I certainly don't have a handle on it. That's why I'm a little leery on how quickly it's going through."
The initiative is being made to protect wildlife habitat, watersheds and open space, and to avoid appeals associated with road projects and the need to maintain more roads when the Forest Service already faces $8.6 billion in backlogged road maintenance and reconstruction costs.
A public comment session that preceded the issuing of the roadless initiative draft proposal produced 365,000 responses. The Forest Service is now holding more than 300 meetings on the proposal nationwide. A second local one, a formal public hearing, will be held Thursday, June 22, from 4-7 p.m., also at the 1st Choice Inn.
Herth said the timing of the initiative will work out well in that a final decision will come in time to be incorporated into the WRNF's overall revised forest plan. Otherwise, said WRNF Supervisor Martha Ketelle, the plan would have to be later amended to incorporate the initiative.
Locally, some of the important areas to conservationists that fall under the initiative include the geologically unique Assignation Ridge area south of Carbondale, and areas around Basalt that have been targeted for logging. Compton said there also is some important habitat near Leadville that could provide crucial connecting corridor for lynx and other animals traveling between existing wilderness areas.
Part of the roadless debate involves defining what a roadless area is. Compton believes huge tracts surrounding roadless areas at Grizzly and Main Elk creeks in the Flat Tops are being improperly excluded from roadless designation. ***
To address what it calls growing concerns related to off-highway vehicles, the U.S. Forest Service announced this week that it will limit riding unlicensed vehicles to daylight hours.
All-terrain vehicles and dirt bikes riding on trails in the state's three national forests will be affected. That includes nearby Ocala National Forest, forest service officials said in a news release. The forest service will permit unlicensed vehicles from 1 1/2 hours before sunrise to about 1 1/2 hours after sunset.
Forest managers are mostly concerned about safety and noise from riding at night, according to the release. The forest service drafted the policy to address both concerns, spokeswoman Denise Rains said.
When the forest service sought comment on this proposal, forest users sent passionate responses pro and con on both proposals, Rains said in the news release. The policy does not affect public roads within the forests, officials said.
In August, 2007 there appeared correspondence about effects of ORVs and shortly afterwards the following:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Southern Four Wheel Drive Association Heather Spivey 1483 N. Mt. Juliet Road PMB # 222 Mt. Juliet, TN 37122 hspivey @ bellsouth.net 678-463-7376
Southern Four Wheel Drive Association Protecting Environmental Health of the Upper Tellico ORV Area
Southern Four Wheel Drive Association (SFWDA) is acting to address statements made against the U.S. Forest Service alleging violations of the Clean Water Act and other federal and state laws at the Upper Tellico Off-Road Vehicle (ORV) Area in the Tusquitee Ranger District in the Nantahala National Forest. The North Carolina Council of Trout Unlimited and Tennessee Council of Trout Unlimited accompanied by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) and the Southern Appalachian Biodiversity Project have threatened to sue the United States Forest Service on grounds that they have violated the Clean Water Act and other federal and state environmental regulations. The groups are demanding the Forest Service close a significant number of the designated ORV trails. This notice represents a formal threat of suit clearing the grievants' path to the courthouse should the agency refuse to capitulate to their demands.
Known as the Upper Tellico Off-Road Vehicle (ORV) Area, Tellico is one of the premiere facilities for four wheel drive enthusiasts in the country and offers a variety of experiences for different types of off-highway vehicles. The Tellico ORV Area also provides significant economic benefits to the tri-state region surrounding the area, including North Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia
Commenting on the recently filed notice, Heather Spivey of the Southern Four Wheel Drive Association, said, "We are reviewing the notice of intent to sue and intend to provide more accurate information for the US Forest Service to consider."
Southern Four Wheel Drive Association (SFWDA) provides extensive environmental stewardship in the area including restoration of trails and surrounding environment, installing silt screens and traps, building bridges to protect stream quality, and constructing trail head facilities such as parking lots, loading ramps, signs, bulletin boards, and restrooms.
Spivey, who has over a decade of water quality regulation experience, also stated, "It appears at first blush that the erosion issues recently publicized by the involved parties are inaccurate. They failed to account for the significant investment from Southern Four Wheel Drive Association (SFWDA) and their membership to improve erosion control measures and to remedy siltation issues within the Upper Tellico ORV Area."
In 2005 and 2006 alone, SFWDA volunteers contributed thousands of hours of labor, equipment, and materials valued at over $100,000. "Southern Four Wheel Drive Association is committed to preserving the Upper Tellico ORV Area while protecting the water quality and trout populations of the Tellico River. Our Association is made up of member clubs consisting of sportsmen that also hunt, fish, and believe that everyone should have the right to enjoy their public lands, including motorized family recreationists," stated David Borum, nationally-known Director of Legislative Affairs for Southern Four Wheel Drive Association.
Southern Four Wheel Drive Association is working with the BlueRibbon Coalition and United Four Wheel Drive Associations and their attorneys to ensure that motorized recreation stakeholders interests are protected when legal proceedings are initiated by the involved parties.
Southern Four Wheel Drive Association (SFWDA) was founded in 1987 to promote responsible land use and to keep public lands accessible for motorized recreation. Since the formation of Southern Four Wheel Drive Association, the focus and mission is to promote responsible land use and to help keep public lands open for motorized recreation. For more information on the activities and accomplishments of Southern Four Wheel Drive Association, please visit www.sfwda.org or contact us at 1483 N. Mt. Juliet Road, PMB # 222, Mt. Juliet, TN 37122
United Four Wheel Drive Associations (UFWDA) is the global leader of all-brand four wheel drive enthusiasts. UFWDA is a group of individuals, clubs, state, regional, provincial and national associations and businesses in the United States and around the world with members spanning the globe from the U.S. and Canada, New Zealand, Australia, England, Japan, South Africa, and Iceland. If you would like more information on how you can be a part of this effort contact United Four Wheel Drive Associations today at 14525 SW Millikan Way #22622, Beaverton, OR 97005-2343, 1-800-448-3932 or visit www.ufwda.org.
The BlueRibbon Coalition is a national recreation group that champions responsible use of public and private lands, and encourages individual environmental stewardship. It represents over 10,000 individual members and 1,200 organization and business members, for a combined total of over 600,000 recreationists nationwide. 1-800-258-3742
Possible contacts: - www.sharetrails.org, http://www.sfwda.org/trails/tellico/lawsuit2.html
Warrior Society, the International Mountain Bicycling
Association, and Trails 4 All (California email, 2007)
Ben Greene of Widner, Florida,, a member of the Georgia Trail Riders off-road club said it’s hard for some people to understand why he and his friends choose to explore the forest in their SUVs.
Greene said in a 2008 newspaper
"It’s a bit of an adrenaline rush," he explained. "You
see these big obstacles and you try to get over them.
It’s a challenge to see what your vehicle can do."
Literature Cited
Society of American Foresters SAF. 1976. The use of off-road vehicles on public forest lands: a position of the Society of American Foresters [Nov. 12, 1975], J. For. 74: 123-124.
TVA. 1983. ORVs at Turkey Bay. Impact: TVA-Natural resources and the environment: 6(1):2-4.
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy. 1989. Converting rails to trails: a citizen's manual for transforming abandoned rail corridors into multipurpose public paths, Washington, D.C. (HD 205 1989 C66)
Iverson, R. M., B. S. Hinckley, and R. M. Webb. 1981. Physical effects of vehicular disturbance on arid landscapes. Sci. 212:915-917.
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Last revision September 1, 2002;August 18, 2007.