ORV Rules
Former United States Forest Service (USFS) Chief Dale Bosworth identified unmanaged recreation as one of four major threats the National Forest system lands. As a result, the Forest Service set out a process of managing off-road vehicle (ORV) recreation, known informally as the ORV Rule.
- A motorcycle speeds past a hiker on the Alder Ridge Trail in the Mad River / Entiat area of the Wenatchee National Forest.
This mandate from Forest Service headquarters in Washington, DC requires that each national forest map the known ORV routes on its land, decide which routes they’re going to keep open, where they’ll add new opportunities, and then close existing illegal routes and ban cross-country travel by ORVs.
The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest is now going through this process and has released a draft map of proposed routes, both motorized and non-motorized. Take a look at them here. In March 2009, a proposed action was released to the public for review and comment. The Planning Team is currently analyzing the environmental effects of the alternatives. The Draft Environmental Impact Statement will document this analysis and is expected to be available to the public in late 2010 / early 2011.
Washington Trails Association's Position
WTA believes that this process has get potential and is particularly important on the The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. WTA welcomes a ban on cross-country travel and closure of illegal routes—it’s been a long time coming, and in light of the problems with mudding that the many district face, it is deeply needed.
In some places, the Forest Service has been careful to separate out motorized route development from wilderness and roadless areas. In other places, these elements overlap, creating the potential for user conflict, law enforcement problems, and resource damage. One such case actually routes dirtbikes and ATVs on a road that leads to a Pasayten Wilderness-accessing trail. These changes are an open invitation to motorized trail users to trespass in Wilderness, and we are deeply concerned that they will lead to future conflicts, enforcement problems and resource damage.
WTA is also concerned that some trails being added to the motorized system are user-built, unauthorized trails. The Forest Service must conduct an environmental review of each trail, as mandated by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), before adding any unauthorized trails to the system.
The Forest Service has taken pains to preserve most existing dispersed camping sites while closing the most damaging. In addition to these management changes, the Forest Service must decommission bootleg trails that have been built between many of these dispersed sites, most often by motorized trail users.
Finally, WTA is pleased to see that in this most recent map of proposed routes, the Forest Service has scaled back a proposal that was truly detrimental to hikers. These maps do significantly less damage to the hiking experience, generally speaking. In some cases, particularly in the Entiat region, we believe the hiking experience will be improved by the proposed changes. We appreciate that new motorized recreation opportunities are generally isolated from non-motorized trails, roadless areas and Wilderness.What You Can Do
Since so many of our favorite places to hike are near ORV routes in this forest, we need to make sure that the voices of hikers are heard. It is vital that land managers hear from hikers, so please comment on the proposed trail system changes. This is an opportunity to share your thoughts with land managers.
Here are some specific points to consider when submitting your comments:- Focus on the District(s) and the trails(s) that you know best, and make your input as site-specific as you can.
- WTA is also concerned that some trails being added to the motorized system are user-built, unauthorized trails. The Forest Service must conduct an environmental review of each trail, as mandated by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), before adding any unauthorized trails to the system.
- Motorized trails should be separate from designated Wilderness and roadless areas—particularly roadless areas adjacent to Wilderness—and should be prohibited on fragile ecosystems
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