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June 19, 2006
OFFICIALS LAUNCH FOREST-WIDE
ANALYSIS OF ILLEGAL OFF-ROAD VEHICLE ROUTES
Agency
Identifies 160 Miles of Unauthorized Roads and Trails Caused by
Irresponsible Off-Roaders
Last week, officials at the Los
Padres National Forest announced the beginning of a multi-year
process aimed at reducing the amount of environmental damage
caused by illegal off-road vehicle use. ForestWatch is preparing
to participate in this process during the summer and fall, and
is looking for volunteers to help with field work.
The agency's
Off-Road Vehicle Route Designation process is part of a new
national program that applies to every national forest across
the country. Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth has called
unmanaged ORV use one of the "four forest threats" facing
America's national forests. To reduce this threat, Bosworth
directed each forest to create an official system of designated
ORV routes for dirtbikes, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), and other
off-road vehicles.
Unlike most other forests, the
Los Padres National Forest already has a system of designated
ORV routes in place. The forest has over 880 miles of designated
ORV routes and roads open to ORV use.
 Over
the years, irresponsible dirtbikers and other ORV enthusiasts
have traveled off these routes, carving new trails through
pristine areas of the forest. Even though cross-country ORV use
is illegal on the Los Padres, there is a fast-growing network of
these illegal user-created ORV trails. These illegal trails
cause erosion, sending large amounts of soil into clean forest
streams. They also damage habitat for rare plants and animals,
and create massive scars across the landscape.
Federal regulations require the
Forest Service to locate and document all of these illegal
trails. After finding an illegal trail, officials will have
three options: (1) close and rehabilitate the trail, (2) convert
the trail for use by hikers, bicyclists, and horseback riders,
or (3) officially designate the trail into the official ORV
system.
 Los
Padres officials began this process in 2004. Earlier this month,
officials announced that they had discovered over 160 miles of
illegal ORV trails on the Los Padres. The agency also released
maps showing the locations of these illegal trails, and asked
the public to provide input on other illegal trails that the
agency may have overlooked.
WHAT'S NEXT
ForestWatch has started its own
inventory of all illegal routes on the Los Padres. Using a team
of volunteers, we are spreading out into Santa Barbara, Ventura,
Kern, San Luis Obispo, and Monterey counties, taking photos of
routes and using Global Positioning Systems (GPS) to pinpoint
the locations of these illegal trails. This exciting new program
is made possible by support from Wildlands CPR and the
California Resources Legacy Foundation, plus the generous
support of our members.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
If you are aware of illegal and
unauthorized ORV trails, we encourage you to tell us about them
so that we can investigate and include them in our report to the
agency.
We're also looking for
volunteers to accompany our Wilderness Trail Surveyor into the
field. Volunteers should be prepared to spend the whole
day out in the field, be able to hike several miles, and be able
to take accurate notes. If you'd like to become a volunteer
field checker, please contact us.
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