A view of Mt. Hood from Lolo Pass Road. Photo by Dennis Newman.
The Mt. Hood National Forest is giving itself more time to make a huge decision that will affect just about everyone who uses the forest.
It’s going to spend the spring and summer doing additional environmental studies before making a final ruling on where to allow off road vehicles.
That ruling was expected by today, but now it’s being put off until August.
Mt. Hood officials say they want the extra time to study what are called “survey and management” species. These are animals and plants that require old growth forests to survive. But they’re so rare, or so isolated, they’re especially vulnerable to activities that disturb their habitat.
Federal officials, timber and conservation groups have been fighting for years over how to apply survey and management rules. During the Bush years, the feds tried to eliminate them. But recently a federal judge told the federal officials they had to follow the rules. That decision is what led to today’s announcement.
Of all the National Forests in Oregon, Mt. Hood is by far doing the most to limit off road travel. The preliminary plan calls for creating a handful of places where off road vehicles are allowed – effectively separating them from “quiet users” such as hikers, campers and hunters.
Right Now:
- Off roading is allowed on about 2500 miles of roads and trails.
- Off roaders can drive off trails, officially known as cross country travel, on about 395,000 acres of the forest.
Under the preliminary plan:
- Off roading is allowed in six areas with about 221 miles of roads and trails.
- Cross country travel is banned.
Related Stories:
Mt Hood: Putting The Brakes On OHVs In The Forest
Quiet Forests: It’s Decision Time On Mt. Hood
I hope they DO more study on the idea of closing the forest to the People who are sent the bill to manage them.
Really, there is no problem with ATV use in the MHNF. The Forest Service itself causes more erosion than any ATV trail ever could. You should really GO OUT THERE sometime and see for yourself the sheer amount of roads that have been obliterated and taken away from you. It makes those of us who USED TO use these roads SICK and angry. I enjoy going ATVing and I am out there in the forest often, and I almost never hear or see another ATV. And really…does the sound of an ATV in the distance ruin your outdoor experience?? I seriously doubt it.
We can work together and ALLOW each other access. That is the only solution; allowing MULTI-USE, so that we ALL have an equal right to enjoy Our natural forest areas.
You start regulating who can and who cant …and you have created another problem to keep managed.
We should take examples from other states like Montana, where access is not being restricted, but opened. The rules are: No cross-country travel. Stay on the trails. Multi-use. NO PROBLEMS WHATSOEVER.