A view of Mt. Hood from Timothy Lake. Photo by K. Carpenter/U.S.G.S.

Off roaders are going to start seeing a lot of “closed” signs in the Mt. Hood National Forest.

A new Forest Service plan dramatically cuts back where off road vehicles are allowed. Environmental groups couldn’t be much happier.

Just how much of a reduction are we talking about? Currently, off road vehicles are allowed on more 2,300 miles of roads and trails. Under the new rule, they’re allowed on 146 miles in four distinct areas around the forest.

Here’s another big change. The current rules allow off roaders into areas where they are no roads or trails. It’s officially called “cross country” travel. Right now 395,000 acres are open to cross country travel. Under the new plan, it’s zero.

Bark, the environmental watchdog group for the Mt. Hood National Forest calls the new travel plan, “A huge victory.” The group is especially pleased because the travel plan moves off roading away from Wilderness Areas.

From the environmental point of view, here’s the problem. Off roading is a lot more popular than it was 20 years ago. More users mean more stress on the system. Plus, the vehicles are bigger and more powerful. They can do a lot more damage to environmentally sensitive areas. In 2004, the U.S. Forest Service named unregulated off roading as one of the four top threats to National Forests and Grasslands.

They are also conflicts with other users of the forests. When hikers and off roaders share trails, it can be a safety problem. That’s a big reason why Mt. Hood officials say they’re closing off so much of the forest. Besides, if you’re going on a hike to get away from it all, who wants to hear a noisy OHV?

Off roaders will be understandably upset by the new travel plan. They’re losing a huge chunk of the forest. But compared to what’s happening elsewhere in Oregon, Mt. Hood is the exception. All of the national forests have issued new travel plans, or are working on them. Most of them provide lots of miles for off roaders to roam.

Just across the river in Clark County, Washington DNR is planning a major expansion of the the off road trail system in the Yacolt Burn State Forest.

For more information:

Mt. Hood National Forest Travel Management Plan

Earlier Stories:

New Hiking, Off-Road Trails Coming To Clark County

Mt Hood: Putting The Brakes On OHVs In The Forest

Quiet Forests: It’s Decision Time On Mt. Hood

The goal? Creating new opportunities for recreation.

A new management plan proposed by Washington DNR calls for a major expansion of hiking and off-road trails. This includes:

• Building 20-miles of new hiking trails, bringing the total to 55-miles.
• Increasing the miles of motorized trails by 500%, from 14-miles to 73-miles.
• Separating quiet users from off-roaders by giving them different zones in the forest. The goal is to reduce conflicts between these two groups. DNR says it’s also safer when hikers and off-roaders don’t share trails.
• Improving current campsites and trailheads and building new ones.

DNR says two million people live within 45-minutes of the Yacolt Burn State Forest. The western side, where all these new trails will be built, gets about 50,000 visitors annually.

All that attention has created some problems. DNR says it’s dealing with more vandalism, arson, abandoned vehicles and garbage dumping.

Another issue – some 170-miles of unofficial off-road trails that run through ecologically sensitive areas and across streams. Not only do they damage the environment, DNR says many of them are unsafe for riders. The new plan calls for decommissioning nearly all of them.

DNR is holding a public meeting on the plan in Vancouver on Thursday, June 3, starting at 6:30pm. The location is the Clark County Regional Wastewater Building at 8000 NE 52nd Ct, in Vancouver. Written and e-mail comments are being taken until June 1.

The Yacolt Burn State Forest covers about 90,000 acres in Clark and Skamania counties in Washington. This plan affects about 40-000 acres, nearly all of which are in Clark County.

For more information:

Washington DNR: Western Yacolt Burn Forest Recreation Plan

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

Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. Photo from U.S. Forest Service.

A coalition of Oregon and Western environmental groups is suing to block the construction of a new road for OHVs in the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. Called the Riley Ranch Access Project, this new route would allow off road vehicles into an area of the dunes where they’ve never been allowed before.

“The Oregon Dunes already contain thousands of acres open to ORVs,” says Noah Greenwald, with the Center for Biological Diversity.  “Creating a new road in the roadless area is not necessary or in the public interest.”

The coalition is concerned that giving off road vehicles even more access will threaten some of the unusual plant and animals species that call the dunes their home. The area contains several “globally significant plant communities,” five sensitive plant species, and habitat for the snowy plover, a shorebird that’s listed as threatened.

It would also mean fewer quiet places in the dunes for hikers, bird watchers and anyone else who wants solitude. “It’s becoming rare,” says Francis Eatherington of Umpqua Watersheds, “to experience this incredible place without hearing the constant buzz of engines and seeing tire-tracks driven through sensitive and protected areas.  Things have gotten out of hand, and the Forest Service isn’t doing anything about it.”

Today’s announcement was made by Oregon Wild, other groups joining the lawsuit are Cascadia Wildlands and Wildlands CPR.

The Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area stretches roughly 40 miles from Florence to Coos Bay on the Oregon Coast. It is the largest area of coastal sand dunes in North America.

People in the small Clark County town of Hockinson are worried about a proposed high-voltage power line. Some of them are forming a group to see what options they have in keeping the power line away from their neighborhoods. One possible route goes through property owned by the school district. From KPTV Fox12.

Autumn Time And The Fishing Is Easy

Many of the lakes in Central Oregon have been closed for the season, but the fishing is still good in the area’s river.  Trout are especially hungry as they put on weight for the winter, and water levels are low enough to make it easier to hook them.  From the Bend Bulletin.

FROM WEDNESDAY:

Lack Of Water Hurts Eastern Oregon’s Economy

If groundwater restrictions were lifted, it would mean an economic boom to Eastern Oregon. One study estimates that by giving farms full access to groundwater, it would add $340 million to the local economy and add 2,000 jobs. From the Hermiston Herald.

Looking At Biomass In Tillamook County

Public officials and businesses got together this week to consider a biomass plant for Tillamook County. The meeting was for information only and so far, no real plans have come forward. But one county commissioner says it’s only a matter of time before one is built.  From the Tillamook Headlight Herald.

Protecting The Wilderness Of Douglas County

Hudson Spivey with Umpqua Watersheds writes about the need and benefits of wilderness areas in a guest column for the Roseburg News Review. His group is leading a conference on expanding wilderness areas this weekend.

Off Roaders May Get More Access In Southern Oregon

Officials with the Fremont-Winema National Forest are reconsidering how much access they’ll give off road vehicles. The proposed travel management plan calls for letting off roaders use about 6,800 miles of roads and trails. But now they’re thinking of expanding that. From the Klamath Falls Herald and News.

The deadline is tomorrow (Wednesday) by 4:30 pm. Though it’s probably too late to mail a letter, you can email your thoughts to comments-pacificnorthwest-mthood@fs.fed.us.

I’ve covered this issue in detail. For a look at all my stories click on the Quiet Forests category. But to sum it up, the OHV plan would sharply limit where off road vehicles are allowed in the Mt. Hood National Forest. Officials want to set aside certain areas of the forest for OHV trails. They would be banned from the rest of the forest.

But how many areas, and how many miles of trails is still up for debate. Bark is asking everyone to support Alternative 4, the most restrictive of the four plans being proposed. It calls for three off road areas with 96 miles of trails.  Bark says this one does the best job of protecting streams and wildlife habitat, as well as reduce conflicts between off roaders and quiet users such as hikers, anglers, mountain bikers and horse riders.

The Forest Service is leaning towards Alternative 2, which creates six OHV areas with 221 miles of trails.

For more information see the Mt. Hood Forest Projects and Plans website. You may have to scroll down to find the Off Highway Vehicle Travel Management Plan.

To see more about Bark’s view of the plan visit their Mt. Hood Off Highway Vehicle Plan page.

On Tuesday, the Mt. Hood National Forest holds a public hearing on a plan that will dramatically cut back where off roading is allowed in the forest. The off roading community has a lot to lose here, but its members are motivated to speak out and they could dominate the discussion. Environmental groups are trying to get “quiet” users of the forest, such as hikers, backpackers and mountain bikers, to show up as well.

A concern enviros have about the plan is that one of the places set aside for off roading will be next to two wilderness areas.  Mt. Hood officials also want to build 40 brand new miles of off road tracks on the north side of the mountain.

(For more information click on the Quiet Forest category for all our stories on this issue.)

Tuesday’s hearing starts at 6pm in Portland at the University Place Hotel & Conference Center, 310 SW Lincoln.

A second hearing takes place in Hood River on Wednesday at the Hood River Inn, 1108 East Marine Way.  This also starts at 6pm.

The yurts at Beverly Beach State Park near Newport. Courtesy Oregon Parks and Recreation

Then on Thursday, Oregon Parks and Recreation begins a series of meetings around the state on a fee increase for state parks.  They want to raise day use fees from $3 to $5, and annual passes from $25 to $30.  Fees for camp sites would go up $4 per day, and fees for yurts and some cabins will rise $10 per night.

Parks and Rec says the increases will raise more than $4 million from January 2010 through June 2011.

Here’s a full schedule of the meetings.  All start at 6pm and should conclude by 8:30pm.

Sept. 17: LaGrande
City Library, 2006 4th St, Colleen F. Johnson Community Room

Sept 18: Bend
Parks and Recreation District Meeting Room, 799 SW Columbia Street

Sept. 21: Champoeg State Heritage Area Visitor Center
8239 Champoeg Road NE, St. Paul

Sept. 22: Newport
Central Lincoln Public Utility, 2129 N Coast Hwy

These changes are outlined in a new off road travel plan that was just released by forest officials. If it goes through, off roading will be banned in most of the Mt. Hood National Forest, except for six areas that are scattered around the mountain.

Here’s a quick look at what’s being proposed:

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 new plan:

• Off roading is allowed in six areas with about 221 miles of roads and trails.
• Cross country travel is banned.

Courtesy NOAA

The history behind this goes back a little more than a decade. Starting in the late 1990′s, OHV use skyrocketed around the country. Forest officials became worried about the damage caused by off road vehicles that were getting bigger, faster and more powerful. In 2004, the U.S. Forest Service named unmanaged off roading as one of the four top threats to National Forests and Grasslands. The following year, it issued a new rule requiring all National Forests to draw up plans to control the use of OHVs. While recognizing off roading as a legitimate use of forests, federal officials said something had to be done to protect the natural resources.

The plan proposed for Mt. Hood calls for six OHV areas, some of which are controversial with environmental groups.

Bear Creek, on the north side of the mountain near Laurence Lake, calls for building 39 miles of new trails for off road motorcycles and brings off roading to an area where it hasn’t been before.

La Dee Flats, an area near Estacada, has seen heavy OHV use in the past. Environmentalists object that one of the trails goes right between two wilderness areas.

Gibson Prairie straddles the Hood River/Wasco County line northeast of Mt. Hood. The area is shared by horse riders, mountain bikers and off roaders. Forest officials expected the shared use to continue.

McCubbins Gulch near the intersection of Highways 26 and 216 is another area that already gets heavy OHV use.

Peavine, located in southern Clackamas County, is somewhat remote and accessible via forest service roads.

Rock Creek, in the eastern part of the forest, is controversial because it’s near a residential area. Some neighbors welcome the idea of having OHV access nearby while others worry about the noise and pollution.

To learn more, see the DEIS for the Mt. Hood Off-highway Vehicle Travel Management Plan. It lists four alternatives, ranging from doing nothing (very unlikely) to reducing to OHV travel to 3 areas with 96 miles of roads and trails. Mt. Hood officials are calling for Alternative 2 to be approved.

Today’s announcement kicks off a 60-day period of public comment. See the Mt. Hood travel management webpage for information on where to send letters or e-mail.

Forest officials have also scheduled two public hearings.

September 15
University Place Hotel & Conference Center
310 SW Lincoln
Portland

September 16
Hood River Inn
1108 East Marine Way
Hood River

Both meetings start at 6pm.

It comes with the rather boring sounding title of “Travel Management Plan”. But it represents a major shift in thinking and management of the forest.

Like all National Forests, Mt. Hood must come up with a new travel plan that limits the areas where off-road vehicles are allowed to go. Under the old way of thinking, off-roaders can go pretty much everywhere, even if that means going blazing a new trail through a forest, a meadow, or across a stream. Some areas are closed to off-roaders, but for the large part the forest is wide open to them.

Under the new way of thinking, off-roaders will only be allowed on trails that are designated for that kind of activity. And no more going off the trail. That kind of recreation, officially called “cross country travel” won’t be okay any more. In other words, unless off-roaders have permission to be there, they have to stay out.

The change began in 2005 when the U.S. Forest Service ordered all National Forests to draw up plans to limit off-road travel. Back then, we were on the tail end of huge explosion in the numbers of off-roaders using the woods. Off-road machines were getting bigger, faster and stronger – making it easier for the drivers to do great harm to the environment. In 2004, the damage caused by off-road vehicles was officially named as one of the four top threats to the health of the National Forests and Grasslands.

What will happen on Mt. Hood?

It’s too early to say. In a preliminary plan, known as a Scoping Document, Mt. Hood officials propose creating six areas throughout the forest where off-roaders will be allowed.

The next step is the release of the Environmental Impact Statement, which is expected to come out this week or next. The EIS will have an updated version of the Travel Management Plan, plus some alternatives to consider. This will be a very influential point in the process, and will set the agenda for the debate that will play out in September and possibly into October.

At first, the change appears to be a slam dunk victory for environmentalists and quiet recreationists, a group that includes hikers, bird watchers, fishermen, horse riders, mountain bikers and hunters. Any new plan is expected to dramatically limit off-road travel. There are an estimated 3500-4000 miles of roads in the Mt. Hood National Forest. If the current plan was approved without any changes, off-roaders will be limited to about 224 miles of roads and trails.

But local environmental groups are concerned for a number of reasons. One of the proposed off-road areas, called LaDee Flats, is wedged up against two Wilderness areas, the Salmon Huckleberry Wilderness to the northeast and the newly created Roaring Fork River Wilderness to the southeast. An off-roader who doesn’t understand or won’t obey the new rules could easily stray into these wildernesses and do severe damage to environmentally sensitive areas.

Another area, called Bear Creek, is on the north side of Mt. Hood. Deb Wachselblatt of the environmental group Bark says this is considered the “quiet” side of the mountain. “There’s no documented use of that area by motorized users and it’s adjacent to wilderness area,” she says. “It would really diminish that quality if there was motorized use there.” Forest officials propose adding 40 new miles of off-road, single-track, trails at Bear Creek. Mt. Hood’s Jennie O’Connor Card says the off-road community wanted an area where only motorcycles would be allowed, and the forest is trying to fill that niche for them.

Wachselblatt says with only a few law enforcement staffers on the payroll, Mt. Hood officials simply don’t have the resources to make sure the new rules are followed. “It may be the case of a few bad seeds that make rogue trails. But once those rogue trails are established I think other people will probably ride on them,” she says. “The Forest Service is still going to have a problem on their hands.”

O’Connor Card agrees that Mt. Hood has “limited” law enforcement staff, but adds the Forest also works cooperatively with other law enforcement agencies.

(NOTE: Deb has left Bark since our interview with her.)

What’s happening elsewhere in Oregon?

Probably the best person to answer that question is Randy Rasmussen, the West Coast representative for the American Hiking Society. Based in Corvallis, Rasmussen has worked with environmental groups around the state on Travel Management Plans.

Rasmussen says, so far, the results are mixed. For the most part, he likes the plans that have been approved for the Willamette and Siuslaw National Forests. On the other hand, he’s says the draft plan for the Rogue River-Siskiyou Forest is about as bad as it gets. Rasmussen says it converts hiking trails into off-road trails, gives official status to some rogue trails, adds trails in potential wilderness areas and in parts of the forest that are considered “sensitive botanical” areas.

He and Wachselblatt believe that quiet users of the forest have been outgunned in this debate by the off-road community. Rasmussen says quiet users have a big stake in these plans. “If you’re a quiet recreationist, you’re trying to get away from the sights and sounds and mechanized intrusions of modern society,” he says. “But it shouldn’t mean you have to go to wilderness to get that.” Rasmussen thinks it should be easier to find quiet forests that are closer to home.

“Quiet recreationists, by definition, seek out quiet opportunities and that’s becoming a limited resource in our national forests. There are fewer and fewer quiet places in large part because of off road vehicles.”

What happens next?

Once the Mt. Hood travel plan EIS is released, there will be a minimum 30-day period for public comments. Mt. Hood officials will also hold a series of public meetings, and one of them is expected to take place in Portland. A final decision is expected before the end of the year.

RESOURCES:

American Hiking Society: Travel Management Planning

Bark: Mt. Hood Off-Highway Vehicle Plan

Mt. Hood Travel Management Plan (you may have to scroll down this page to find it)

Blue Ribbon Coalition (off-roading group, supported by members and the off-roading industry)

Hikers, fishermen, bikers, wildlife watchers and other “quiet” forms of recreation aren’t just easier on the environment. They play a much bigger role in supporting the local economies surrounding the forests.

A worker cuts down a tree to block an unauthorized ATV trail in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. Courtesy U.S. Forest Service.

That conclusion is based on a study of visitors to the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest in Northeast Oregon. The vast majority of visitors, about 97%, came to enjoy quiet recreation, while only about 3% were OHV riders.

That huge difference in numbers means “quiet” visitors have a much larger impact on the economy of Northeast Oregon than do OHV riders. The study says non-motorized visits generate nearly $19 million in economic activity for the region. More importantly, it says quiet recreation directly supports $2.9 million to $5.4 million in local salaries, representing 137 to 252 jobs.

The study was conducted by Dr. Kreg Lindberg, a Forestry professor at OSU’s Cascades Campus in Central Oregon.

The timing of the report is important because it comes as National Forests across Oregon are developing Travel Management Plans. These plans will determine where OHV riders will be allowed to go in the forest, and just as important, where they won’t be allowed.

Randy Rasmussen with the American Hiking Society says forest managers need to consider the economic as well as environmental impacts of these plans. He points to growing evidence that quiet users won’t return to an area if they’ve had a bad experience because of OHV use. “The noise, the exhaust, the smoke. They came to get away from all that,” says Rasmussen. If they don’t come back, it could have a greater impact on the local economy than restricting OHV access.

Greg Dyson, with the Hells Canyon Preservation Council, hopes that elected officials get the message too. He says that in some counties, OHV riders have greater political influence than quiet users of national forests. Dyson thinks the report sends a message to county officials to “Step back and look at all the facts” before they advocate for greater OHV access.

In the study, “quiet recreation” includes a wide variety of activities including, hiking, biking, fishing and picnicking. It also includes hunters who don’t use ATV’s to get around the forest.

Take Action:

The Wallowa-Whitman National Forest is expected to release it’s Draft Travel Management Plan on June 19. That will be followed by a period of public comment and Dyson expects a final decision towards the end of the year.

Meanwhile, the environmental group Bark is organizing a rally to raise awareness about the Travel Management Plan for the Mt. Hood National Forest. The draft plan will be released in August. Mt. Hood is looking at creating six OHV “play areas” totaling 50,000 acres. Bark is calling the event “Quiet Riot”. It’ll be held Saturday, June 27th. See the group’s website for details.

For more information about our reporting on this topic, see our Quiet Forests category in the left side panel.

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