Associated Press: Off-road use cut in Mt. Hood National Forest System

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http://www.kgw.com/news/Mt-Hood-National-Forest-cuts-off-road-riding-101684118.html#

by Jeff Barnard, Associated Press

Posted on August 27, 2010 at 3:38 PM

Updated Saturday, Aug 28 at 5:45 PM

GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) -- Four-wheel-drives, ATVs and dirt bikes can only go in designated areas of the Mt. Hood National Forest under a management plan issued Friday that closes 93 percent of more than 2,000 miles of roads and trails that have been open to the vehicles.

The plan puts an end to vehicles being able to go anywhere not specifically posted as off-limits, which the U.S. Forest Service recognized in 2005 was a major source of environmental damage. By going off suitable trails, vehicles can promote erosion, damage water quality, and harm fish and wildlife habitat.

The national forest that serves as an outdoor playground to the Portland metropolitan area was the first in Oregon to finish its plan for managing off-road vehicles. The plans are being conducted by every national forest in the country.

The Mt. Hood plan also bars riding cross-country and concentrates trail riding in four designated areas that will have formal staging facilities. They are known as LaDee Flats, McCubbins Gulch, Mount Defiance and Rock Creek.

The Forest Service did not immediately respond to requests for comment. But in the plan, the agency said many of the routes were closed over safety issues, noting that severe cutbacks in logging left the agency with little money to maintain the existing network of logging roads.

As part of an effort to restore fish and wildlife habitat, the agency will review 20 percent of the 3,383 miles of logging roads each year to decide which ones to decommission and which ones to maintain.

Conservation groups praised the plan for protecting sensitive areas.

"We are really pleased the Forest Service listened to the thousands of Oregonians who asked them to protect drinking water and wildlife habitat," said Lori Ann Burd of the conservation group BARK. "This also recognizes that the vast majority of users on Mt. Hood are not there for OHV use. Over 50 percent of Mt. Hood users are there to hike. Only 0.5 percent participate in OHV recreation."

Erik Fernandez of Oregon Wild said they hoped the Mt. Hood plan would serve as a model for other national forests still working on their plans.

Brian Hawthorne, public lands policy director for the Blue Ribbon Coalition in Pocatello, Idaho, said off-road riders recognized that their sport had caused environmental damage, and they worked with the Forest Service to control it.

But they were disappointed their access to the Mt. Hood National Forest was restricted so much, he said.

"We accept we shouldn't just be able to go anywhere," he said. "Unfortunately, some forests in Oregon and California, their approach has been: 'Not only will we rein in the kind of use everybody agrees is not appropriate, we're just going to cut you to the bone.'

"We love these trails as much as any hiker. We volunteer our time and labor to maintain them. There ought to be better treatment to folks who support the agency's goals."