The plan was nearly four years in the making. Staff attorney Lori Ann Burd of the conservation group BARK said the Travel Management Plan is a "significant step toward protecting wildlife, drinking water and quiet recreation" in the national forest.
People operating motorcycles and other all-terrain vehicles are limited to about 146 miles of designated roads and trails in the LaDee Flats, McCubbins Gulch and Rock Creek areas of the forest. Previously, 36 percent of Mount Hood's 1.1 million acres were open for off-road vehicle use, according to BARK estimates. Vehicles were allowed on 2,312 miles and cross-country travel was allowed.
Burd said the limits are in line with the way people use the forest. About 53 percent visit Mount Hood National Forest only to hike, according to Forest Service surveys, and less than one percent of visitors ride off-road vehicles.
By setting clear geographic limits, the plan revision will make it easier for law enforcement to monitor off-roaders, Burd said.
--Eric Mortenson
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