The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service says "unmanaged recreation" is threatening our national forests. One instance of this type of recreation occurs when all-terrain vehicle (ATV) riders ride off trails wherever they wish. Illegal trails are now showing up everywhere. Motorized vehicle abuse
has been called one of the biggest problems facing public lands.
The Forest Service reports:
- One of the fastest growing forms of outdoor
recreation involves the use of off-highway vehicles .(OHVs) OHV users have grown tenfold since
1972, from approximately five million to 51 million in 2004. OHV users
account for about 11 million annual visits to the national forests and
grasslands.
- Surveys conducted in 1983 and 1995 show that Americans over the age of 15 who:
- Used OHVs sometime during the year grew from 4 to 14 percent.
- Took recreational trips to distant destinations grew from 40 to 67 percent.
- Of visitors to the national forests, 11 million visits involve OHV use.
-
Decreasing availability of open space outside of pubic land along with
the surge in the use of OHVs is likely to increase the demand for OHV
use on NFS lands.
- Other public and private
lands will be affected by the increasing use of OHVs. Increased
population growth, urbanization, and changing demographics are creating
competition for space and activities.
The Associated Press has this to say about the problem:
A report released earlier this summer by
Wildlands CPR, a Montana-based group that aims to stop off-road vehicle
abuse, encourages stiffer patrols, tougher penalties and electronic
monitoring to deter ATV drivers. It also suggests encouraging more
self-policing by closing the legal off-road areas hit by repeat
offenders.
"Everyone has a right to access our public
lands, but no one has the right to abuse these lands or ruin the
experience of others enjoying America's great outdoors," said Jason
Kiely, one of the group's leaders.
ATVs and other off-road vehicles had almost
unfettered access to federal lands until 1972, when President Nixon
issued an executive order that required agency heads to develop
regulations. President Carter expanded it five years later to allow
agencies to ban ATVs and other off-road vehicles on trails if they're
damaging the forests.
Since then, illegal trails have exploded.
Rangers say that thousands of miles of trails now crisscross federal
forestland. Many are disused logging trails, but in some cases ATV
drivers armed with axes, machetes and other tools carve out their own
paths.
The U.S. Forest Service has tried to sate the
demand by setting aside vast tracts of land for ATV use, but they're
often seeing those areas turned into a hub for more illegal trails.
The agency now lists this type of "unmanaged
recreation" as one of the greatest threats to the federal forests. They
say the renegade drivers disrupt wildlife, expose terrain to invasive
species, and endanger hikers and others who use the trails legally.
"If the general public decides they're going to
ride their ATVs across the forest, there's nothing anyone can do about
it," said Mitch Cohen, a spokesman with the Forest Service.
"If the people don't see the damage they're
causing and don't value they're national resources enough, there's no
amount of law enforcement we can put out there to stop it."
Here is some additional information on the topic:
Off Highway Vehicles (OHVs) are a popular choice for outdoor recreation. According to a national survey on recreation and the environment about 36.3 million people participate in off-highway driving, ATV use, or motorcycle use. The same survey found that 11.6 million people use snowmobiles. Cordell reports a 43.8-percent increase in OHV use and a 34.8-percent increase in snowmobile use between 1982-83 and 1994-95. An estimated 11 million visits to national forests involve OHV use; this constitutes about 5 percent of all recreation visits to national forests.
Another trend is the uncontrolled proliferation of trails arising from repeated
cross-country forays by OHV traffic. Unauthorized trails from motorized use cause
much of the natural resource damage and some of the public safety concerns on national
forests. Unauthorized trails are a major problem for forest managers. For example, Lewis
and Clark National Forest personnel in Montana currently estimate that the forest has
1,348 unauthorized roads and trails extending for 646 miles.
The U.S. population in the southern and western regions is expected to increase
nearly 50 percent by 2050. Given the popularity of OHV use on public lands throughout these regions, it is reasonable to assume that the recreational use of OHV will become increasing significant for national forests for the foreseeable future.
Beware of 'Orphan Exit' Fees
If you use a toll road EZ Pass, you should be sure you are checking your monthly statement.
MSNBC's "Red Tape Chronicles" found that drivers sometimes are charged as much as $5 when they exit the tollway. Why does it cost so much? Because the computer does not know where the driver entered the highway, so it defaults to the highest possible price.
The column also points out that many people may be paying these exit fees unknowingly because it costs more to get a monthly printed statement. Drivers, therefore, often never know how much they have paid.
Avoid Using Tap Water With Infant Formula
I wonder how many people know that late last year
the American Dental Association recommended that babies not be fed infant formula that is mixed with tap water. The reason is due to concerns that young children will get too much fluoride. The question now is how much fluoride, if any, is safe and effective for children.
Demand Overwhelms Team Sport SpaceI am pretty sure this is not just a "Milwaukee thing."
The (Milwaukee) Journal Sentinel says:
The burgeoning number of kids joining recreational sports teams and
their more competitive counterparts, club teams, has resulted in a
competition for resources in many communities, meaning that
well-equipped fields for soccer, baseball and football, as well as
gymnasiums for volleyball and basketball, are becoming harder to book.
Part of what is happening is that kids are in organized sports of all kinds at a much earlier age. The
Journal Sentinel story mentions requests for kindergarten basketball.
We are always looking for your great ideas. Send Al a few sentences and hot links.
Editor's
Note: Al's Morning Meeting is a compendium of ideas, edited story
excerpts and other materials from a variety of Web sites, as well as
original concepts and analysis. When the information comes directly
from another source, it will be attributed and a link will be provided
whenever possible. The column is fact-checked, but depends on the
accuracy and integrity of the original sources cited. Errors and
inaccuracies found will be corrected.
In a statement released August 9, 2007, over 600 dentists,...
