Off Road News

National Park Service Releases Draft Plan on OHV Use

The National Park Service (NPS) has released proposed changes to its management policies that regulate off-highway vehicle (OHV) use within the park system.  The management policies serve as a virtual handbook for park superintendents and other park officials.  The NPS considered revising their policies after receiving criticism from Congressional Republicans who stated that NPS had shifted to far in favor of conservation, at the expense of public access.  The SAN has urged Federal agencies to not adopt “one-size-fits-all” land access policies and allow for increased involvement by state and local officials and the off-road community in the decision making process.

In regards to OHV access, the proposed language closely mirrors existing policies in stating “routes and areas may be designated for off-road motor vehicle use by special regulation within national recreation areas, national seashores, national lakeshores, and national preserves, and then only when determined to be an appropriate use. Consistent with the executive orders and the Organic Act, park managers must immediately close a designated off-road vehicle route whenever the use is causing or will cause unacceptable impacts.”  The SAN supports this proposal given its directive to allow individual park officials to use public input and available scientific date to resolve access issues.

Copies of the proposed changes can be downloaded on the NPS website at: http://parkplanning.nps.gov/projectHome.cfm?projectId=
13746.  The public comment period on the proposed changes runs through January 19, 2006.


Endangered Desert Plant May No Longer Threaten Off-Roaders

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) will consider removing the Peirson's milk-vetch plant from the Endangered Species list.  The plant, which is found only in portions of the Algodones Dunes in California 's Imperial Valley , has been at the center of legal battles for a number of years.  The so-called Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area (ISDRA) is managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and is a popular destination for off-highway vehicle (OHV) recreation.  Access to large portions of the 160,000 acres site has been restricted in order to protect the plant.

The American Sand Association (ASA), the Off-Road Business Association (ORBA) and other OHV groups have repeatedly questioned the government's contention that the plant is threatened by OHV activity, or is even an endangered species.  The groups initially petitioned FWS to delist the Peirson's milk-vetch in 2001; however the agency ruled that at the time the plant still warranted protection.  In their most recent petition the groups assert that four years of additional data collection show that there are more milk-vetch plans than in 2001 and that the plant's reproductive capacity is stable and strong enough to warrant delisting. The groups also cited a BLM report which stated that only an estimated 0.3% of the plants showed evidence of OHV damage.  The FWS will initiate a yearlong status review, after which the agency could propose that the plant be delisted.

The controversy surrounding the status of the Peirson's milk-vetch highlights the need to reform the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Enacted in 1973, the ESA has saved only 10 species out of 1,800 listings. Meanwhile, millions of acres of land have been closed with more set-asides in the works. The SAN supports legislation before Congress that calls for increased local involvement and the use of best scientific data in determining the status of a species.    

The FWS regional office in Carlsbad, California is accepting public comments on the plant's status until January 30, 2006.