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Wonder why many of your National Forest Areas are being closed here is why. Upset by it? Contact your local Senator and Congressman and express your opinion

WASHINGTON 2007 ; ATVs, motorcycles, motorized trail bikes and other off-road motorized vehicles would be confined to designated routes under a new off-highway vehicle (OHV) plan proposed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service Wednesday. The policy would affect use of OHVs in all national forests and grasslands. With OHV usage climbing sevenfold in the last 30 years, a clear, consistent policy regarding motor vehicle use on national forests and grasslands is needed, the U.S. Forest Service says. There are 155 national forests and 21 grasslands that all have separate guidelines regarding OHV usage. Currently, OHV users account for about 1.8 million or 5 percent of visitors to national forests and grasslands, according to the U.S. Forest Service. OHVs are a great way to experience the national forests, but because their popularity has increased in recent years, we need an approach that will sustain natural resource values through more effective management of motor vehicle use; states Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth. The benefits of improving OHV use include enhanced protection of habitat and aquatic, soil, air and cultural resources. The Forest Service wants to improve its management by balancing the publics enjoyment of using OHVs with ensuring the best possible care of the land. Under the new proposal, each separate U.S. Forest District would draft plans to identify routes, trails and other areas slated for motor vehicle use. This designation may take up to four years, but it may come together quicker in some forest and grassland districts. Once each district restricts OHVs to certain trails, all cross-country travel will be prohibited. The U.S. Forest Service is calling on motorized sports enthusiasts, conservationists, state agencies, local governments, tribal governments and others to help identify routes in each forest and grassland. The public is also invited to participate in the designation of routes and would receive advance notice to allow for public comment on proposed or revised designations, according to the U.S. Forest Service. While some forests have begun to designate roads, trails and areas for OHVs, I expect units to make significant progress in improving management of OHVs in the next two years, says Bosworth. We want to improve our management of outdoor recreation by having a system of routes and areas offering the best opportunities for OHV use while still meeting our responsibility to sustain National Forest System lands and resources. Snowmobiles would not be affected by the new proposal, continuing to be managed as they are currently. With designated trails, routes and other areas deemed acceptable to ride OHVs, the hope for many using motorized trail bikes is a clearer concept of where they can and cannot ride. For more information on the U.S. Forest Service OHV proposal, visit www.fs.fed.us.

ACT NOW!!! Contact your local Senator and Congressman and express your opinion

What's At Stake? Urge Your Senators to Vote No on Restrictive Land Use Bill NLCS legislation would create a bureaucracy to manage specially designated BLM lands. This bureaucracy would be tasked to "restore" the over 106 million acres of wilderness that is already off-limits to OHV, mountain bike and other forms of recreation as well as areas that currently can allow all types of recreational uses like wilderness study areas. You can bet they will "restore" these areas by limiting access and that they will be looking to add more land to "manage" through excluding legitimate forms of recreation. H.R. 2016 would reduce access for many recreationists Americans for Responsible Recreational Access (ARRA) encourages Members to vote against H.R. 2016, the National Landscape Conservation System Act (NLCSA). This legislation would statutorily establish the National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS). The NLCS oversees 15 national monuments, 13 national conservation areas, Steens Mountain area in Oregon, Headwaters Forest Reserve in northern California, 38 wild and scenic rivers, 177 wilderness areas, 4,264 miles of national trails, and more than 600 wilderness study areas, encompassing approximately 27 million acres. The legislation would create, by law, a bureaucracy to manage specially designated BLM lands in a restrictive fashion that runs counter to the multiple-use manner in which the BLM has traditionally managed its lands. The bill would eschew existing management requirements in favor of objectives designed to deny access for many recreational uses. ARRA Executive Director Larry Smith said, "We are concerned that this legislation will lead to BLM land managers moving away from multiple use and towards management goals that will limit access." Of particular concern is the inclusion of Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs) in the bill. Smith noted, "Wilderness Study Areas are not synonymous with Congressionally designated Wilderness areas, and should not be managed as such." He continued, "In fact, OHV use and other uses which are prohibited on Congressionally designated Wilderness areas are permitted on WSAs. Including WSAs in this bill could make all 608 WSAs de facto Wilderness areas in lieu of an official Congressional designation as required by the Wilderness Act." Another concern with H.R. 2016 is that it represents a first step towards taking resources and funding from traditional multiple use management of BLM units and diverting them to the NLCS. "This legislation will make it easier for considerable funding to be funneled to NLCS. With the ever-tightening federal budget and the lack of funding currently available to public lands management, it is inevitable that any increase to the NLCS will come at the expense of traditional multiple use management." Americans for Responsible Recreational Access represents the interests of more than 25 million people who have a deep commitment to outdoor recreation, and believe that recreation is a legitimate use of our nation's public lands and waters.