Post by poorboy1 on Jan 24, 2010 11:40:29 GMT -5
Lawsuit challenges off-road vehicle plan for Idaho's Salmon-Challis National Forest
By The Associated Press
January 23, 2010, 11:32AMBOISE -- Two environmental groups have filed a lawsuit in federal court claiming the new off-road vehicle plan for the Salmon-Challis National Forest fails to protect land, streams and wildlife across hundreds of thousands of acres of eastern and central Idaho backcountry.
The lawsuit filed Friday in U.S. District Court also asks a judge to block the forest from implementing its new travel management plan, the policy rewritten last year to designate appropriate routes and areas for all-terrain vehicles and other off-road recreation.
Brad Brooks, of the Wilderness Society, says the forest's plan is fraught with flaws, creates new miles or off-road trails in areas previously without designated roads and fails to balance off-road use with hikers and campers who head to the forests for peace and solitude.
"The real issue is the forest service's failure to protect wilderness and the characteristics of the land in this plan," Brooks told The Associated Press. "There are thousands of miles of roads and trails across the state, and we only ask for a relatively small amount of land to be designated for non-motorized use."
Forest Supervisor Lyle Powers declined to comment on the lawsuit, citing agency policy barring employees from commenting on litigation.
Like other national forests across the nation, officials with the Salmon-Challis are in the final stages of writing new rules and redrawing maps designating appropriate roads, trails and areas for off-road vehicles. The forest area spans 4.3 million acres, including 1.3 million of the Frank Church-River of No Return wilderness area, the biggest in the lower 48 states.
After years of study and public comment, the Salmon-Challis travel plan was approved in August. The new policy could go into effect as early as February pending approval of a new set of maps designating the motorized trails.
Forest officials have rejected nearly a dozen administrative appeals to the plan, setting the stage for more formal challenges in the courts.
Environmentalists also say forest officials failed to incorporate research done by the groups showing the degradation caused by motorized use.
In the lawsuit, the environmentalists say they shared hundreds of photos of 40 different routes and trails identified in the new plan. The research identified damaged hiking trails, mountain meadows reduced to muddy bogs, deep tire ruts, crushed vegetation and stream bank erosion.
Environmentalists are not seeking to lock out recreationists who enjoy four-wheelers and motorcycles, just prevent their use in new areas that don't have established roads and trails or have been deemed worthy for future wilderness designation.
They also contend vehicle emissions pollute the air and engine noise has an adverse impact on big game and other wildlife.
"Everyone has a right to enjoy our national forests, but no one has the right to abuse them," said Brad Smith, of the Idaho Conservation League. "ATV's are a legitimate way to enjoy our national forests but should not be allowed to damage the clean water and natural beauty that belongs to all of us."
By The Associated Press
January 23, 2010, 11:32AMBOISE -- Two environmental groups have filed a lawsuit in federal court claiming the new off-road vehicle plan for the Salmon-Challis National Forest fails to protect land, streams and wildlife across hundreds of thousands of acres of eastern and central Idaho backcountry.
The lawsuit filed Friday in U.S. District Court also asks a judge to block the forest from implementing its new travel management plan, the policy rewritten last year to designate appropriate routes and areas for all-terrain vehicles and other off-road recreation.
Brad Brooks, of the Wilderness Society, says the forest's plan is fraught with flaws, creates new miles or off-road trails in areas previously without designated roads and fails to balance off-road use with hikers and campers who head to the forests for peace and solitude.
"The real issue is the forest service's failure to protect wilderness and the characteristics of the land in this plan," Brooks told The Associated Press. "There are thousands of miles of roads and trails across the state, and we only ask for a relatively small amount of land to be designated for non-motorized use."
Forest Supervisor Lyle Powers declined to comment on the lawsuit, citing agency policy barring employees from commenting on litigation.
Like other national forests across the nation, officials with the Salmon-Challis are in the final stages of writing new rules and redrawing maps designating appropriate roads, trails and areas for off-road vehicles. The forest area spans 4.3 million acres, including 1.3 million of the Frank Church-River of No Return wilderness area, the biggest in the lower 48 states.
After years of study and public comment, the Salmon-Challis travel plan was approved in August. The new policy could go into effect as early as February pending approval of a new set of maps designating the motorized trails.
Forest officials have rejected nearly a dozen administrative appeals to the plan, setting the stage for more formal challenges in the courts.
Environmentalists also say forest officials failed to incorporate research done by the groups showing the degradation caused by motorized use.
In the lawsuit, the environmentalists say they shared hundreds of photos of 40 different routes and trails identified in the new plan. The research identified damaged hiking trails, mountain meadows reduced to muddy bogs, deep tire ruts, crushed vegetation and stream bank erosion.
Environmentalists are not seeking to lock out recreationists who enjoy four-wheelers and motorcycles, just prevent their use in new areas that don't have established roads and trails or have been deemed worthy for future wilderness designation.
They also contend vehicle emissions pollute the air and engine noise has an adverse impact on big game and other wildlife.
"Everyone has a right to enjoy our national forests, but no one has the right to abuse them," said Brad Smith, of the Idaho Conservation League. "ATV's are a legitimate way to enjoy our national forests but should not be allowed to damage the clean water and natural beauty that belongs to all of us."
