*** BLUERIBBON ALERT *** BLUERIBBON ALERT *** BLUERIBBON ALERT ***

NOTICE: BLM is developing 'national guidance' for OHV recreation.
Please comment!

DEADLINE is August 20, 2000. Please address your written comments to:
U.S. Department of the Interior
Bureau of Land Management
OHV Strategy c/o Dave Wolf
1849 C. Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20240

INFORMATION CAN BE OBTAINED ON THE WEB AT: http://www.blm.gov/ohv/ohvstrategy.htm

COMMENTS CAN BE SENT ELECTRONICALLY TO: http://www.blm.gov/ohv/mailer.htm

OR DIRECTLY TO DAVID WOLF AT: David_Wolf@BLM.GOV

WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT?
The Washington Office of the Bureau of Land Management is currently soliciting 'ideas and proposed solutions from the public for improving management of the OHV program'. The input will be used to help develop guidance for distribution to BLM offices in the field. This 'guidance' will be used as 'blessing' to begin OHV plan amendments more than anything else. Using the guidance as a 'toolbox' (their word), the BLM will most likely begin a massive overhaul of OHV recreational plans in the near future.

THE BLM WANTS TO KNOW YOUR GENERAL THOUGHTS ABOUT OHV RECREATION AND MANAGEMENT.

Knowing that plan amendments are around the corner, we suggest you stress a few key points:

• Begin with an accurate and complete inventory of recreational travel routes, and a good understanding of use patterns. A 'snapshot' of the current 'on-the-ground' situation of the current OHV use in your area, regardless whether the use conforms to current land use plans. The agency needs to know what is happening today before they can plan for tomorrow.
• Develop a clear understanding of user expectations, both for OHV users and other public land visitors who use the same areas. Understanding user expectations is key to develop manageable recreational systems, as well as reducing user conflict.
• Cooperation and collaboration with user groups as well as state and local agencies is vital. Managers should encourage 'adopt a trail' or Cooperative Management Agreements and Memorandums of Understandings with user groups whenever possible. Without the cooperation and collaboration with OHV groups, land managers will be hard pressed to develop balanced and enforceable management plans.
• Managers must be flexible and imaginative. Most often, solutions can be found with the help of the folks who use the area. Look to the users for ideas on how best to balance resource uses vs. protection. Additionally, local managers must have the freedom to find solutions best suited to their unique situation. Avoid top-down and inflexible management directives.
• Planning personnel must develop knowledge of OHV users, their expectations and desired recreational experience. The agency must come to terms with a noted lack of expertise in OHV planning. Managers should be encouraged to take advantage of education provided by the National Off Highway Vehicle Conservation Council. Managers should be encouraged to look to other agencies and other agency personnel with OHV planning expertise.
• After planning, implementation must be done with the cooperation and collaboration of users. It's not just a 'pop-psychology' term - Ownership. Agency personnel will find their jobs a lot easier if they can develop working relationships with users. This step begins at the beginning of the planning process, not after.
• Understanding the role of enforcement -or- how to achieve compliance. No one can ignore that enforcement is a key component of good recreation management. However, enforcement will be all but impossible if the agency hasn' t brought the users into the process from the very beginning.

The BLM as also asked for some more specific input.

The BLM is asking for 'as many as three' solutions for 4 areas related to the issue of OHV management on BLM lands.

In Section A Land Use Concerns; they ask for 'solutions' to the apparent quandary of 'How can we best accommodate OHV users while providing for other public uses and protecting resources?' and ask you to consider visitor safety, maintenance, cross-country travel, game retrieval, types of OHV uses, accessibility, recreation conflicts, winter access and adjacent land uses and trespass, and 'any other areas where you have experience' .

SOLUTIONS:

REGARDING VISITOR SAFETY:
Management plans are best made at the local level. Plans made in the local level best reflect the unique nature of all the variables involved. This principle is no more applicable when considering visitor safety.

REGARDING MAINTENANCE:
Wherever possible, land managers must enter into cooperative management agreements with users. Recreational systems are enhanced as well as maintained when users have invested time and effort in cooperation with the agency to properly manage them. Cooperation with user groups can bring volunteer labor and funds into the management efforts.

REGARDING CROSS-COUNTRY TRAVEL:
Cross-country travel is legitimate in areas with little or no vegetation. The management issue at hand is how best to limit cross-country travel to these suitable areas. Compliance is best achieved by providing an adequate area to meet the demand, and by involving users and user groups in planning and implementation. Maps, information kiosks and enforcement efforts round out the equation.

REGARDING GAME RETRIEVAL:
Vehicle assisted game retrieval is a legitimate use on public lands that when properly managed has few adverse impacts. This issue should be handled with the close collaboration of state wildlife agencies. These state agencies are the BLM' s direct line to those who hunt.

REGARDING TYPES OF OHV USES:
Most BLM administered lands can host a variety of recreational uses, including a variety of OHV uses. Many vehicle types (ex. - full sized 4 wheel drive, ATV's and motorcycles) and user experiences (ex.- full day loops, half day loops, destination routes, scenic overlooks, play areas, competitive events, organized club activities ect.) can be provided on most BLM lands. Maps and visitor information is vital to direct users to the roads, trails and areas that most meet the desired experience.

REGARDING ACCESSIBILITY:
The agency should consider the special needs and requirements of the disabled, many of whom use vehicles for access to and enjoyment of public lands and National Forests

REGARDING RECREATION CONFLICTS:
Recreation conflicts most often occur when recreationists visit areas that are not best suited to meet desired expectations. An example is a hiker who desires a high level of solitude, and decides to visits a popular OHV route. In this case, the expectations of the hiker are not appropriate for the area visited. Information should be provided so the visitor seeking such an experience can visit areas that will meet their expectation.

REGARDING WINTER ACCESS:
Winter access issues are most effectively solved by cooperation and collaboration with local communities. Each area has unique management situations that change from year to year. Maximum flexibility is recommended.

REGARDING ADJACENT LAND USES AND TRESPASS:
Adjacent landowners must be brought into the planning process from the beginning. Usually, trespass issues can be effectively managed using a combination of mapping, signing, barricades and information. Vehicle assisted visitors to public lands respect private property rights and most have no idea that they are trespassing.

In section B resource concerns: they ask for ' techniques or direction' to help the BLM protect natural, cultural, and historic resources. They ask you to consider such concerns as wildlife, vegetation, soil, water and air, cultural and historic sites, noxious weeds, potential for wildfires, sound levels, scenic vistas, land rehabilitation, and special management areas such as wilderness, wilderness study areas, national monuments and national conservation areas.

SOLUTIONS:
All land use activities have impacts on the resources listed. Recreational uses have impacts that can damage resources unacceptably. OHV use is no different. Most impacts associated with OHV recreation (and all other forms of recreation as well) are most evident in the area immediately surrounding staging and camping areas. As users spill out onto the roads and trails these impacts are substantially reduced. Management actions that enhance and benefit wildlife, vegetation, cultural and historic sites, noxious weeds, and wildfires, land rehabilitation are enhanced when vehicle access is allowed. Maintaining vehicle access can enhance protection of cultural resources.

REGARDING WILDLIFE:
Roads and trails are important to maintain and enhance range improvements, predator control, population monitoring, range capacity and other wildlife enhancing management actions. Studies show that wildlife becomes acclimated to OHV use. Adverse impacts can be mitigated when shown to occur using good scientific evidence. The agency should avoid ' intuitive' reasoning. For example, a lone hiker with an unrestrained dog will disturb wildlife much more than frequent passing of vehicles.

REGARDING VEGETATION:
Area specific management that provides latitude for mitigation, transplantation, re-routing, seasonal closures and other efforts are far more effective than blanket closures.

REGARDING SOIL:
Soil concerns must be taken in context. The statement that OHV use can cause unacceptably high erosion is true. Can being the operative word. Properly routed and maintained roads and trails can substantially reduce erosion and damage to soils. Often, areas that contain soils that are erodable provide areas where ' open travel' designations are appropriate. Vehicle use in these areas does not increase the already high natural erosion substantially. Management actions must be area specific and include good, sound science. Incorporate management principles like limits of acceptable change, carrying capacity and most importantly mitigation. Finally, use OHV users as a resource. Often trail maintenance or trail construction and re construction are better alternatives to closure.

REGARDING WATER AND AIR:
Water and air quality is best protected when recreational use is dispersed. Concentrated use can contribute to unacceptable impacts on these resources. Obviously, cooperating and collaborating with users to construct and reconstruct proper water crossings is essential.

REGARDING CULTURAL AND HISTORIC RESOURCES:
Vehicle access will enhance study, enforcement, monitoring of these resources. Professional ' pot hunters' do most damage to cultural and road or trail closures means little to these outlaws. Vehicle assisted visitors can help with monitoring and enforcement efforts. Closing roads, trails and areas to organized specimen collectors (rock hounds) is short sighted. These users are often the eyes and ears of law enforcement personnel and can assist enforcement efforts.

REGARDING NOXIOUS WEEDS:
Proper education should be provided to OHV users. For example, encourage OHV users to wash their machines before coming to recreate on BLM lands, etc. Vehicle access is key to provide land managers a full range of options to deal with this problem.

REGARDING POTENTIAL FOR WILDFIRES:
Keeping existing roads open via passage of vehicles helps firefighters battle harmful wildfires and assist land managers when conducting prescribed burns. Local conditions and weather and climate change contribute to the need for the local management' s discretion.

REGARDING SOUND LEVELS:
Machines are now quieter than ever before. Disperse recreational uses as much as possible. Managers should direct non-OHV users to more appropriate areas.

REGARDING SCENIC VISTAS:
Travel systems can be planned so scenic vistas are not adversely impacted. Example: The narrow nature of the single-track trail lends itself to being hidden or screened, particularly in rugged environs. Often, this is true for routes that are 50 inches or more in width. Thus, route density per acre is not as significant as to the OHV users as the attributes of the routes themselves.

REGARDING LAND REHABILITATION:
Keep roads open for maximum management options and flexibility. OHV enthusiasts can help the agency both monitor and mitigate impacts.

REGARDING SPECIAL MANAGEMENT AREAS:
OHV use in National Monuments and NCA' s is appropriate, and best managed using local input. Existing roads and trails within special management areas should remain open and legal for OHV recreation. Motorized use can exist in ACEC' s where managers find that off route travel does not result in adverse impacts. Top-down and inflexible management proscriptions result in unbalanced and unenforceable management plans. Many special management areas such as NCA' s and monuments have areas that are eminently suitable for OHV use. Such OHV recreation can be successfully managed so that resources are not adversely impacted.

In section C. Management Tools: the agency lists approaches used in OHV management. These include education, planning, public participation, partnership, law enforcement. They ask us to consider such items as; ways to involve the public in decision marking; monitoring use and impacts; program funding; trail construction and maintenance; OHV designation; mapping and signing; inventories; partnerships; interpretation; law enforcement; and appropriate use of barriers. How can agency improve in these areas? Any additional ideas?

MANAGEMENT TOOLS:

• Involve OHV recreationists from the beginning.
• Train agency personnel about OHV use and user expectations as well as trail system planning. Teach the importance of planning and providing for a variety of difficulty, terrain, loop routes, destination routes, staging areas and providing effective maps and route markers.
• Make right decisions: (don't close important, popular, historic and legitimate travelways).
• Use Cooperative Management Agreements, Adopt a trail, Memorandums of Understanding, cooperative funding arrangements and other formal management agreements with OHV users.
• Agency resolve! The agency must resolve to provide adequate recreational opportunity and cooperate and collaborate with users to effectively manage OHV recreation.
• Litigation may be unavoidable. In the past, Wilderness Advocacy Groups have not shown willingness to compromise. Do not let the threats of litigation unduly influence planning decisions.

IN SECTION D: LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS:
The BLM appears to be perplexed by certain ' unresolved issues' , including legal rights, claims or assertions on parts of the public lands. Interestingly they describe legal rights, claims or assertions as unresolved issues. Truly, these are unresolved only because of agency reluctance to recognize valid existing rights. (Interestingly, the agency quotes regulations having the force of law when they apply to agency authority to manage lands, but limit or diminish any similar law when not possessed by the agency.)

IT IS VITAL that you enter into the record comments along the lines of:

These are a matter of law, not of agency or staff judgment or even public opinion like the type sought here.

When planning, the agency must acknowledge these rights in the very beginning of the planning process. When land management plans conflicts with valid existing rights, the plans must be amended. Good public policy is never easy, or quick. Legal rights, claims or assertions are a matter of law, not staff judgment or public opinion.

FOR MORE ON THE BLM OHV STRATEGY PLANNING MEETINGS, SEE:
http://www.blueribbon.org/blm/index.htm