The conclusion of the linked story was very clear in saying what we don't know, and that another study should be done to determine adverse environmental effects, the economics, and the use levels. In other words, the original EA or EIS was BS, and many of its contentions are not borne out in fact, or very truthfully.

The average American can only walk or cross country ski about ... what do you think, 10 to maybe 15 miles a day, pushing it? I think we need to get more people out in the wilderness to appreciate the natural beauty. And you know what, some folks are going to leave trash, act like "trail blazers," start fires, or make a mess with motorized vehicles. That's why trail maintenance is such a big issue.

I do detect a subtle undercurrent of a stereotype of "noble green hikers" versus the great unwashed, the redneck boobs who love off-road equipment from motorcycles to snowmobiles, and those who probably drive big American trucks instead of the Toyota Prius. Seems like a personal folly, since one discriminate between the two, and both can be managed equally as well if done correctly.

As a final note, why did the Paiute Trails go that way? The answer was that the Fed was going to close down the entire system ... to everybody! In the rush to get something on the table, of course the off-road lobby did some homework and donated some stuff for the record - which I agree was questionable at best. But public lands are ... public. The government is supposed to work for us, not the other way around.
-sammie

Onward through the fog

But public lands are ... public.

I've heard developers use the same excuse to try and build housing developments on park land.

It's bull, okay.

ORV riders can still enjoy it OFF of the vehicles.  

Public means open for everbody, NOT every interest or every hobby or every vehicle.

Since they can still be allowed in the public lands as people (without vehicles), then it's still public.

Furthermore, public lands, by technical definition, means that they are held in the public interest.  The public interest DOES NOT necessarily equate to the interests of indiviuals or groups with varying interests or hobbies.  It refers to the public benefit and interest at large and as a whole.

I'm not against ORVs or their users on principle.

I am. These disgusting machines represent pure aggression vs. both the natural and social environment.

They're purely destructive of every element of the ecosystem - soil, water, air, biodiversity.

And they are incompatible with every real recreational use of the land. They are directly physically aggressive in any space, and the nazi noise reverberates for miles.

These violent effects are intentional on the part of those who deploy these weapons. They hate nature, they hate peace and quiet, they hate everything which is not being actively destroyed, since they live only to destroy.

These hominids are simply existentially violent and destructive. They are vandals, "vermin on machines" as they were referred to in The Road Warrior.

And there is most definitely nothing "elitist" about these truths. On the contrary, every poll shows overwhelmingly that Americans don't want these things on their public lands, in their national parks. The preferred Bush admin frame, that it's "preservation vs. recreation", is a lie.

On the contrary, the reality is that it's preservation and the recreation of the vast majority vs. a miniscule, violent special-interest minority.

(And BTW, people need to stop referring to this carnage as a form of "recreation". It's vandalism, being perpetrated by vandals, plain and simple.)

The people want and have the right to the peaceful enjoyment of their public lands without being assaulted by mechanized huns.

Backcut - I don't think anyone here wants to close down all that many established, maintained roads, but there is a very strong case for limiting use on the little used trails, ways and routes that may show up on an arial photograph, but only see occasional travel. If you look closely at how BLM, FS and other agencies have essentially designated every track out there, regardless of purpose or need, you may see the need for scaling back the size of these route systems. It also makes for a much easier enforcement scenario (less mileage to patrol = greater LE presence) so that conscientious riders and bad apples are not thrown in the same basket and the renegades are actually caught and punished once in a while.

Bio,

     No use in railing against the Machine until you can fix the machine. All the ATV Manufactures are like reading the Who's Who list of Major Japanese Corporations. Each Japanese Corporation that is Manufacturing ATV's has either a large automotive or other industry component. These are such a large multinational conglomerate there is no need for me to go into my corporate lobby tirade again. A large dealership and parts network has been built around the ATV and what gripes me even more is that we don't even get any jobs for our working class from this new fad called ATV riding. Even called Adventure Tourism in Southern Appalachia in order to drum up state and local money to build trails to stimulate the local economy. All we get here in the U.S. is the pollution, wasted fuel and environmental damage. I bet the electric ATV will be a far distant afterthought to the electric car.
    I must confess it is easy to go over to the dark side. I own one myself. I even tried to get a trail through a Corps of Engineer Flood Control Project. The Corp is allowing the area to be mined by Coal Corporations with the Mountain Top Removal Method and hundreds of miles of gas company roads have been cut in with no environmental impact study. We call the area Sherwood Forest because of the restrictive nature of the ARMY CORPS of ENGINEERS  and the Coal Corporations not allowing people access to the area. They have been caught by some environmental groups allowing un permitted Hollow Fills on the area. I determined that an  ATV would have less environmental impact as the blasting or the Caterpillar Dozers would and wanted into the area to keep taps on the Mountain Top Removals and Gas Wells leaking oil. I am old and can't hike it anymore but in reality the ATV causes me to lose credibility. The ends don't justify the means and it is restricted, illegal to ride an ATV in that area. I was breaking the law every time I took my ATV and camera on a spy mission.
   Got to admit I did derive a little excitement in my life and thrill of busting an illegal hollow fill, almost covered the guilt of using an ATV to get in there.

Anybody got a good mule or Alpaca for sale or Trade for an Good ATV

The eons of time and nature was good to us down here. It was not until we become civilized that destroying our habitat become fathomable or fashionable.

What about the family that takes their little trail bikes out on established forest roads, and putts around viewing nature and wildlife without tearing things up?

How is that even possible?

What type of wildlife sticks around when motorized bikes are nearby?

Perhaps ya don't realize it, but to most types of wildlife those things are awfully damn loud.  They'll scurry, fly, and flop away from sounds like that.

How can a family view wildife when it runs away from the general vicinity?

Noise is pollution too, don't forget.

And how can they enjoy the sights of nature when they blur through it at 30 miles an hour?

Snowmobilers have slaughtered deer and ducks here in "thrill-kill" incidents lately.  They ran the deer down in a field citcling over and over to kill them all.

The other incidents happened twice, one week apart, when they killed 50 ducks each time, crossing and recrossing open water on a river.  The ducks tend to cluster in open water in Winter.

You mat want to take this sort of thing into account Erik, along with the good folk running down wolves and coyotes on snowmobles and ORVs out west.  Not everyone can afford a helicopter ride to kill wildlife from like Sarah does.

They chase these animals until their hearts burst.  Alchohol is generally fueling the fevered brains of these gas guzzlers as they do their sadistic deeds.

http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog John Schneider, Northern Wisconsin

drx says

You mat want to take this sort of thing into account Erik, along with the good folk running down wolves and coyotes on snowmobles and ORVs out west.  Not everyone can afford a helicopter ride to kill wildlife from like Sarah does.

Yes, I confess I fail to see how it makes it better that the mechanized invader also wants to shoot things.

Well Russ of course they use their SUVs and ORVs and snowmobiles as mobile gun platforms.  But a bullet is too quick for many sadists.  They need the thrill of running animals to death.

The ORV "industry" keeps the trails open regardless.  In the deer killing incident they at least closed the trails for awhile in that area.

In the duck killing incident authorities didn't even block off that section of river and it happened again.  

http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog John Schneider, Northern Wisconsin

I ride only on roads already cut in by logging, gas well roads, coal auger roads and benches. I do not cut any roads in to an area. My ATV is a utility and used more for work around the forested mountain area of my property. I have a busted leg from a motorcycle accident and have to have something to get around on the property with. I do plan to get a golf cart for the level or flat portions of the property.

I see the gas company and power company in my region have started using them in our mountainous terrain and all the fire and rescue people now have them. They are here to stay, thread lightly programs and education are the only way to control them now plus stiff fines for riding them in places where they are not allowed to be or in a manner that causes damage.

The eons of time and nature was good to us down here. It was not until we become civilized that destroying our habitat become fathomable or fashionable.

"Recreational" use of ORVs belongs on race tracks where they can go round and round.  And that's it.

Make them silent electric and non-polluting and lower power, slower speed for legitimate uses.  Otherwise they should be banned from public land.

http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog John Schneider, Northern Wisconsin

of how the national public schools' science teachers' organization (I forget the real name) rejected a donation of thousands of Inconvenient Truth books and dvds on the grounds they didn't want to get political (by which they meant, of course, that they'd already been bought by corporate interests and were already deploying corporate-friendly teaching materials).

Is there any alleged public agency which hasn't been captured?