The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) is seeking public input on a new proposal to amend regulations regarding the use of motorized off-road vehicles (ORVs) in the national forest system. ORV use in wildlife habitat is often disastrous for ecosystems because it can tear up the forest floor and stream beds. The destruction of stream beds and their surrounding land areas can end up degrading water quality, destroying habitat and altering stream flows. ORVs running through forests can also crush the nests and young of animals like ground-nesting birds and turtles. And the sheer disturbance of wildlife areas caused by ORVs can alter the movements of many animal species, with largely unknown consequences for reproduction and survival.
Although the USFS' new, proposed ORV rule includes several positive provisions (such as strengthening law enforcement), it lacks several important provisions to make it truly effective in protecting wildlife from the devastating effects of ORV over-use, including clear guidelines outlining where ORVs may and may not tread within the national forest system.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Send your comments to the USFS by Monday, September 13th asking it to add the following provisions to its final proposed ORV rule:
- The requirement that each Forest in the National Forest System completes
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