Salsa | Bark

Restore Mt. Hood

The 2005 Travel Planning Rule requires each national forest to go through a process of designating areas for motor vehicle use. Mt. Hood National Forest has taken a narrow approach and decided to look at just a small population of motor vehicle use -- off-highway vehicles (OHV). Without looking at the larger road system, the Forest Service is missing the opportunity to improve overall ecosystem health and quiet recreational opportunities.

Currently, there is approximately 4,000 miles of roads in the forest with the potential to threaten salmon habitat, drinking watersheds, and wildlife corridors if there is no maintenance. In 1999 the Forest Service determined that 49% of Mt. Hood?s roads are unnecessary (USFS 1999 Mt. Hood ATM), yet less than 10% of the roads have been removed. The remaining 39% is continuing to deteriorate and could collapse at any time. By doing an analysis of the entire forest road system, necessary maintenance issues can be addressed and budgeted in an appropriate manner. Without this necessary data to inform management decisions, the aging road system will continue to cause access and environmental problems.

If you would like to submit more detailed comments to the Forest Service, send them to Jennie O' Connor; Off-Highway Vehicle Managment Team Leader; Mt. Hood National Forest, 6780 HWY 35, Parkdale, OR 97041 or Comments-pacificnorthwest-mthood@fs.fed.us

Comments are due to the Forest Service by November 1, 2007

June 20, 2013

Subject:

OHV Travel Management Team:

I depend on Mt. Hood National Forest for recreation and clean drinking water, and I support a vision for the future of Mt. Hood that promotes healthy watersheds and access to quiet recreation opportunities. The best way to achieve this vision is for the Forest Service to include an alternative in its environmental impact statement that simultaneously addresses the impacts of off-highway vehicle (OHV) use AND the crumbling road system on ecosystem health and quiet recreation access.

Without balancing and managing all types of recreation or addressing the crumbling road network, the Plan does not adequately interpret the Forest Service?s own mandate to ??strike an appropriate balance in managing all types of recreational activities? while maintaining other important values and uses of National Forest Systems lands.?

1. Analysis of recreation in Mt. Hood National Forest found that OHV use represented less than 0.17% of all recreation visits to Mt. Hood. The area dedicated to OHVs should be in proportion to the overall demand.
 
2. A report by Utah State University found that of the ATV riders surveyed, 49.4% prefer to ride off established trails, while 39% did so on their most recent excursion. Mt. Hood National Forest only has four law enforcement officers for the 1.1 million acres of forest (including the designated OHV areas) and 4,000+ miles of roads.

3. The 2003 Roads Analysis conducted by Mt. Hood National Forest states that 49% of the roads are unnecessary. Decommissioning roads in the National Forest that are no longer being used and that present serious ecological threats is another strategy that MHNF can take to combat unmanaged OHV use.

4. Erosion of our roads into streams creates sediment levels that threaten the drinking water for several communities as well as fish and wildlife habitat. Forest roads threaten drinking water for residents of Clackamas, Oregon City, West Linn, Lake Oswego, Sandy, Hood River, The Dalles, Dufur, and others.

The OHV Travel Management Plan does not reflect the values of the majority of people who use Mt. Hood National Forest. The current proposal creates recreation ?dead zones? for those who value quiet recreation and safety, fails to guarantee the maintenance of roads that lead to non-motorized recreation, and doesn?t take action to minimize the impacts of the crumbling road system on streams. Roads that are not necessary should be decommissioned and obliterated in order to minimize unneeded maintenance costs and reduce ecological impacts. 
 
Thank for your time.  Please consider my comments in drafting the Travel Management Plan for Mt. Hood National Forest.

Sincerely,

We will add your signature from the information you provide.

First Name*

Last Name*

Email*

Street*

Street 2

City*

State/Province*

Zip/Postal Code*

Send an Email

Bark is a forest protection non-profit based in Portland, Oregon. The Restore Mt. Hood Coalition is working toward a vision for Mt. Hood National Forest that encompasses forest and wildlife protection balanced with recreation access and administrative needs. For more information about our travel plan campaign, please visit our website at www.mthoodplan.org.

You are here

Restore Mt. Hood