PLACES OFF-ROAD VEHICLES DON’T BELONG: Presently, the American public believes that there is a place for ATVs, dirt bikes, snowmobiles, and other off-road vehicles on public lands. The majority, however, believe that not everyplace is suitable for the high-impact machines. There are at least six types of public lands which should be off-limits to off-road vehicles: 1) Roadless areas, wilderness study areas, and other lands with wilderness potential. 2) Rivers, streams, lakes, wetlands, and beaches. 3) Critical habitat for endangered, threatened, sensitive and big game species. 4) Areas covered by highly erodible and otherwise fragile soils. 5) Trails, areas, and watersheds traditionally used by hikers, skiers, horseback riders, mountain bikers, hunters, or other quiet recreationists and sportsmen. 6) Areas containing archaeological finds, sacred sites and cultural artifacts.

Roads are the leading source of sedimentation, a process which leads to decreased water quality, and can cause a number of negative impacts on wildlife. Additionally, exotic and invasive plants spread along roads, degrading wildlife habitat and threatening native species. This fact sheet will describe some of these undesirable impacts of roads.

Sedimentation · Sediment runoff from roads and trails ends up in streams and rivers, where it can cover fish eggs and inhibit nest building. Runoff also alters the natural flow of water that rinses waste and oxygenates the spawning nests. (Newcomb and MacDonald 1991). · Road construction near rivers and streams is often accompanied by the creation of diversions, channels, culverts and bridges—all of which can affect water flow patterns, increase sediment loads, and alter the shape the adjacent streambed. These changes can reduce fish populations and degrade aquatic habitat (Gucinski et al. 2001). · Sediment production from logging roads in the Idaho Batholith (a geological landform whose soils are made up of highly erosive decomposed granite) was 770 times higher than in undisturbed areas (Megahan and Kidd 1972). · Excessive roading can also result in landslides. In the winter of 1995-96, following a series of storms, over 900 landslides occurred on the Clearwater National Forest in Idaho. Of these, over half were road related (McClelland et al. 1997). The sediments released from landslides and other sources of erosion have interrupted and degraded the drinking water supplies of several communities. · Road removal has been found to reduce chronic erosion and the risk of landslides over the long term (Switalski et al. 2004).

Damage to Native Vegetation · Off-road vehicles crush vegetation and root systems, killing seedlings and changing the composition of the forest (e.g., Cole and Bayfield, 1993). · Many sensitive plant species have the potential to go locally extinct in areas of high ATV use (Stensvold, 2000; Brown and McLachlan, 2002). · After only one pass by a snowmobile, over 78% of saplings were damaged, according to a study; 27% of them seriously enough to kill them (Neumann and Merriam, 1972).

Literature Cited:

Belnap, J. 2003. The world at your feet: desert biological soil crusts. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. 1(5): 181-89. Brown, A.C., and A. McLachlan. 2002. Sandy shore ecosystems and threats facing them: some predictions for the year 2025. Environmental Conservation. 29(1): 62-77. Cole, D.N., and N.P. Bayfield 1983. Recreational trampling of vegetation: Standard experimental procedures. Biological Conservation, 63 (3):209-215. Dregne, H.E. 1983. “Physical effects of off-road vehicle use,” Environmental effects of off-road vehicles. Gelbard, J.L. and S. Harrison, 2003. Roadless habitats as refuges for native grasslands: interactions with soil, aspect, and grazing. Ecological Applications 13(2): 404-15. Misak, R.F., J.M. Al Awadhi, S.A. Omar, and S.A. Shahid. 2002. Soil degradation in Kabad area, southwestern Kuwait City. Land Degradation & Development. 13(5): 403-415. Montana State University Extension Service Bulletin. 1992. Controlling knapweed on Montana rangeland. Circular 311, February 1992. Neumann, P. and K. Merriam. 1972. The ecological effects of snowmobiling) Rooney, T.P. In Prep. Off-road vehicles as dispersal agents for exotic plant species in a forested landscape. Submitted to Environmental Management. Sack, D., and S. deLuz. 2003. Sediment flux and compaction trends on off-road vehicle (ORV) and other trails in an Appalachian forest setting. Physical Geography 24(6): 536-554. Schubert and Associates. 1999. Petition to enhance and expand regulations governing the administration of recreational off-road vehicle use on National Forests. Published by Wildlands CPR, Missoula, MT 188p. http://www.wildlandscpr.org/orvs/ORVpetition.doc Shaver, C., D. Morse, and D. O’Leary. 1988. Air quality in the National Parks. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Air Quality Division. Report prepared by Energy and Resource Consultants, Inc., NPS Contract No. CX-0001-4-0054. Stensvold, M.C. 2000. The conservation status of Ophioglossaceae in southern Alaska. Proceedings of Botany 2000. August 6-10. Portland OR. U.S. Department of the Interior. Undated. "Partners Against Weeds, An Action Plan for the Bureau of Land Management." U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. 1995. Ambient air quality study results. Yellowstone National Park. West Entrance Station. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. 2000. Air quality concerns related to snowmobile usage. Yellowstone National Park: Air Resources Division. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 1994. Measuring air quality: The pollutant standards index. Office of Air Quality Planning & Standards. EPA 451/K-94-001. Wilshire, H.G., G.B. Bodman, D. Broberg, W.J. Kockelman, J. Major, H.E. Malde, C.T.Snyder, and R.C. Stebbins. 1977. Impacts and management of off-road vehicles. The Geological Society of America. Report of the Committee on Environment and Public Policy.