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NOHVCC: GAO Report on OHV Use on Federal Lands

by Karen Umphress, NOHVCC Project Coordinator

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) was directed by Congress to evaluate the use of Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) recreation on federal lands. The agency looked at the use of OHVs on US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and National Park Service lands. They also interviewed various stakeholders and traveled to several locations to view the areas. Their report was released at the end of July and the results are surprisingly positive. The report was released at the end of July 2009 and is report GAO-09-509.

The recommendations of the GAO are:

 

"To help provide quality OHV recreational opportunities while protecting natural and cultural resources on federal lands, we recommend that:

  • •  The Secretary of Agriculture direct the Chief of the Forest Service to identify additional strategies to achieve the agency's goal of improving OHV management, as well as time frames for carrying out the strategies and performance measures for monitoring incremental progress; and
  • •  The Secretary of the Interior direct the Director of BLM to enhance the agency's existing "Priorities for Recreation and Visitor Services" by establishing performance measures and time frames for carrying out its stated goals for OHV recreation.

Additionally, to improve communication with the public and enhance law enforcement efforts regarding OHV use on federal lands, we recommend that the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior direct the Forest Service and BLM, respectively, to take the following actions:

 

  • •  Enhance communication with the public about OHV trails and areas through, for example, developing user-friendly signs and maps to improve visitors' experiences; and
  • •  Examine fine amounts across various U.S. district courts to determine the range of fines for OHV-related violations and petition appropriate judicial authorities to make modifications where warranted."

 

These are recommendations that we can support.

 

In addition to the above recommendations, the report touches on such topics as the increased use of OHVs on federal lands; the varying environmental, social and safety aspects; communication with the public, enforcement, managing trails sustainably, supplementing federal funds, and engineering and monitoring trails.

 

It also covered challenges faced by the BLM, Forest Service, and Park Service in managing OHV use. These challenges included staff and financial resources, varied rules and regulations in different areas, varied expectations regarding allowed uses of the lands by the public, changing long-established use patterns, collecting reliable data on the effects of OHV use, and installing and maintaining signs and creating maps.

 

Some of the interesting facts that were presented in the report are:

 

  • •  The federal agencies have acknowledged that, in appropriate locations and with proper management, use of motor vehicles, including OHVs such as all-terrain vehicles, off-road motorcycles, dune buggies, and other four-wheel-drive vehicles, is a legitimate way for people to enjoy their federal lands. (page 1)
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  • •  It has been more than 30 years since these agencies were directed to establish policies and procedures for managing OHV use. (page 2)
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  • •  The National Park Service prohibits OHV use except in certain units designated as lakeshores, seashores, national recreation areas, or preserves. Approximately 13% of the parks fall within one of these 4 categories. (page 8)
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  • •  Most field unit officials also indicated that social and safety impacts occasionally occurred on their lands. (page 10) Officials at two field units we visited said they have seen an increase in OHV use on their units because of OHV closures on nearby state and private lands. (page 11)
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  • •  Approximately 20% of OHV use on US Forest Service and BLM lands is for hunting purposes. Approximately 70% of the use is for OHV recreation (charts, page 12)
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  • •  A majority of BLM field unit officials indicated that OHV use constitutes more than half the recreational activity on their lands (page 12)
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  • •  Most field unit officials from all three agencies indicated that environmental impacts of OHV use occur on less than 20 percent of the lands they manage (page 13)
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  • •  Social and safety impacts related to OHV use occasionally or rarely occur on federal lands. (page 16)
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  • •  At most, of the field units we visited with authorized OHV use, agency officials emphasized that outside resources are vital to OHV management. (page 19)
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  • •  Only a few field unit officials with authorized OHV use in their units indicated that at least 90 percent of their OHV routes have been signed. About half of the field unit officials whose units authorize OHV use indicated that more than 50 percent of their OHV routes have been signed. (page 22)
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  • •  Only some field unit officials with authorized OHV routes in their units indicated that they have maps for more than 90 percent of their OHV routes or areas. About half of field unit officials with authorized OHV routes indicated that they have maps for at least 50 percent of their OHV routes or areas. (page 25)
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  • •  A majority of field unit officials indicated that they have developed partnerships with outside user groups. (page 26)
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  • •  Although three of the actions requiring permits or fees for OHV access, arresting individuals for OHV violations, and revoking or suspending OHV use privileges were used by only some field units, they were rated as more effective than the most commonly used action. For example, officials from Tonto National Forest said their experience with requiring OHV permits has been positive. The permits required for OHV use in certain areas of the forest are free and provide a lock combination allowing access into certain gated OHV areas for 6 months. Officials observed that requiring free permits increases user accountability, since users do not want to lose their riding privileges. The permits are also acceptable to the public because they are free. (page 29)
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  • •  A majority of field unit officials indicated that they cannot sustainably manage existing OHV areas, sustainable management would include having the necessary human and financial resources available to ensure compliance with regulations, educate users, maintain OHV use areas, and evaluate the existing OHV program (page 35)
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  • •  A few field unit officials reported that their unit has a full-time OHV manager to, among other things, oversee OHV use, coordinate volunteers, and apply for state grants. Field units with a full-time OHV manager were more likely to report that they could sustainably manage their existing OHV use. Specifically, these field units reported taking more actions to manage OHV use compared with field units without a full-time OHV manager. For instance, field units with full-time OHV managers tend to leverage authorized outside resources, such as state grants, more extensively than units without full-time OHV managers. (page 36-37)
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  • •  Most BLM and Forest Service units reported insufficient financial resources as a great challenge to managing OHV use in their units (page 39)

Overall, the report highlights issues and concerns that we, the motorized recreation community, have been saying for the past few years.