Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126249
Is Utah's OHV Resource Inventory a model for California? IAbove) Rider Larry Davis of Utah State Parks lends a sense of scale to Utah's sweeping grasslands. By Utah standards, this is a I "heavily used area." l"elow) The author walks among one of the few remaining stands of native prairie grasses. Cattle and sheep have done in the rest. By Dorde Woodruff A piece of work said to be unique by the con.sultan ts who wrote it is in the final stages. It includes a complete study of off-highway vehicle use, as well as the result of a survey of OHV areas and trails in the state. . 14 . The study tries ttl be unbiased , including views of proponents and opponents. The agency " cl e a r ly recognizes that OHV [use] is a legitimate form of recreation and is making efforts to plan for its organized growth . . . Information is th e key to planning." Therefore the agency had acted , through the OHV Resource In ventory. to learn what a reas are currently being used . and is studyi ng needs of users. The study maintains that most users are trail [or dirt road] riders and that such use is the most compatible with other conflicting land use . Interestingly enough , last year I quizzed a wortd-Famous, well respected California botanist friend . Dr. Lyman Benson. on his opinion of motorcycle damage in California. He said , minimal. because it 's channelized. In contrast. think of the hooves of herds of sheep or cattle. the real devastators of Western lands. The Utah report stresses the need of areas close to population centers for the "physical handling" of the vehicles. and states that abuse of the environment will continue as long as there is no place for riders to go . The consultants inventoried various categories of lands in the state with respect to their prestnt use and regulations. giving recommendations for each administering agency. For instance , Forest Service lands in Utah are generally rugged . Trail use is recommended . but enoug h trails . "The Forest Service's inability to obtain money for OHV . . . development has put the agency in a questionable po sition as to whether it recognizes OHV use -as a legitimate form of outdo or recreation ... because of immediate access [closest public lands to most of th e state's population ] and terrain appeal [especially in th e sum mer] th e Forest Service is fa cing se r io us e nvironm e nt a l problems and user conflicts The forests throughout Utah lack cycle tra ils . . . This strongly suggests the necessity for policy and budgeting . to meet these needs." The UORA believes in what it calls implementation. " Im p le m e n t a t io n should begin the same day as ~arch ." It also believes that the outdoor recreation planner and land manager can only learn to understand the needs and desires of the public they are serving by participating in the sport themselves with user . Accordingly. a few junkets during the 18 month study brought people together on bikes. I went on the last one. a ride on the old transcontinental railroad bed north of the Great Salt Lake. abandoned in 1942 . and into the Raft River Mountains . Participants were from State Parks. th e US Bureau of Outdoor Recreation . (an important funding agen cy), BLM . Forest Service. UORA . th e Salt Lake Tribune . a Salt Lake TV station , and some Utah political units. Da n Green , from the northern Utah Bear River Association of Go vernments is an active Sierra C1ubber. At least two participants had seldom or never been on a bike. Rob Rasor ca me from the' AMA . What is this report to non-Utahns? A model perhaps. For instance. the inventory recommends a working team - a small group of representatives from major outdoor recreation agencies in the state - Forest Service. Park Service. BLM . State Parks, Game and Fish, etc . Or. it may be helpful because it is a thorough study, an unslanted source of information on th e true picture of off-highway veh icle usc. The qu ote s a re from a review copy given to members of State Parks R (OHV) Advisory Council. Next. copi will be reviewed by governmen agencies . Then about 400 copies of th complete unexpurgated edition will b available to planners in and out of th state. In February or March , a fe thousand 30 -page summaries will printed for the general public. similar snowmobile study went 20% t out -of-state readers. If you're interested. -wr ite for th summary. or get your local planner t send for the complete version . Utah Outdoor Recreation Agency Suite 101 . 807 East South Temple Salt Lake City Utah 84102