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Five days ago, as quoted from a press release from National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council:
[The top executive at one of the nation's leading off-highway vehicle recreation organizations told a Congressional panel today that active management of OHV use on federal lands is working and that the closure of public lands to the millions of Americans who enjoy motorized recreation would be "a step backward.]
The testimony is important and an excerpt is appended.
Five years ago, in a message shared with the conservation community but not with the general public, I made a prediction and issued a warning. Five days ago a top executive from the motorized recreation industry confirmed the accuracy of that prediction and warning.
Here is that prediction/warning. Appended is an excerpt from the press release. My hope is that the conservation community will consider the ramifications of my warning -- now that its accuracy has been confirmed.
Scott
October 30, 2003
My take is this.
Motorized recreation WILL be more aggressively managed because that is what the motorized recreation industry WANTS.
New opportunities for managed motorized recreation will be provided by land management agencies. Public/private partnerships between land managers and motorized recreation clubs will build, maintain and operate these new ORV parks, playgrounds and trail systems. The Tread Lightly message will dominate the landscape and "responsible recreation" will dominate every discussion about recreation management. No longer will there be any debate whether motorized recreation is appropriate -- the issue will be how best to deliver motorized recreation, i.e., how best to provide this service/product.
And it should go without saying that motorized recreation will be funded predominately through grants, partnerships, volunteerism, gas-tax rebates, green-sticker fees and recreation user fees, etc...
Motorized recreation will become a heavily managed commodity which will be made available in whatever quantity the market demands.
TRUE... the amount of cross-country travel will be reduced.
TRUE... motorized play areas will be designated.
TRUE... law enforcement will increase somewhat.
TRUE... a few "outlaws" will be strung up and made examples of...
And equally true, the debate about whether motorized recreation is appropriate or not will be over.
As I see it, "managed recreation" will mean that the land managers will sell recreational access. So long as the recreation occurs within acceptable parameters it will be permitted. The more money such recreation generates, the more such recreation will be provided and the more acres of public lands will be dedicated to such uses.
So as much as I personally like the concept of managed recreation, I expect that in the hands of those land managers who are now doing the bidding of the Bush Administration and the recreation industry, "managed recreation" is not going to achieve the results any of us are hoping for.
On the contrary, I think managed recreation will simply serve to further advance the recreation industry's efforts to commercialize, privatize and motorized recreational opportunities on America's public lands. And until we confront the of pay-to-play issue and remove the financial incentives for recreation mismanagement that user-fees create, we stand no chance whatsoever of stopping this agenda.
-- begin quoted excerpt --
Remarks to House Natural Resources Committee, Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands
Mr. Chairman, Members of the Subcommittee, my name is Russ Ehnes and
I’m the Executive Director of the National Off-Highway Vehicle
Conservation Council or NOHVCC (pronounced no-vac). My family,
including my wife, son, daughter, parents, uncles, and grandfather are
among the millions of Americans who enjoy responsible recreational
off-highway vehicle use on our public lands.
NOHVCC is a non-profit organization dedicated to creating a positive future for OHV recreation.
Active management is the key to success. When OHV management first
became an issue in the 60’s and early 70’s, the agencies generally had
an approach that amounted to “ignore it or close it.” Through hard work
by OHV activists and groups like the Motorcycle Industry Council and
the American Motorcyclist Association, partnerships were established
with the BLM and Forest Service that have resulted in many well
managed, high quality opportunities for OHV recreation.
Unfortunately, some groups advocate the wholesale closure of public
lands, which is a move backwards in the direction of the failed “ignore
it or close it” approach of the past. Active management works, it is
succeeding in many areas and can succeed in many others. We will
continue to work to implement successful management techniques across
the nation, but it will not be easy.
It will take the continued commitment of the OHV community through the
hundreds of thousands of hours of volunteer work it performs each year.
The need for volunteer programs will increase and we will answer that
call. It will also take continued commitment from the agencies, which I
believe, in part, lies in your hands. Agency budgets are extremely
tight, especially for recreational programs. Outdoor recreation and our
pride in our public lands define the American people and we believe
recreation budgets deserve the necessary support to help maintain our
public lands. In addition, most OHV recreationists are willing to pay
user fees through the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act provided
their money goes back to the facility they enjoy.
Active management does work. The Forest Service Travel Management Rule
and the BLM OHV Strategy are making good progress. We are dedicated to
helping them succeed not only through our Management Workshops but also
through efforts to build volunteerism through our ethics education
programs.
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