Off-road vehicles must be managed to protect public lands for everyone | Opinion
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- Public opposition blocks land sales and sustains bipartisan defense of public lands.
- Repealing the Travel Management Rule risks erosion, water harm and access conflicts.
- Forest Service should update rules, fund trail staff and collaborate with users.
Strong public opposition to recent proposals to sell off public lands to pay for tax cuts demonstrates the deep, bipartisan support Americans have for their public lands. Across the political spectrum, people value our national forests and rangelands for their wild open spaces, clean water, wildlife, natural resources and recreation opportunities.
Access to these lands is a privilege we often take for granted. Unlike medieval Europe — where only monarchs and nobles could enjoy undeveloped areas — public lands in the United States are open to everyone.
But with this privilege comes responsibility. Every American has the right to enjoy public lands, but no one has the right to abuse them.
Most people recreate responsibly, but not everyone does. As more people move to Idaho and new forms of recreation emerge, we need basic rules to ensure that public lands are used and cared for responsibly. This concept isn’t new. When dirt bikes, three-wheelers and four-wheelers first became popular, it quickly became clear that rules were needed to protect streams, meadows, wildlife habitat and even newly planted timberlands from damage caused by unmanaged off-road vehicle use.
Republican President Richard Nixon was the first to recognize this need back in the early 1970s. He issued an executive order directing federal land agencies to manage off-road vehicle use by designating roads and trails where such use can occur without harming soils, wildlife or other recreation opportunities.
As off-road vehicles grew more powerful and widespread, the George W. Bush administration took further steps to ensure responsible recreation. In 2005, the Forest Service adopted the Travel Management Rule, putting Nixon’s directive into action by requiring each national forest to identify specific roads, trails and areas where off-road vehicles could operate safely and sustainably. The rule struck a balance — allowing motorized recreation while protecting other users’ experiences and safeguarding natural resources.
Despite this long tradition of bipartisan support for sustainable off-road vehicle use, the Trump administration announced in September that the Forest Service intends to repeal the Travel Management Rule. Doing so would open the door to uncontrolled use of off-road vehicles on national forests — undoing decades of thoughtful policy designed to maintain access on designated trails, prevent erosion, water pollution and habitat destruction.
The administration seems to believe that any rule is a bad rule. But deregulating off-road vehicle use is sure to be unpopular with many Americans, including hunters who want to quietly pursue game, anglers who depend on healthy streams and meadows for abundant fish — and hikers, equestrians and mountain bikers who seek solitude in nature.
Even off-road vehicle users might lose out. While the idea of riding anywhere might sound appealing, a free-for-all will inevitably lead to resource damage, increased county search and rescue fees and public backlash — giving the entire off-road community a black eye and inviting stricter restrictions down the road.
As an Idahoan and the new chief of the U.S. Forest Service, Tom Schultz knows firsthand the damage unmanaged off-road use can cause. During his tenure as director of the Idaho Department of Lands, he saw how poorly managed recreation can harm soils, streams and wildlife — and create conflict among user groups.
The Travel Management Rule could certainly be updated in response to new technologies and recreation trends. But scrapping it altogether would be a grave mistake. Instead of shifting into reverse, Schultz and the Forest Service should work with hunters, anglers, hikers, riders and motorized recreationists alike to improve the rule, dedicate funding for staff to maintain our trails and ensure that our public lands remain healthy and accessible for everyone.
Our public lands are part of what makes America unique. Let’s keep it that way — with public lands that are open to all, protected for future generations, and managed with the care they deserve.
Brad Smith is the conservation director for the Idaho Conservation League.