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It started out as a potentially serious threat. Now it’s turning into a full-blown disaster.

That’s the short version of the update on President Clinton’s plan to shut down vast tracts of national forest land.

First, we’ve learned that Clinton apparently was underestimating when he announced that the plan might merely affect 40 million acres-an area nearly equal in size to the entire state of Washington. Subsequent documents from the U.S. Forest Service now suggest we could be talking about as much as 80 million acres.

If you’ve still got your map out, we’re now up to the size of New Mexico.

And although nobody’s actually said the words, “We’re going to ban trail bikes and ATVs,” we’ve got every indication that’s exactly what the administration has in mind-even in areas where trail riding has been specifically approved after rigorous study.

Finally, it’s clear that this proposal is on the fast track toward implementation, even though such basic questions remain unanswered. In fact, by the time you receive this issue, the official public-comment period on the proposal will have ended.

“It’s incredibly frustrating to reach this deadline without even knowing the total amount of the land affected, much less where that land is located and what it’s currently being used for,” says Robert Rasor, AMA vice president for government relations.

In documents released December 1, less than three weeks before the end of the comment period on December 20, a revised tabulation showed that more than 62 million acres of land in so-called “inventoried” roadless areas within the national forest system would be affected by the proposal. In addition, the administration has said it plans to include an unspecified amount of uninventoried land in smaller parcels, perhaps adding another 15 million acres to the total.

Although designated roadless, that land contains the vast majority of motorized recreation opportunities in the national forests, particularly in Western states. For purposes of this designation, any route less than 50 inches in width and “travelways resulting from off-road vehicle use,” are not considered roads. This includes nearly all of the trails used by off-highway motorcyclists and ATV riders.

The latest tabulation shows that more than 9 million acres would be affected in Idaho, nearly 7 million in California, about 6 million in Montana, 5 million in Colorado, 4 million in Utah and Nevada, more than 3 million in Wyoming, 2 million in Washington and Oregon, and over a million in New Mexico. Smaller amounts in 29 other states account for the rest.

What restrictions would be imposed on that vast quantity of land? Again, it seems to depend on who you’re talking to.

Statements from the Forest Service had indicated that the subject was entirely open. In fact, they said off-highway vehicle use wouldn’t even be considered until the second phase of the planning process.

But then we looked at the agency’s own Notice of Intent to prepare an environmental impact statement, which is the heart of the Clinton plan. It lists four alternatives for the first phase of the proposal, three of which would likely result in the elimination of all motorized recreation, either immediately or over several years.

The fourth option would result in no changes from current policy, but we suspect that if the administration really was considering that alternative, Clinton wouldn’t have been out making a speech promising to change the way we deal with roadless areas of the forest system.

Documents released by the Forest Service also contain additional ominous language. At one point, the agency says that the goal of the Clinton proposal is to create a new category of restricted lands within the national forest system. The plan, it says, “provides for identification of and management for unroaded values other than through Wilderness designation.”

The AMA opposes that proposal, since it would bypass the federal Wilderness Act, passed in 1964. That bill has resulted in the designation of 100 million acres of Wilderness across the country in the decades since, through a process that allows for open debate and a Congressional vote on which public lands are worthy of that designation. As outlined in documents from the Forest Service, the Clinton proposal would impose Wilderness-like restrictions, probably including a ban on motorized recreation, on 80 million acres without a single elected official ever voting on it.

“This is Wilderness Lite,” Rasor says. “It’s all the restrictions of Wilderness without the legislative debate.

“We’re certain,” he adds, “that some of this land does qualify as Wilderness. But we’re equally certain that some of it does not. In fact, large portions of these roadless areas have been considered for Wilderness designation in the past and specifically rejected. In other areas, the Wilderness debate continues, with all sides getting a chance to express their concerns.

“Wilderness bills are always difficult pieces of legislation, requiring an intimate knowledge of the characteristics of the land involved and its history of uses,” Rasor concludes. “Imposing one set of rules to govern this massive amount of land ignores all of that. We don’t think that constitutes responsible management or equitable allocation of our public lands.’’

At presstime, the AMA had filed an official request with the Forest Service to extend the public comment period on the Clinton proposal for 120 days beyond the December 20 deadline. In addition, we have gone on record with specific objections to the plan.

Now it’s your turn to get involved. Turn to page 24 of this issue, where you’ll find an insert with three pre-addressed postcards to President Clinton and key federal officials. The message urges these officials to ensure that the legitimate interests of the millions of Americans who enjoy responsible motorized recreation are considered in setting policies governing our public land. Take the time to send in these postcards, and go to our website, www.ama-cycle.org, click on “Fight Clinton’s Land Closure,” and send e-mail to those same people.

In addition, this would be a good time to contact your elected representatives and senators. You’ll find more information on how to do that, and a few suggestions on what you might want to say, on the insert page.

Copyright American Motorcyclist Association, 1999.

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