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www.wilderness-sportsman.com
"November 2, 2005 (Missoula, MT) - A national coalition of conservation interests today said the US Forest Service’s new off-road vehicle regulations fail to adequately address urgent threats and pressed the agency to halt the continued creation and use of unauthorized, renegade routes in America’s forests.
While welcoming the Forest Service’s recognition of the serious problem, the Natural Trails and Waters Coalition said threats from these unplanned routes made by ATVs, dirt bikes, jeeps and other off-road vehicles will not be controlled under the new regulations. Such routes damage wildlife habitat, create conflicts with other forest users, and facilitate trespass onto adjacent lands. In fact, the regulations weaken the agency’s authority granted by President Nixon’s Executive Order requiring off-road vehicle use to be "controlled and directed . . . to protect the resources of (public) lands . . . and to minimize conflicts" with other forest users, like hikers, hunters and ranchers."
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