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RECREATION GROUPS REVIEW CALIFORNIA ROADLESS
LAWSUIT
ATVers from Sacramento enjoy historic
access route in a roadless area on the
Eldorado National Forest. |
OAKLEY, CA (March 3) — A national trail-based
recreation group is reviewing the recent "roadless"
lawsuit filed by the State of California against
the USDA Forest Service. Recreation interests
are concerned about the litigation's potential
impact to the designation of historic public
travelways and trails under the Forest Service's
Travel Management Rule.
Paul Turcke, chief counsel for the BlueRibbon
Coalition Legal Defense Team, said, "In the
ongoing litigation over Forest Service 'roadless'
area management, the State of California and its
anti-access partners have stridently argued that
neither the 2001 Roadless Rule nor sound policy
prevent the continuation of historical
mechanized access in 'roadless' areas via
properly designated roads or trails."
"Recreationists intend to make sure they hold
to this position. The access community will not
support an effort by the State of California to
play politics on the Roadless issue," Turcke
concludes.
Don Amador, Western Representative for the
BlueRibbon Coalition, states, "It has been my
impression that off-highway vehicle
recreationists and the Schwarzenegger
administration shared an equal commitment to
preserving the rugged backcountry nature of our
roadless areas while still allowing historic
public access to important motorized roads and
trails. This lawsuit does not appear to reflect
that understanding or shared commitment."
BlueRibbon's legal staff is reviewing the
complaint, coordinating with recreational access
partners and evaluating appropriate actions to
preserve and protect historic public access to
federal forest lands.
About The BlueRibbon
Coalition
The BlueRibbon Coalition is a national
recreation group that champions responsible use
of public and private lands, and encourages
individual environmental stewardship. It
represents over 10,000 individual members and
1,200 organization and business members, for a
combined total of over 600,000 recreationists
nationwide. 1-800-258-3742.
www.sharetrails.org.
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