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For Immediate Release
Conservationists Applaud Forest Service Action to Control ORV Damage
OKEECHOBEE, Fla. – The partial closure today by the U.S. Forest Service of approximately 7,000 acres to Off Road Vehicles (ORVs) in Florida’s Ocala National Forest is a positive if overdue step, according to Defenders of Wildlife.
"Until today the U.S. Forest Service in Florida has been unable and unwilling to bring the ecological damage caused by ORVs under control and we applaud them for doing something about it. The closures in the Ocala National Forest are a step in the right direction" says Christine Small, Habitat Conservation Associate with Defenders of Wildlife.
Illegal trails in the areas of the Ocala National Forest known as Paisley Woods and Lake Delancy have increased by 20% over a period of 11 months. Beginning November 4, 2002, motorized vehicles will be restricted to designated roads in approximately 7,000 acres. This partial closure will remain in place until a decision can be reached on the ongoing Access Designation Process, dealing with motorized vehicle access in the national forests.
ORVs harm nature in many other ways. ORV users run over and crush birds, salamanders, and plants; and damage scientific study sites and restoration areas. Illegal mud-bogging and vehicular play activities have torn up, and in many cases, completely destroyed 80 percent of the ecologically important wet prairies and isolated wetlands in surveyed areas of the Ocala. ORVers are displacing hikers, campers, and other passive recreationists, while also ruining hunting opportunities by disturbing wildlife and degrading habitat.
In September, Defenders of Wildlife released the report "The Impacts of Off-Road Vehicles and Roads on Wildlife and Habitat in Florida's National Forests". The report is the first ever science-based assessment of ORV and road/trail impacts on Florida's ecosystems. Scientists reviewing the damage determined that what were a limited number of narrow hiking trails and firebreaks have become vast webs of thousands of miles of wide travelways with new side trails branching into adjacent terrain.
The report also documents the years of underfunded law enforcement and the USFS’s poor history of monitoring and controlling ORV damage. The Ocala National Forest currently has two officers and a canine for over 383,362-acres. Law enforcement is further reduced on weekends, when the majority of motorized activity takes place.
"I hope that the public will send the message to motorized recreational groups that ORV use is a privilege and not a right, applaud the Forest Service for its action to protect our natural resources, ask them to expand the closures in the Ocala, close impacted areas of the Apalachicola and Osceola national forests, make closures permanent, and ask Congress for increased funding for law enforcement and recreation management" says Small.
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Defenders of Wildlife is a leading non-profit conservation organization recognized as one of the nation's most progressive advocates for wildlife and its habitat. With more than 430,000 members and supporters - 100,000 of whom are in California - Defenders of Wildlife is an effective leader on endangered species issues. To stay current on hot topics in wildlife conservation, please visit www.defenders.org.
