Sisters residents tackle off-road vehicle use

Where should off-road vehicles (OHVs) be allowed to operate on public lands in Central Oregon and where should they not be permitted? Sisters area residents have the opportunity to respond to those questions at a clinic to be held on July 25 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Sisters High School.

During the workshops, Sisters area residents will be asked what they value about visiting public lands for recreation. In addition, they may be questioned on how satisfied they are with current roads and trails and how should these transportation routes be connected to communities.

Federal land managers across the nation are developing management plans on the use of OHVs. These plans are to provide consistency in managing this use and offer protection of cultural and natural resources. Plans are also supposed to help in resolving conflicts between motorized and non-motorized users.

Use of motorized vehicles in the forest poses an increasing number of problems. Confusion on where OHVs may be legally operated and where they cannot, and the growing restrictions placed on their use on public lands has OHV operators concerned.

Hikers, horsemen and other users complain about the loss of a quality experience in visiting public lands where OHVs are being operated. Public land managers are concerned about damage to roads, trails and watersheds as well as threats to cultural resources.

The end product of this Central Oregon review will be a map that shows areas, trails, and roads where motorized vehicles are allowed, according to project manager Mollie Chaudet.

“We’ll probably have something in summary for all the workshops by the first or second week of August,” Chaudet stated.

This is the third public clinic held by managers of the Deschutes and Ochoco National Forest and the Crooked River Grasslands to gather public comments on the use of OHVs. The first clinic was held in Prineville last week.

Comments may be submitted online at http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/centraloregon. Written statements may be mailed to Deschutes National Forest, 1001 S.W. Emkay Dr., Bend, OR 97702. Comments should be submitted by August 1 to be considered in this review.