Land Use 101

For years, Upper Tellico ORV Area was a gotta-go destination for four-wheelers in the eastern U.S. Sadly, the trail network was closed by the Forest Service last year due to concerns over soil erosion and contamination of nearby stream beds.

For years, Upper Tellico ORV Area was a gotta-go destination for four-wheelers in the east

Pending Federal Legislation
The Red Rock Wilderness Act of 2009 (S. 799/H.R 1925) would designate 9.4 million acres in Utah, including the Moab-LaSal Canyon, San Rafael Swell, and Canyonlands Basin regions, as protected under the Wilderness Act. More than one-sixth of the state of Utah would be off-limits to any form of motorized recreation if Congress approves the legislation. The House bill was referred to the Natural Resources Committee; the House Subcommittee on National Parks held hearings earlier this year, but had taken no further action as of press time. The Senate bill was referred to the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which had taken no further action as of press time.

The Colorado Wilderness Act of 2009 (H.R. 4289) designates 850,000 acres in 34 separate areas in Colorado as wilderness. The areas include lands around Redcloud Peak, Dolores River Canyons, the Palisade, Bull Gulch and Browns Canyon. Most of the land is currently managed by the BLM or the Forest Service. Currently, the bill has been assigned to the House Natural Resources Committee; hearings were held by the Subcommittee on National Parks earlier this year, but no further action had been taken as of press time.

The Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act of 2009 (H.R. 980) would affect roadless areas in five states, including 9.5 million acres in Idaho, 7 million in Montana, 5 million in Wyoming, 750,000 in eastern Oregon and 500,000 in eastern Washington. The total includes 3 million acres in Yellowstone, Glacier and Grand Teton National Parks. The legislation sets a precedent by using "bioregion" as an additional factor to be used in determining whether public lands merit federal wilderness protections. In all, 24 million acres of roadless lands would receive either Wilderness, Wildland Recovery or Biological Connecting Corridor designation. The House Subcommittee on National Parks held hearings on the legislation last year, but had not scheduled further action as of press time.

The California Desert Protection Act of 2010 (S. 2921) is a supplement to the Desert Protection Act of 1994. It will designate National Monument status to over 1 million acres of the Mojave Desert in southern California, including a 941,000-acre Mojave Trails National Monument, located south of the Mojave National Preserve, to be administered by the BLM. Designation of "National Monument" status prevents most forms of commercial development but is not as restrictive regarding vehicular access. The act would also create or expand approximately 350,000 acres of National Wilderness Areas. Five currently existing administrative OHV areas within the proposed monument-Rasor OHV Area, Stoddard Wells OHV Area, El Mirage OHV Area, Spangler Hills OHV Area and a portion of the Johnson Valley OHV Area-would receive official congressional designation as OHV areas, with instructions for the Interior Secretary to study the feasibility of expanding them at a later date. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee has held hearings on the bill, but had not scheduled a vote as of press time.