Protect Oregon Forests From ORV Destruction

Since 2005 every national forest, by law, has been required to draft management plans to deal with the explosion of damaging ORV use in the United States. Currently ORVs are permitted across nearly all of Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, including sensitive wetlands and meadows.

But the Forest Service caved to political pressure from ORV interests and ditched the management plan -- we have to get the plan back on track.

The U.S. Forest Service spent six years collecting more than 4,000 comments, holding public meetings and analyzing the condition of forest roads to create a plan that protects natural resources and quiet places in Wallowa-Whitman.

But Rep. Greg Walden (D-Ore.) and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) added their voices to those advocating for unrestrained ORV use, putting pressure on the Forest Service to abandon this long-overdue plan. Despite years of hard work -- and after spending thousands of taxpayer dollars -- the Forest Service abandon the plan, and now we're back to square one.

While the Forest Service is legally required to develop a plan to minimize the damage done by ORVs and failing logging roads, there is intense political pressure to ignore the cost of ORVs to clean water, wildlife and the U.S. taxpayer.

Please take a moment to write to the Forest Service and -- if you are an Oregon resident -- your elected officials today. Tell them you support responsible ORV planning in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest and oppose efforts to bypass the law and the public's will.