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The Reality of Motorized Access Restrictions

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Elected officials in Eastern Oregon, along with Forest Service Staff from the Wallowa-Whitman, Malheur, and Umatilla National Forest Offices, have stated that there is "too much" motorized access in the Blue Mountains. They suggest that these officials "have to give them something" to obtain other rights on public lands. But what does that actually entail?


The Umatilla National Forest covers 1.4 million acres, of which about 109,090 acres are accessible by motorized means. While 109,090 acres might seem substantial, is it truly significant? According to bureaucratic standards, only about 8% of the forest is open to motorized access. This assumes the land is free of vegetation and topographical barriers. However, when considering vegetation, steep terrain, and restrictive landforms, the accessible area is more like less than 4%. The most telling point in the Umatilla National Forest is, you are only allowed to travel 300 feet from what few roads they have left open, your are not allowed to retrieve your big game, and your motorized travel across public lands is treated as a "privilege" not a "right" as a free person.



Although the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest is in a relatively better situation, it is not ideal. Currently, the Wallowa-Whitman operates under a policy of being open unless designated closed, unlike the Umatilla National Forest, which is closed unless designated open. While the Umatilla supports motorized access on only about 4% of public lands, the Wallowa-Whitman restricts motorized access on approximately 51% of the lands it manages (this percentage is actually higher when considering seasonal restrictions in partnership with ODFW). However, cross-country travel has not yet been criminalize on the Wallowa-Whitman or Malheur National Forests.




The Blue Mountains Forest Plan Revision seeks to ban all cross-country travel within the three National Forests by creating a framework that enables the agency to decide which areas are open or closed, halting all cross-country travel. This is contrary to the public's long-standing desire for the mountains to remain as open forests for motorized use.


The planning initiative starting in February aims to transform the Wallowa-Whitman and Malheur to resemble the Umatilla, moving away from how our families have used them for the past 150 years. We need your assistance to prevent this infringement on our freedoms and liberties. We are not requesting your financial support, but rather your participation in attending all forest service public meetings to voice your wish to keep public lands accessible to everyone and to reclaim your usage rights of the Umatilla National Forest.

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