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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ONDA comments on Steens Travel Management Plan
Comments focus on omission of non-motorized recreation and use, and creation of new "ways" in Wilderness Study Areas
Portland, Ore. May 21, 2007
In 2000, Congress
passed the Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Act "to conserve, protect, and manage the long-term ecological
integrity of Steens Mountain for future and present generations."
Last month, BLM released a draft Travel Management Plan which will formally designate
routes and trails to be
used by motorized recreation use, including off-road vehicles,
throughout the 500,000-acre Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and
Protection Area.
The plan fails to balance the needs of hikers and other
non-motorized recreation with motorized recreation use, even though BLM is
required by the Steens Act to develop a "comprehensive transportation
plan" that addresses all modes of travel,
not just cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs. As an after thought, BLM
says the needs of hikers and equestrian users will be discussed in a
future planning process, after BLM has designated routes and trails open to motorized vehicles.
BLM's proposed action would allow motorized recreation use to dominate 555 miles of routes on Steens Mountain,
in spite of the fact that little, if any, motorized use occurs on many
of these routes. In fact, ONDA volunteers and staff have documented situations where old jeep trails could not be located in
the field. This obvious catering to motorized recreation use is
unbalanced and unfair.
Incredibly, only one
mile of the existing 556 miles of known routes throughout the Steens
would be closed and reclaimed under BLM's proposed action.
The BLM's pending approval of motorized recreation use will come at the expense of all forms of
non-motorized backcountry recreation use, including fishermen, hunters, hikers, backpackers and horse back riders.
See ONDA's May 21, 2007 comments on the EA.
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