Off-roader federal land policies under scrutiny

Excellent. Poor reporting by the Sac Bee. Opponents will attempt to posture this as a “scorched earth” destruction of everything move–it’s not. This is relaxation of some rules to provide some semblance of the forest’s motto: “Land of many uses.” This opens up some low-quality lands that have been grabbed under the false pretense and label of “Wilderness Study Area” (WSA) that in no way resemble the characteristics required for Wilderness designation.

This provides the possibility of some level of equality for disabled forest users to see the outdoors. It’s far from just off-road use; it’s hunting, disabled access. fishing, day/picnic use, and much more.

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Motorized mobility

Written by Amy Granat

As the motorized access landscape changes throughout the country, the new paradigm that widespread closures have wrought to American society must be examined. Much has been said about the vulnerability of endangered and threatened species, and access to public lands is often limited or prohibited by legal action in attempts to “protect” these species. But the effects of these closures on the human species are rarely, if ever, investigated.

Although we have a great tradition in this country of standing up for those that have little or no voice, and for protecting the rights of the less advantaged in our society, those that depend on motorized vehicles for access, recreation, or any of the many other reasons that one uses motorized vehicles, have not been considered in the closure scenario. This includes the very young, the very old, and all those in between that suffer from one form or another of disability.

Disabled people lose their rights of access completely when it comes to closing vast areas of land to motorized access. Congressional Wilderness designations, Inventoried Roadless Areas, Wilderness Study Areas, or rules such as the Travel Management Rule, particularly Sub-part A, represent land management plans that exclude the needs of a significant section of the population. The ever-increasing restrictions against motorized access by land management agencies constitutes a practice of discrimination that heretofore has been unrecognized.

Discrimination is a strong term, but limiting access to only those that are the fittest and most able is a very real problem that has not only been allowed to persist, but to flourish.

One small level of American society is being clearly favored over another. Wilderness and other large land mass closures have created an elite level of American society. The wants and needs of the very few who are able-bodied and physically fit, are elevated over those who are young, old and disabled. While those that can walk might marvel at the beauty of a desert scene, or the clarity of mountain stream, they do this to the disadvantage of those that lack the physical ability to do so.

It is understood that there are special areas in the country that deserve some form of protection from development, but not protection from the very people who actually own this land — every member of American society. Access can be managed and does not have to include or encompass every square inch of an area, but there has to be a parity between what is able to be accessed by non-motorized means, and what is able to be accessed by motorized means.

Similarly, to insist that “quiet” non-motorized recreation is more important or valuable than “quiet” motorized recreation is to acknowledge a bias and a blatant disregard for the needs of many members of American society.

It is difficult to understand actions that endorse closure over management, and impossible to understand why agencies and organizations, governmental or non-governmental, would endorse or promote these discriminatory actions.

I am not only issuing a condemnation of current land use policies, but I am offering a solution that will consider the needs of all Americans. To create a fair and balanced approach to treasured public land areas, we need a way to measure access that can be used to insure parity of opportunity. In response to this need, I have developed a process called Motorized Mobility to use as a means to fairness and non-discriminatory action when approaching land use plans and management.

It’s become obvious that we can’t leave it to the goodwill of agencies and organizations to insure fairness in allocating road and trail mileage. History has shown us that they will not consider the needs of the less able. Motorized Mobility gives land use managers a new tool, a new way to reverse the long-standing history of discrimination against the disabled. The first step is the need for a legislative mandate to insure fairness, and we can all work towards this goal.

Motorized Mobility should be incorporated as part of the public NEPA process, alongside the wildlife and hydrology reports, the identification of points or routes of interest will take place using a collaborative method with the public. Use of an expert in disability would be advantageous and recommended.

1. What is Motorized Mobility? Motorized Mobility measures motorized access to identified points of interest in public lands, including open spaces, forests and wild-lands. This type of analysis would become mandatory during land use planning and management.

2. How is Motorized Mobility used as a guideline? Unique points of interest or routes of interest will be identified during a scoping process, then these will be marked and defined either as Primary Access Routes, or Secondary Access Routes. One Primary Access Route constitutes the minimum necessary to be in compliance with the Motorized Mobility guideline. Motorized Mobility routes will be listed specifically on a map, and each land area will be rated for compliance on a scale from 0 to 100.

3. What is the definition of compliance? If it has been determined that an area has 5 points/routes of interest, each point will need a Primary Access Route. The addition of a Secondary Access Route will increase the scoring for that land area.

4. Who will measure and score a land area for Motorized Mobility? Each federal and state agency will need a specialist in Motorized Mobility to determine compliance. Each new land use management plan, amendment or rule, will need to add Motorized Mobility as one of the management criteria.