Motorcycles in Medicine Bow Roadless Area? Court Will Decide
Monday, June 27, 2011
LARAMIE, Wyo. - It's up to a federal court to decide if motorcycles and dirt bikes can be used along a trail in an inventoried roadless area in the Medicine Bow National Forest near Albany. The Biodiversity Conservation Alliance is asking the federal District Court to decide if that's the right call, considering other uses for the area including hunting and fishing, and its designation as an elk security habitat. Comments from Duane Short, wild species program director at the BCA.
A Forest Service decision to allow motorcycles and dirt bikes along a trail near Albany in the Medicine Bow National Forest is headed to court. The Biodiversity Conservation Alliance (BCA) is asking for a review.
BCA Wild Species program director Duane Short says the decision needs more scrutiny, because the forest trail is in the Middle Fork Inventoried Roadless Area. He explains it has been traditionally a quiet recreation zone for camping, hunting and fishing, and adds that it's also part of a 250-acre designated elk security habitat.
"The noise and commotion and speed of the vehicles is certainly not conducive to maintaining that area as a security habitat for elk."
Short says the motorized decision is part of a complicated travel management plan that was amended about four years ago. The Forest Service noted in the change that allowing summer motor traffic would have no significant impact on the environment, wildlife or recreation.
At the very least, an environmental assessment should have been done first, Short says, as has been done for similar decisions in other forests.
"In other instances, they've done an Environmental Impact Statement to actually close a motorcycle trail, or a motorbike trail. So there's certainly no consistency in process."
The petition was filed in federal District Court for the District of Wyoming.
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