Off-Road Wreckreation - Rangers for Responsible Recreation

( a sub-species of P.E.E.R.)


More than a dozen of our country’s most seasoned law enforcement and resource management specialists from every major public lands agency and several administrations are taking a stand to end irresponsible off-road vehicle use on our public lands.

Meet the Rangers for Responsible Recreation

Jeff Aardahl, retired Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and National Park Service (NPS) Manager/Biologist, California

Bob Abbey, retired BLM Nevada State Director

Jim Baca, former BLM National Director, New Mexico

Matt Chew, former Arizona State Parks Ecologist, Arizona

Kim Crumbo, former National Park Service Ranger, Arizona

Laura Cunningham, former Ranger and Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Geological Survey – Biological Resources Division, California Department of Fish and Game, and National Park Service, Nevada

Tom Egan, former BLM and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Wildlife Biologist, California

Kevin Emmerich, former NPS Ranger, Nevada

Jim Furnish, former USFS Deputy Chief, Washington, DC

Dan Heinz, retired USFS Ranger, Nevada

Don Hoffman, retired USFS Ranger, Arizona

Ron Kearns, retired U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) Refuge Officer/Biologist, Arizona

Ed Patrovsky, retired BLM and NPS Law Enforcement Ranger, California

Here's What They Say

Ron Kearns, retired U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Refuge Officer/Biologist, Arizona

Ron Kearns is a wildlife biologist specializing in desert bighorn sheep management and Arizona Sonoran desert ecology and flora. He worked for 25 years with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and was at Kofa National Wildlife Refuge as a biologist and law enforcement officer for 18 of those years. Mr. Kearns is also an Army veteran.

I have observed a dramatic increase in the use and misuse of off-road vehicles on the Kofa since I began my law enforcement duties there in 1982. The abuse involves driving off the 300 miles of designated roads on Kofa resulting in irreparable damage to desert pavement and pristine lands. The Fish and Wildlife Service must increase law enforcement efforts.

Ed Patrovsky, retired U.S. Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service Law Enforcement Ranger, California

Ed Patrovsky served for 25 years as a National Park Service and BLM Law Enforcement Ranger. BLM duties included intensive patrol work enforcing rules and regulations in off-road vehicle open areas. Ranger Patrovsky coordinated a ground-helicopter patrol operation which substantially reduced illegal off-road vehicle use in the Rand Mountains Special Management Area, which contains prime Desert Tortoise habitat near Ridgecrest, California.

Lawless and inappropriate off-roading causes significant environmental damage, as well as reducing recreational opportunities.

Dan Heinz, retired U.S. Forest Service Ranger, Nevada

Dan Heinz had a 25-year career with the U.S. Forest Service in Colorado as a District Ranger and in Montana as a range and wildlife management staff officer, implementing many tough off-road vehicle management projects. He has followed that with a 24-year career working with conservation organizations, pressing for responsible off-road vehicle management.

Motorized touring of our wildlands to enjoy nature is a long established part of the public lands recreation, but 'challenging, thrilling, exciting and entertaining' off-roading is not, and is destructive by its very nature. It must not be permitted anywhere on public lands.

Don Hoffman, former U.S. Forest Service Ranger, Arizona

Don Hoffman served with the U.S. Forest Service as Wilderness Program Manager for the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest in Arizona. During his career he served as Special Use Officer, Developed Recreation Field Supervisor, Wilderness Ranger and Trail Crew Foreman.

Rapid population growth, accelerating off-road vehicle sales and ineffectual regulation have combined to make the indiscriminate use of off-road vehicles the greatest threat to Arizona's quiet, wild places.

Kevin Emmerich, former National Park Service Ranger, Nevada

Kevin Emmerich served for 16 years with the National Park Service in environmental education and resource management. Mr. Emmerich is now self employed and restoring wetlands in the Mojave Desert of Southern Nevada.

In two decades of living in the Mojave Desert, I have witnessed harm to fragile desert ecosystems by increasing off-road vehicle use. I have recently seen a desert stream lose eighty percent of its vegetation and have seen the air quality of the desert in Amargosa Valley, Nevada be polluted because off-road vehicles have removed large tracts of vegetation and soil crusts. Clearly, off-roading on public lands needs more regulation.

Jim Baca, former BLM National Director, New Mexico

Jim Baca has served as Mayor of Albuquerque, New Mexico State Land Commissioner, National Director of the Bureau of Land Management and is now serving as New Mexico's Natural Resource Trustee.

There is no greater threat to our country's public land treasure than Off-Road Vehicles. Additionally, they are killing and injuring too many young people because of improper training, operation and inherent safety deficiencies.

Jim Furnish, former U.S. Forest Service Deputy Chief, Washington, DC

Jim Furnish served as Deputy Chief of the Forest Service under Chief Mike Dombeck, and was regarded as one of its most pro-environment senior officials. He also served as Siuslaw National Forest Supervisor in Oregon, and District Ranger at Bighorn NF in Wyoming.

What has been lacking is the assurance of tough enforcement and the backbone needed to bring the runaway problem under control. Folks visiting our public lands expect enforcement that protects natural resources, ensures visitor safety, and reclaims a family-friendly atmosphere.

Bob Abbey, retired U.S. Bureau of Land Management Nevada State Director, Nevada

Bob Abbey worked for more than 32 years with state and federal land management agencies before retiring from the federal government in July, 2005. He served eight years as the Nevada State Director for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. As the BLM Nevada State Director, Mr. Abbey provided direction and oversight for 48 million acres of public land managed by the BLM. He managed a staff of 700 employees in eight field offices and the state office and an operating budget of $51 million.

The irresponsible use of off-road vehicles on our public lands is one of the greatest challenges facing land managers today. There appears to be a total disregard by many off-roaders of the impacts from their actions. The public land managers have no other option than to close more of these lands to off-road vehicle use unless off-roaders begin exercising responsibility and better judgment.

Jeff Aardahl, retired U.S. Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service Wildlife Biologist and Natural Resources Manager, California

Jeff Aardahl served for over 30 years as a biologist and manager with BLM in the Mojave, Sonoran and Great Basin Deserts of California, and in Washington DC. He also served as a biologist with the NPS at Death Valley National Park in California and Nevada. Mr. Aardahl is also an Army veteran.

Opportunities for diverse and quality recreation experiences on public lands are increasingly threatened by excessive and illegal off-road vehicle use. Federal agencies, particularly the BLM, provide for inappropriately high amounts of off-road vehicle use of our public lands to the detriment of landscapes with significant scenic, biological, physical and cultural values. Of particular concern is the inability of the BLM to properly manage off-road vehicle use, stem the tide of increasing illegal off-road vehicle use, and manage our public lands for the benefit of current and future generations.

Matt Chew, former Arizona State Parks Ecologist, Arizona

Matt Chew is an ecologist who formerly served as Natural Resources Planner for Arizona State Parks. He now writes about the history and philosophy of conservation and teaches the history of biology at Arizona State University. He has driven off-road vehicles at work and play for over 30 years.

Some off-roaders are responsible stewards, but far too many are weekend wild men who mistake our public lands for a Mad Max theme park. Far too few of our politicians and public officials have the courage to stand in their way.

Tom Egan, former US Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service Wildlife Biologist, California

Tom Egan is a Wildlife Biologist who served an 18-year civil service career with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Veterans Administration. As a BLM Wildlife Biologist, Mr. Egan assisted in preparing several off-road vehicle area plans, developed biological screening criteria for use in vehicle route designation, and participated in designing the West Mojave Vehicle Use Network, the largest effort of its kind conducted to date in the United States.

Uncontrolled off-road vehicle use is without a doubt, the single greatest threat to natural resource sustainability on our public lands and in our national forests.

Laura Cunningham, former Ranger and Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Geological Survey – Biological Resources Division, California Department of Fish and Game, and National Park Service, Nevada

Laura Cunningham has served as a Wildlife Biologist for the U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division, the California Department of Fish and Game, and as a Ranger for the National Park Service in the California/Nevada Death Valley region.

I've seen numerous instances of damage to sensitive habitats from uncontrolled off-roading, including direct tire trampling of Pacific tree frog eggs in Surprise Canyon, as off-road vehicles drove up the desert stream. I have been threatened by dangerous off-roading behavior while hiking. I have also had trespassing off-roaders on my land in the Mojave Desert, who acted rudely when I told them that they were off-roading on private property, crushing native shrubs and scarring the desert with long-lasting tracks.
Kim Crumbo, former National Park Service Ranger, Arizona
Kim Crumbo served for 20 years with the National Park Service in Grand Canyon National Park as a Ranger and later as Wilderness Coordinator. Mr. Crumbo is a Navy SEAL veteran, and as a result of his military service, he earned several combat decorations, including a Bronze Star.

BRC and ORBA have already issued a press release about this.

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ORBA AND BRC CHALLENGE NEWLY-FORMED “RANGERS FOR RESPONSIBLE RECREATION”
July 5th, 2007

ORBA AND BRC CHALLENGE NEWLY-FORMED “RANGERS FOR RESPONSIBLE RECREATION” TO INCLUDE OHV COMMUNITY IN THEIR EFFORTS TO ADDRESS OHV-RELATED ISSUES ON PUBLIC LANDS.

BAKERSFIELD, CA (June 29, 2007) – The Off-Road Business Association (ORBA) and the BlueRibbon Coalition (BRC) have learned that the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), recently announced the formation of Rangers for Responsible Recreation, which, according to PEER is a “coalition of more than a dozen of America’s most seasoned law enforcement and natural resource management specialists.” PEER and the newly-formed organization are asking for a “National Call to Action to address law enforcement threats on public lands.” PEER has expressly singled out OHV users as the dominant threat and the group most in need of more aggressive law enforcement action.

ORBA and BRC take issue with PEER’s attempt to make OHV users the villains and scapegoats for the many problems that currently exist on America’s public lands. PEER and the “Rangers” fail to recognize that the vast majority of OHV use that occurs on public lands is done in a responsible manner. ORBA and BRC challenge both groups to join the OHV community in a collaborative effort to address rogue users of all types who choose to recreate irresponsibly and damage the resources we all wish to preserve for future generations.

ORBA and BRC are very familiar with the challenges involved with OHV recreation on public lands. Only by working together will we find solutions to these problems that will result in managed off-road recreation and environmental protection. “This looks like more of the same crisis mongering from PEER and we challenge this new group to work with the OHV community instead of demanding massive closures via lawsuit,” states Brian Hawthorne, BRC’s Public Lands Policy Director.

Bill Dart, Director of Land Use for ORBA said, “The solution to this problem is not to demonize each other, as PEER has done by using the term “Wreckreation,” but to work together on these issues to safeguard the future of responsible OHV recreation and protect the environment.” One solution not mentioned on the PEER website is to make the areas currently available for OHV recreation more user friendly by providing maps, trail guides and good on the ground signage. These solutions cost money and we would like PEER and Rangers for Responsible Recreation to join us in asking for the appropriate funds to manage these recreation areas so that resource damage is reduced or eliminated.

Bringing former land managers and law enforcement personnel to the table in an effort to solve these problems is an interesting concept, especially since these same folks largely created the situation that confronts us today. These officials are well aware that the agencies they used to work for did not respond to the need for increased OHV recreational opportunities. In essence, these agencies, by directing funds away from OHV recreation and instituting one closure after another, have caused many of the problems that PEER and the Rangers now want to blame on OHV users.

In order to find a solution to these complicated and often controversial issues we need to understand the problem. In a recent Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) the BLM states that between 1980 and 2001, there has been an increase of 108 percent of the registered OHVs in California. The DEIS goes on to state that between 1994 and 2001, there has been an increase of 74 percent of street licensed four-wheel drive vehicles. However, during this same period of time – 1980 to 2001— there has been a 48 percent decrease in the amount of land available for OHV recreation. This has resulted in the “ghetto-ization” of vehicle recreation, with more and more people pushed onto smaller parcels of land. It is no wonder that resource values in these areas have suffered; it is also no wonder that the emergence of camping and OHV “ghettos” has led to trespassing and additional resource damage by those who do not wish to comply with the increasingly stringent limitations on use We can either ignore these facts and continue to watch outdoor recreation deteriorate, or we can find new and better approaches to the land use challenges that currently confront all who enjoy visiting the deserts, mountains, and forests of this country. We invite PEER and the Rangers to join us in taking the latter course.

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ORBA is a national trade association composed of off-road related businesses united to promote common goals that support the prosperity and growth of the off-road industry.

The BlueRibbon Coalition is a national recreation group that champions responsible use of public and private lands, and encourages individual environmental stewardship. It represents over 10,000 individual members and 1,200 organization and business members, for a combined total of over 600,000 recreationists nationwide. 1-800-258-3742 - www.sharetrails.org

Thanks John, I found that on your website, but I got side tracked at work :D

Thanks for posting it.

ORBA and BRC take issue with PEER’s attempt to make OHV users the villains and scapegoats for the many problems that currently exist on America’s public lands. PEER and the “Rangers” fail to recognize that the vast majority of OHV use that occurs on public lands is done in a responsible manner. ORBA and BRC challenge both groups to join the OHV community in a collaborative effort to address rogue users of all types who choose to recreate irresponsibly and damage the resources we all wish to preserve for future generations.

I too am against irresponsible off roading and ineffectual management of our public lands. So let's do something about those two problems and not allow them to penalize us responsible users by locking all recreational off roaders out of our forests.

Just because our government has been unable to do the job we as concerned OHV users would like to see them do is no reason to take the easy way out and just close off access to all users.

How stongly can we say GET INVOLVED IN MAKING CHANGES NOW rather than bitch and complain when your favorite trail is posted "CLOSED."