Mapping off-road use makes sense

Inter Lake editorial

The Flathead National Forest is preparing to formally designate off-road-vehicle routes on the Glacier View and Hungry Horse ranger districts, and it is a reasonable pursuit.

For decades, the U.S. Forest Service has taken sort of a hands-off approach to managing off-road vehicles. As a result, people tended to carve their own routes for motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles, more so on some national forests than others.

Over time, with increasing numbers and types of off-road vehicles, it became a problem that needed to be addressed. A national Forest Service policy directed forests to take a new approach: off-road routes have to be designated.

And that properly puts the Forest Service in charge of where off-road vehicles can and can't go, rather than continuing to allow off-road-vehicle use to proliferate, willy-nilly, wherever people pleased.

The challenge is striking a defensible balance. And that will certainly be difficult on the Flathead Forest, where access issues have been most controversial.

As usual, howls of unhappiness can be expected with route designations on the Glacier View and Hungry Horse districts. There will be those who think that the designations do not provide enough routes for off-road vehicles. And there will be those who think the designations are too permissive, turning over too much terrain to rubber tires.

The extremes on both sides are unreasonable.

Those who think there should be expansive and essentially unmanageable motorized access are not recognizing the responsibilities that the Forest Service must assume as stewards of public lands.

On the other hand, there are people who believe off-road vehicles should be banned entirely from national forest lands, allowing only hikers and horses off roads. Problem is that national forest lands have long been managed for multiple uses, including historic off-road-vehicle use. There is a valid constituency that can stake a claim on off-road-vehicle use, just like cross-country skiers, snowmobilers, hikers, hunters, anglers and horseback riders can do. All interests need to be represented.