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Working with Section 106 ACHP
Case Digest Spring
2005 Nationwide: Management of
Off-Highway Vehicles in National Forests
Nationwide:
Management of Off-Highway Vehicles in National Forests
Agency: U.S. Forest Service
Unmanaged
recreation, including the use of off-highway vehicles (OHVs), has been identified
as one of the major threats to the National Forests. Some forest users, without
permission or supervision by the U.S. Forest Service, have created their own roads
and trails for their vehicles. In addition to harming natural resources, many
of these illegal cut-throughs have damaged archeological sites, Traditional Cultural
Properties, and sites sacred to Indian tribes. To
improve the management of forest cultural resources and historic properties, the
ACHP approved a national policy that incorporates the Section 106 review process
and heritage preservation concerns into National Forests decisions to designate
or close OHV routes. |
Ruts
from illegal off-highway vehicle use, Ocala National Forest, FL (photo: U.S.
Forest Service) | The ACHP has approved a
national policy that incorporates Section 106 and heritage preservation concerns
into Forest Service policy development for the designation and/or closure of roads
and trails on National Forest System land for use by off-highway vehicles (OHVs).
Unmanaged recreation, including the use of OHVs, has been identified as
one of the major threats to the National Forests. Users without Forest Service
permission or supervision have created many of the current OHV roads and trails.
Many of these roads and trails have caused erosion and damage to a wide range
of natural resources. In addition, numerous illegal roads and trails cut through
archeological sites, Traditional Cultural Properties, and sacred sites. The
OHV policy, which was endorsed by the ACHP members in February 2005, is an effort
to improve the management of the full range of forest resources, including cultural
resources and historic properties. The OHV policy outlines a process for
each National Forest that includes consulting with State Historic Preservation
Officers (SHPOs), tribes, and other stakeholders to identify historic properties
and the effect of the designation or closure on them. The policy provides
a minimum requirement for completing the Section 106 review process for the designation
or closure of OHV roads and trails. National Forests are allowed to develop their
own process for compliance as long as it meets the minimum standard. In
addition, the policy provides national direction to the individual National Forests
without the use of a traditional national Programmatic Agreement (PA), and it
instructs National Forests to use their existing PA and other agreements with
SHPOs and tribes to complete the Section 106 review process. The Forest
Service has found that the development of national policy for particular programs,
and the crafting of instructions for the National Forests, is an efficient approach
to cultural resource management and Section 106. It plans to use this OHV policy
as a model for other projects with the ACHP. Staff contact:
Steve Del
Sordo Posted June 9, 2005
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