A Vital Link for Many
Travel and transportation are an integral part of virtually every activity that occurs on BLM-administered public lands. Recreation, management of livestock, wildlife, and commodity resources, rights-of-way, access to private inholdings, maintenance of electronic sites, and the day-to-day management and monitoring of the UFO all rely on effective travel management planning.
Motorized travel in the UFO ranges from standard passenger vehicles driving on maintained roads to off-highway vehicles (OHVs) operating on primitive roads and trails. OHVs include off-road motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, utility terrain vehicles, jeeps, specialized 4x4 trucks, and snowmobiles. Mountain bikes are the predominant mechanized vehicle, while other modes of travel include cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, horseback riding, pack animal driving, hiking, boating, hang-gliding, paragliding, ballooning, and wheelchairs.
OHV Area Designations
The BLM designates areas within the UFO as open, limited to existing roads and trails, limited to designated roads and trails, and closed to motorized use. Approximately 54% of the planning area is designated as open to motorized use, while 46% is limited to existing or designated roads and trails, or has additional restrictions such as seasonal closures.
The Current Travel Picture
Primary factors influencing the current state of travel management within the planning area include:
· Lack of comprehensive travel management planning that considers the relationships between various resources, authorized access, and recreation uses.
· Historic routes that predate planning for recreational opportunities.
· Unauthorized uses (including user-created routes) emanating from existing routes and causing impacts to other resources.
· Subdivision of private property resulting in the creation of new access points to public lands.
· Routes/areas that are open to motorized use, but are accessible only to adjacent landowners.
· Conflicts between recreational users.
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