Most people who visit their local national forest come to camp, hike, fish, backpack, bird-watch, or to enjoy other kinds of quiet recreation. So when all-terrain-vehicles or dirt-bike motorcycles speed past on dirt roads or whine up steep hillsides in a cloud of dust, those "off-highway vehicles" (OHVs) often create major annoyance and frustration for other forest visitors.
The dust they stir up during the dry season, and the muddy mess they often create in the wet season -- all adds up to major impacts for plants and water quality, and also adds up to major disturbance for wildlife. 
CSERC staff has frequently watched OHV riders cut across streams or slice across steep hillsides on narrow dirt trails -- causing ruts that lead to sedimentation and erosion. We've spent years trying to convince Stanislaus Forest officials to keep OHV riders out of critical habitat areas, and we've also provided the Forest Service with countless photos of environmental impacts caused by OHV use.
The OHV plan is an insult to those concerned about the forest ecosystem
After 11 years of completely ignoring their own regulations that prohibit cross-country travel by OHV's, Stanislaus Forest officials in December revealed a highly frustrating new plan for managing OHV use in the local forest. The new OHV plan legalizes noisy motorized use in important wildlife areas, including nest stands for goshawks and spotted owls, as well as critical habitat for western pond turtles. The new plan also will mean that very few areas of the Stanislaus Forest outside of wilderness will be free of noisy OHV use for those who value quiet recreation in the local public forest.
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