OUT OF CONTROL THE IMPACTS OF OFF-ROAD VEHICLES AND ROADS ON WILDLIFE AND HABIT AT IN FLORIDA’S NATIONAL FORESTS Defenders of Wildlife August 2002 Acknowledgments Linda Duever of Conway Conservation, Inc. compiled and prepared the information for this report based on extensive research. Busy Shires assisted with information gathering and processing tasks. Several Defenders of Wildlife staff mem- bers worked on producing the final report: Christine Small supervised the project, coordinated field surveys of impacts on each forest and contributed to the writing and editing; Laura Watchman and Laurie Macdonald provided insight, and guidance; Kate Davies edited the report; Mary Selden and Lisa Hummon proofread and worked on the bibliogra- phy. Heather Nicholson and Chapman Stewart provided assistance with the appended species vulnerability tables. Cissy Russell designed the report and laid out the pages. Cover photos by Corbis Corporation/Lester Lefkowitz (ATV) and Marcie Clutter (background Ocala scene). About Defenders of Wildlife Defenders of Wildlife is a leading nonprofit conservation organization recognized as one of the nation’s most progressive advocates for wildlife and its habitat. Defenders uses education, litigation, research and pro- motion of conservation policies to protect wild animals and plants in their natural communities. Known for its effective leadership on endangered species issues, Defenders also advocates new approaches to wildlife conservation that protect species before they become endangered. Founded in 1947, Defenders of Wildlife is a 501(c)(3) membership organization with more than 450,000 members and supporters. Defenders is head- quartered in Washington, D.C. and has field offices in several states including Florida. Copyright ©2002 by Defenders of Wildlife 1101 Fourteenth Street, NW, Suite 1400 Washington, D.C. 20005 202-682-9400 To print out more copies of this report, visit: www.defenders.org/habitat/florvs/ Printed on recycled paper. OUT OF CONTROL Table of Contents Preface ................................................................................................................iii 1. ORVs and Roads: A Growing Threat to America’s Public Lands..............................1 2. Hell on Wheels: Damaging ORV Practices and Pursuits ........................................8 3. Kicking Up Dirt: Problems and Troublespots in Florida’s National Forests ............14 4. Crushing the Vulnerable: Sensitive Habitats and Wildlife ....................................25 5. Infiltrating the Landscape: The Immediate Impacts of Enhanced Access........................................................36 i 6. Taking a Toll on Ecosystems: The Long-Term Impacts of Habitat Loss, Fragmentation and Degradation........................................................................50 7.Spoiling It for Others: The Aesthetic and Economic Impacts..................................63 8. Idling and Stalling: The Forest Service Response ................................................69 9.Taking the High Road: Recommendations for Moderating ORV and Road Impacts ..................................................................................................74 References and Resources....................................................................................87 Appendix: Vulnerability of Listed Species in Florida National Forests to Roads and ORVs .......121 OUT OF CONTROL Preface hile there has been public outcry over the aesthetic affronts and obvious impacts of ORVs and roads in Florida’s three national forests, the more complex and far-reaching impacts to Florida Wenvironments have not been adequately addressed. Defenders of Wildlife commissioned this report to begin to do so by providing a comprehensive compilation of the best available science-based information on ORV and road impacts, which the Forest Service, other federal and state agencies and concerned citizens need to fully understand the scope of ORV-related ecological impacts and to make intelligent decisions on motorized access to the Florida national forests. In the following pages observations about roads and vehicles in Florida’s national forests are inter- preted in light of the current scientific knowledge of habitats, species, ecological processes and the iiiii impacts of roads, trails and ORVs in Florida and other areas. How the Forest Service has handled the problems created by roads and ORVs over the years is also examined. The report concludes with specific recommendations for addressing these problems formulated in view of the Forest Service’s mandated responsibilities to protect ecosystems and maintain biodiversi- ty. An appendix summarizing the vulnerability to roads and ORVs of the plants and animals found in Florida’s national forests that are listed in categories of concern under state, federal and/or Florida Natural Areas Inventory terms, and an extensive reference section covering literature cited and addi- tional sources of information are provided for additional information. We hope this report not only catalyzes change in the management of Florida’s national forests, but also proves useful for citizens and public land managers eager to understand the impacts and assess and address the problem of roads, trails and ORVs on other public conservation lands. THE IMPACTS OF OFF-ROAD VEHICLES AND ROADS ON WILDLIFE AND HABITAT IN FLORIDA’S NATIONAL FORESTS OUT OF CONTROL CHAPTER ONE ORVs and Roads: A Growing Threat to America’s Public Lands otorized vehicles first arrived on the land- Roads dissect the landscape (Forman 2000). The scape less than 100 years ago. Now they public lands where millions of Americans go to Mare everywhere. We rely on cars for basic enjoy the outdoors are crisscrossed not only by transportation, trucks to haul our goods, tractors state and county roads, access easements, desig- to cultivate our agricultural lands, heavy nated ORV trails, service routes and other legiti- machinery to harvest timber from our forests, mate roads, but also with large numbers of unof- 1 bulldozers to clear and grade our residential and ficial roads and unmarked travelways. commercial properties. Some 30 years ago off- In our national forests alone, thousands of road recreational vehicles (ORVs) joined the miles of such travelways are not accounted for fleet of motorized vehicles in America and began on Forest Service maps. Some do not even show blazing new trails. up on geographic information system (GIS) lay- ORVs allow us to take shortcuts through ers (Hourdequin 2001). These so-called “ghost woods, streams, swamps and meadows and go roads” typically originate as temporary logging where we have never gone before under motor- roads, emergency vehicle and resource manage- ized power. The vast category of ORVs includes ment access routes, firebreaks, utility corridors pickup-truck and jeep-type four- wheel-drive and nonmotorized user-created trails. More (4WD) and other sport utility vehicles (SUVs), often than not, the vehicles plying these routes monster trucks, fat-tired swamp buggies, and creating new trails and travelways are ORVs. humvees, track vehicles, three-and four-wheel ORVs are overrunning our national forests all-terrain cycles (ATCs or ATVs), snowmobiles, and other public lands, compounding the ecologi- off-road motorcycles, airboats and any number cal problems associated with road density and of customized and homemade variations. otherwise threatening the integrity of our natural The highways and byways that accommodate systems. Few wide-open public spaces remain America’s motor vehicles are everywhere, too. where ORVs have not disturbed vegetation, THE IMPACTS OF OFF-ROAD VEHICLES AND ROADS ON WILDLIFE AND HABITAT IN FLORIDA’S NATIONAL FORESTS OUT OF CONTROL crushed underground fauna and altered wetlands and soil structure and where their travelways have not destroyed, fragmented or degraded habitat. More People, More ORVs If national population and outdoor recre- ation trends are any indication, the proliferation of ORVs will continue. The U.S. population is growing fast and participation in outdoor recre- ation of all types is growing even faster (Cordell et al.1997; Cordell et al. 1999). The most recent ORV trails fragment the longleaf pine-wiregrass ecosystem in the National Survey on Recreation and the Ocala National Forest. Photo by Seeber Fowler Environment (Cordell et al. 1997) showed that 94.5 percent of Americans enjoyed some form of How Motorized Vehicles Overwhelm outdoor recreation in 1994. By 2045, nation- Ecosystems wide participation in outdoor recreation is pro- jected to increase 64 percent. Some ORV impacts such as mudholes, tire ruts and crushed vegeta- Like other outdoor pursuits, off-road vehicle 2 use has risen dramatically in recent decades tion are highly visible, but the more serious impacts of ORVs are much (Hammitt and Cole 1987). In 1960, so few peo- more insidious, taking place unseen at the chemical and genetic levels. ple used ORVs they were not even addressed in ORVs compact and destabilize soils and alter physical and chem- a nationwide survey on outdoor recreation ical parameters that can affect long-term hydrological patterns, soil (National Park Service 1984). By 1979, 5.3 mil- fertility, pH and toxicity. Crushing the surface layers of the land lion people were using wheeled ORVs (Feuchter alters the population dynamics of subterranean organisms through 1980). Now, 28 million Americans ride ORVs both direct mortality and underground habitat fragmentation. roughly 685 million