WEDNESDAY May 11, 2005 Eldorado National Forest must rethink off-road access By Don Thompson the California Association of 4 Wheel Drive mapped trail will be ticketed by the For- Associated Press Writer Clubs, American Motorcyclist Association, est Service, Alexander said. After environ- the California Off-Road Vehicle Associa- mental reviews, each forest supervisor is SACRAMENTO, Calif._Environmental tion, and the BlueRibbon Coalition wanted to designate a final route system by Sep- groups and off-road vehicle enthusiasts none of the trails closed, but said Karlton tember 2008. both claimed victory Wednesday after a found middle ground. federal judge ordered the U.S. Forest Ser- vice to re-examine access in one of the The judge gave the Forest Service a month busiest recreation areas in the Sierra Ne- to plan an environmental review for off- vada. road use throughout the national forest that climbs from Sacramento to Lake Tahoe. U.S. District Court Judge Lawrence K. Karlton ruled tentatively Monday that off- Nationwide, off-road use has increased road plans for Eldorado National Forest from 5 million visitors in 1972 to 36 mil- did not comply with environmental re- lion by 2000, who now make up about 5 quirements, ordering the Forest Service percent of annual visitors, the Forest Ser- to close 700 miles of trails, but keeping vice said. another 2,245 miles open. The Eldorado forest had already mapped The decision came as the service prepares its off-road trails as part of the statewide to designate official routes out of the route designation drive, said spokesman makeshift tracks that have spider-webbed Frank Mosbacher. Maps are available on across public lands since the Gold Rush. the forest's Web site for review in advance California is leading a national effort to of the first public hearing Saturday in list off-road routes, many of which started Folsom. as trails for mining, logging and hunting. Most of California's 18 national forests The Center for Biological Diversity, Cen- are at a similar stage of scheduling public ter for Sierra Nevada Conservation and hearings on hundreds of off-road routes, California Wilderness Coalition wanted all said regional spokesman Rick Alexander. trails closed to vehicles until the environ- mental review was completed, but they National Forest Service officials consider called the decision a good start. damage from poorly planned trails a lead- ing threat to forest health. Closing 700 miles of the most-damaging trails will help stem erosion and wildlife "California happens to be a step or a step- disturbances, said Karen Schambach of and-a-half ahead" because the Forest Ser- the Center for Sierra Nevada Conserva- vice agreed with state officials to act tion. quickly. The California Enduro Riders Association, After June 2006, anyone creating an un-.