Protecting public land for future generations, not from them, by Ed Moreland

By Ed Moreland, senior vice president for government relations, American Motorcyclist Association

 "The earth and its resources belong of right to its people.” Gifford Pinchot, the first chief of the U.S. Forest Service who is considered the father of conservation.

There's a lot of debate surrounding designating vast acres of land as Wilderness, with a lot of rhetoric bantered about on both sides. But, really, who doesn't support wilderness?

Everyone does, right?

So then why are people so passionate about the Wilderness issue?

To better understand what is at stake, consider the following:

1.) The Wilderness Act of 1964, which empowers Congress to designate land as Wilderness, specifically states "there shall be no temporary road, no use of motor vehicles, motorized equipment or motorboats, no landing of aircraft, no other form of mechanical transport, and no structure or installation within any such area." In short, land designated as capital “W” Wilderness brings with it a host of restrictions, and completely eliminates traditional uses like motorcycling, ATVing and bicycle riding.

2.) The Wilderness Act of 1964 made it clear that approved acreage must meet very strict criteria to qualify for a Wilderness designation. Again, the law states that the land must be "an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man," and that it "generally appears to have been affected primarily by the forces of nature, with the imprint of man's work substantially unnoticeable."

The Wilderness Act led to a massive survey of all federally managed public lands to see which areas met those criteria. That survey led to official Wilderness designations across the country. Since 1964, Congress has designated about 107 million acres of public land as Wilderness. That's an area bigger than the entire state of California.

The bottom line: federal land has been surveyed for Wilderness designation, and a lot of land didn't qualify, including areas with power lines, roads, bridges, dams or buildings.

Missing in the debate is the concept that land can be protected without designating it as Wilderness. The two ideas are not mutually exclusive. They can and do co-exist. How is this done?

Land can be designated as national forest, national refuge, national monument, or national park, to name just a few. Land managers have a lot of experience working with user groups, including motorized interests, to protect the land while accommodating users’ needs.

For the record, the ATVA will continue to support appropriate Wilderness designations as they are introduced, but will vigorously oppose recommendations that are overly broad, eliminate traditional uses, or threaten the very existence of trail riding.

The ATVA believes that all Americans have a right to enjoy the beauty of our public lands. Furthermore, with this great opportunity comes great responsibility. That means packing in and packing out. It means keeping sound to a reasonable level and staying on marked trails. And it means sharing the land with other users.

It’s a strategy, by the way, with a stellar record of success. One that Gifford Pinchot would recognize serves all the people, and not just an elite few.