WELC has won a two-year battle to gain access to U.S. Forest Service’s data on the damage caused by off-road vehicles and unmaintained roads on national forests around the West.  The information will be used by the public  to help ensure continued access to public lands while preventing off-road vehicle abuse and conserving and restoring natural resources threatened by irresponsible motorized recreation.

Court transcripts indicate the judge was frustrated by the Forest Service’s continued efforts to block the public’s access to this information, as provided for in the Freedom of Information Act.

“I really think that there’s some games being played here,” by the Forest Service, U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy said. “And frankly, I’m sick of it. And we end up wasting so much money for the taxpayers when this stuff is all about an informed citizenry being able to comment on what the Forest Service is doing.”

We expect the information to show that the numbers and damage caused by unauthorized roads are growing, which will help to inform the public as the Forest Service develops new off-road vehicle policies on each national forest.