(Laramie) To protect wildlife, wetlands, and outdoor recreational opportunities, Biodiversity Associates and Laramie business owner David Wagoner have submitted a formal petition to Medicine Bow Forest Supervisor Mary Peterson demanding the immediate closure of environmentally damaging and unneeded motor-vehicle routes on the Pole Mountain Unit of the Medicine Bow National Forest. The Medicine Bow Group of the Sierra Club, White River Conservation Network, Southern Rockies Forest Network, The Wildlands Center for Preventing Roads, the Wilderness Society, the Wyoming Wilderness Coalition, and the Wyoming Outdoor Council also joined the petition.

© Erik Molvar

The Pole Mountain Unit, including the Vedauwoo Area, of the Medicine Bow National Forest is one of the most popular recreational areas in Wyoming, renowned for its distinct geological features and remarkable animal and plant communities. However, this area’s natural beauty and environmental quality is being needlessly destroyed by illegal off-road vehicle use and irresponsible Forest Service management, according to the petition.

“The Pole Mountain Unit is a very special place, but some portions of the area are literally being ripped-up. And this destruction of habitat is hurting the area’s wildlife and hurting responsible recreationists who hike, climb, picnic, and fish in the area.” said Eric Bonds of Biodiversity Associates, a Laramie-based conservation group fighting to protect native species and their habitats in Wyoming.

Photo by Biodiversity Associates High resolution available

“ORV’s are creating major damage to sensitive habitats like marshes, riparian areas, and wetlands in the area. This damage needs to end. And it is the Forest Service’s responsibility to end it.” Said David Waggoner, owner of CCH, a Laramie-based manufacturing company.

According to Waggoner, there is no shortage of roads in the Pole Mountain Unit. “The sad thing is that these so called “roads” aren’t needed. There are plenty of already established roads in the area that provide more than enough motorized access through the forest.”

“Off-road damage has been going on for years and is now greatly increasing. But still the Medicine Bow Forest Service has continued to ignore this very serious problem. By so doing, we feel that the Forest Service is violation of several federal laws,” said Bonds.

Laws like the Clean Water Act and the National Environmental Policy Act were created by congress to protect our environment. The petition states that the Forest Service is in violation of these and several other laws because the agency is allowing the on-going destruction of wildlife habitat and the needless degradation of water quality on public lands.

Photo by D. Waggoner High resolution available

Also, the petition states that by refusing to control the damage created by off-road vehicles the Forest Service is violating the Endangered Species Act. Parts of the Vedauwoo area in the Medicine Bow National Forest are known to be home to the Preble’s Meadow Jumping Mouse, a federally listed threatened species. Southeastern Wyoming is one of the few places where this unique animal exists. The mouse inhabits riparian areas along streams--exactly the areas most impacted by irresponsible off-road vehicle use. “The Forest Service has a duty to protect this animal and its habitat. But so far, it has only sat by and watched as more and more of its home is destroyed.” said Bonds.

Photo by Biodiversity Associates High resolution available

According to Biodiversity Associates and Bonds, the Forest Service has done more than just ignore the pointless destruction of our public lands; it has actually condoned it. Last year, in its Travel Management Plan, the Forest Service added illegally created routes to the legal transportation system of the Medicine Bow National Forest. Some of these routes travel through the middle of wetlands, riparian areas, and other fragile habitats. “We believe the Forest Service is rewarding the few bad apples that are wrecking fragile habitat and demolishing our natural resources,” said Bonds. “The Forest Service should not have included these routes into the Forest Service Transportation System without first looking to see if each is needed, and without first analyzing environmental impacts. Instead, the Forest Service should have closed these routes and then opened them on a case-by-case basis – only if they are needed, if they are safe, and if they are not environmentally destructive. The result of this flawed decision is the kind of widespread damage we are now seeing throughout the Medicine Bow.”

Biodiversity Associates and other conservationists hope that this petition will serve as a wake-up call to the Medicine Bow forest managers. “Its time for the Forest Service to understand that the concerned people in this region will not let natural resources and wildlife habitat on public lands be destroyed. The Forest Service needs to take action now, not just here but throughout the forest where damage is occurring.” said Bonds.

The petitioners are also hoping that the Forest Service will act not only in the Vedauwoo area, but will move to close other environmentally destructive off-road vehicle roads throughout the Medicine Bow National Forest.

Pictures of the off-road damage in the Vedauwoo area are available upon request. Digital jpeg versions of several photos can be downloaded via anonymous ftp at: ftp.biodiversityassociates.org. Use the “incoming” directory. Filenames are mudbog7.jpg (photo by David Waggoner), 103-0358 (photo by B-A), and 103-0371 (photo by B-A).