Groups sue over planned Oregon Dunes OHV trail from Riley Ranch

Conservation groups are suing the U.S. Forest Service over plans to build a new trail for off-road vehicles on the Oregon Dunes National Recreation area.

Coos County purchased the 135-acre Riley Ranch near Hauser in 2002, and the county has planned for dunes access to the Coos Bay portion of the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. The mile-long trail would link Coos County's Riley Ranch campground north of North Bend with another parcel of county land that is open to OHV riding (yellow line in photo shows proposed route).

The Center for Biological Diversity (one of five plaintiffs in the new lawsuit) contends the Forest Service isn’t following its own rules. It complains the agency failed to designate motorized trails within an allotted three-year period when the dunes NRA management plan was passed in 1994; a section of the land the trail would pass through is designated MA 10C, which is closed to motorized use; and that the trail violates the Forest Service’s 2001 Roadless Rule. A Biological Diversity attorney bluntly said these points of contention are just a means to an end. The group opposes ATV access into what it considers to a be a fragile and unique habitat, and will do anything it can to throw a wrench in the works.

The Riley Ranch project has broad appeal to the OHV community, as it would offer a new point of direct access to the middle of the dunes, roughly halfway in between the southernmost access at Horsfall Campground and Spinreel to the north.

The Forest Service believes that the 2001 Roadless Rule shouldn’t apply because the rule only prohibits the construction of roads, not “motorized trails.”

Conservation groups filing the lawsuit conveniently forget to mention details about the land in question. This isn't some remote area that is untouched by man. The area in question in the is less than one-half mile wide, sandwiched between U.S. 101 on the east and a railroad track on the west. More than half the width is owned by Coos County (from U.S. 101 to halfway to the RR track) and less than half the width by the Forest Service. West of the RR tracks is an open ATV riding area, according to the 1994 and still current ODNRA Management Plan. So we're looking at an area less than one-half mile mile wide and less than half a mile long, bordered north and south by private ownership and east by county ownership, with a rail road track on the fourth side.

This begs the question "why would the Forest Service designate an area like this as a roadless area?" The most likely answer is that the area isn't, but by throwing the "roadless" term in their press release, conservation groups can create more drama and in the end get more people to donate funds for their frivolous lawsuits.

Conservation groups also challenge that the Oregon Dunes is over run by ATVs and their isn't anywhere to take a quiet walk in the dunes. Once again, conservation groups are attempting to paint a picture to future their agenda without telling the public the truth. The fact is that more of the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area is closed to vehicles than is open to vehicles.

Environmental groups that are part of the lawsuit are: Umpqua Watershed, Cascadia Wildlands, Wildlands CPR, Oregon Wild and the Center for Biological Diversity.

More Information:

• Riley Ranch Access Project
• Groups Sue Over Planned Oregon Dunes ATV Trail
• Lawsuit targets off-road vehicle trail plan in Oregon Dunes
• Challenge stalls Riley Ranch Project at the Oregon Dunes
• Press Release from Plantiffs
• Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area
• Coos Bay
• Beale Lake - Google Maps
• Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area OHV Designated Routes

Unseasonable Weather Keeps Oregon Dunes Busy

Source: Sunny days of pay

By Nate Traylor, Staff Writer

Folks are ditching their slickers and flocking to the coast to partake in recreational opportunities amid unseasonably nice weather. And the good news is there are still a few more sunny days ahead of us.

“We pretty much have no rain through the week, which is unusual this time of year,” said Chuck Glaser, data acquisition program manager at the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Medford.

He said a high pressure system over the area is keeping storms at bay.

Temperatures will continue to peak into the high 50s — not quite T-shirt weather, but nice all the same. There’s a slight chance of rain come Sunday.

The dunes are still humming with off-road vehicles under sunny skies, said Rich Burkholder, owner of Spinreel Dune Buggy and ATV Rental in North Bend. The buzz began over the weekend.

“The dunes looked as though it was summertime,” Burkholder said.

“We had a good showing of a lot of people, and as far as the money draw, it was a good week,” Burkholder said.

Business won’t halt when the weather sours. Blustery climates are a draw for some ATV enthusiasts, he said.

“The dunes are different in the winter. They’re different in shape, different in form,” he said.

Wind and rain pressure creates hard sand, he explained. Unusual patterns can form, such as a “gator back” effect, which makes for an atypical riding experience.

Plus, people love to ride to the beach and see storms in action — though they need to exercise caution.

Oregon Dunes Information:

• Coos Bay
• Florence
• Winchester Bay
• Oregon Dunes Camping Area Photos and Descriptions

Restricted OHV Riding in Sensitive Plan Communities at the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area

October 1, 2009

Corvallis, OR –The Siuslaw National Forest is implementing a Forest Closure Order that went into affect August 18, prohibiting off-highway vehicle (OHV) use from posted areas immediately adjacent to Beale, Snag and Horsfall lakes to protect plant, fish and wildlife habitat.

“We have the responsibility to provide for multiple uses, such as clean water, forest resources and recreation while managing for existing native plants and wildlife species found within the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area,” said Pam Gardner, Central Coast and Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area District Ranger.

The areas near dune lakes require protection because they contain uncommon plant communities, including bog blueberry shrubland, found only sporadically along the coast in Oregon and northern California. These protected areas also provide habitat for a number of unique species, such as western pond turtles, the hoary elfin butterfly, bald eagles, bog clubmoss, adder’s-tongue and endangered western lily.

The goal for these areas, identified as Management Area 10(F) in the 1994 Oregon Dunes Management Plan, is to maintain, create, enhance or restore a variety of special plant, fish and wildlife habitats.

“Other pressing management actions, such as the alcohol ban and designated dispersed camping, along with daily demands of managing such a high use area, took our attention for some time,” add Gardner

Other 10(F) areas are located outside of OHV management areas at Siltcoos, Loon, Carter, Lost, Perkins and Elbow lakes and the Takenitch Dunes.

“We’ll be using education as the first phase of implementation and then issue warning tickets, as needed,” according to Gardner. “Repeat offenders will receive citations from Forest Law Enforcement Officers,” she added.

For more information on the closure, please contact the Central Coast Ranger District/Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area at 541-271-6071.

Dune information: Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area

In the News: Dune lakes off limits to ATVs