Senate Concurrent Resolution 622

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION URGING THE UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE TO RECONSIDER ITS RECENT REGULATION REGARDING TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS ON NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM LANDS IN MISSISSIPPI IN ORDER TO ALLOW THE LESS RESTRICTIVE USE OF OFF-HIGHWAY VEHICLES FOR GAME RETRIEVAL AND CAMPING.

WHEREAS, more Americans and Mississippians than ever are using off-highway vehicles (OHV) to enjoy the outdoors. Last year, OHV users accounted for between 11 and 12 million visits to national forests and grasslands; and

WHEREAS, in the right places, and managed carefully, OHVs are an appropriate use of national forests; and

WHEREAS, today, appropriately managed recreation, including use of OHVs, is one of four key issues affecting national forests and grasslands; and

WHEREAS, in 2005, the National Forest Service published a new rule for providing motor vehicle access to national forests and grasslands. The final rule requires each national forest and grassland to designate those roads, trails and areas open to OHV use. The rule does not designate roads or areas for OHVs but provides a framework for making those decisions at the local level; and

WHEREAS, this travel management rule reads as follows:

"The responsible official may include in the

designation the limited use of motor vehicles within

a specified distance of certain designated routes

solely for the purposes of dispersed camping or big

game retrieval. Such designations represent

site-specific decisions associated with specific

roads and trails or road or trail segments, rather

than a blanket exception to the rule. Designations

under 36 CFR 212.51(b) will be applied sparingly to

avoid undermining the purposes of the rule and to

promote consistency in implementation. Regional

foresters will coordinate designations within states

and between adjoining national forests to promote consistency"; and

WHEREAS, 100 years ago, President Theodore Roosevelt (an avid hunter and outdoorsman) led the United States Congress in creating the National Forest System, to preserve natural resources and forest acreage for future generations. National Forest System lands in Mississippi include: Holly Springs National Forest, Delta National Forest, Tombigbee National Forest, Bienville National Forest, Homochitto National Forest and DeSoto National Forest. President Roosevelt (who hunted bear in the Mississippi Delta) and National Forest System founder Gifford Pinchot envisioned the system as a continuing source of timber and fresh water to sustain communities which was totally open to hunters, anglers and outdoor enthusiasts; and

WHEREAS, the new Forest Service travel management regulation will result in overbearing restrictions on Mississippi's hunters, anglers and outdoor enthusiasts, who have been denied traditional access to National Forest System lands for game retrieval, camping and off-highway vehicle use; and

WHEREAS, national forests and grasslands are shared resources held by all Americans. Recreational visitors experience them in many different ways. Across the country, some of our most effective examples of OHV management involve state and local governments, motorized and nonmotorized users, and other affected citizens working together. Partnerships are necessary to accomplish trail maintenance, restore damage, educate users and promote a spirit of cooperation among national forest visitors; and

WHEREAS, it is preferable that the Forest Service work together with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, conservation groups in Mississippi and other recreational users of National Forest System lands to allow traditional uses of this land:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby urge the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service to reconsider its recent regulation regarding travel restrictions on National Forest System lands in order to allow the use of off-highway vehicles for game retrieval, fishing and camping.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be certified by the Secretary of State and transmitted to the Chief of the United States Forest Service, to the Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture, to the President of the United States and to members of Mississippi's congressional delegation, be forwarded to the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks and be made available to the Capitol Press Corps.