Defend the rule that ensures durable, balanced access for all users while also protecting wildlands, wildlife, public safety, and other resources.
On August 21, the US Forest Service (USFS) published a proposal that would upend the agency’s long-standing and successful approach to managing off-road vehicles by revising the Travel Management Rule.
The proposed change would undo the current standard that motorized vehicles need to stay on roads, trails, and areas designated for their use in order to protect wildlands, wildlife, public safety, and other resources. These changes would make the Travel Management Rule unrecognizable, and would weaken protections for our beloved wild forests here in Wyoming and across the country.
There are now just three more days to make your voice heard before the public comment period closes at 11:59pm EST (9:59pm MST) on Wednesday, September 23rd.
As promised, WWA has put together tips for submitting successful comments and talking points (see below). Please take five minutes to tell the USFS that you support keeping the Travel Management Rule as it is!
NOTE that in their ongoing efforts to silence the public voice, the administration is working to dismiss form letters and petitions. For this reason, rather than provide our own WWA comment portal and pre-filled comment form, we are asking that you go directly to the agency comment portal to draft your own letter in support of the USFS Travel Management Rule as it stands using the tips and talking points below.
Tips for Submitting Successful Comments:
Navigate to the USDA’s comment portal.
Share a little about yourself and why you care personally about public lands and responsible motorized access.
Ask the USDA to rethink their proposal to revise the Travel Management Rule, and ask them keep the Travel Management Rule as it stands.
Use any/all of the following bullets to defend your position:
The Travel Management Rule does not restrict access, it simply ensures that access is intentional and responsible. The rule safeguards our public lands for all recreational users, while also protecting wildlife habitat, clean water and cultural resources.
Under the current Travel Management Rule, there is extensive motorized access already. The USFS road system is made up of 265,000 miles that are open to motorized use, with an additional 60,000 miles of motorized trails.
The proposed revision of the Travel Management Rule shifts the framework from "closed unless designated open," to "open unless designated closed." This is problematic. The change will lead to widespread expansion of user-created motorized routes and significant damage to beloved wildlands here in Wyoming, and to National Forests across our country.
Recent calculations of the USFS road maintenance backlog, that used USFS data, showed a $9 billion deficit! It is hard to justify expanding a system that we cannot afford to maintain as is.
The current Travel Management approach is widely supported, including by many motorized recreation organizations. Undoing it is reckless, irresponsible, and not in the public interest.
Make sure to fill out ALL the information required in the comment portal.
Hit submit!
Talking Points In Defense of the Travel Management Rule:
Since 2005, the Travel Management Rule has successfully balanced access for off-road and all-terrain vehicles, dirt bikes, hikers, horseback riders, mountain bikers, anglers, hunters, and more, while also preventing damage to sensitive public wildlands and wildlife. The proposed change would upend the current standard that motorized vehicles need to stay on roads, trails, and areas designated for their use in order to protect wildlands, wildlife, public safety, and other resources.
The Travel Management Rule requires agencies to plan motorized use, minimize damage, protect other visitors, and respond when vehicle use is harming public land resources. Eliminating those protections would not improve access - it would replace locally developed plans with uncertainty, conflict, and unmanaged use.
This move to upend the Travel Management Rule is part of the Trump administration’s systematic dismantling of the safeguards that keep public lands safe, accessible, and managed for everyone.
You can find more talking points about the Travel Management Rule in our original news alert.