The Road-RIPorter

Bimonthly Newsletter of the Wildlands Center for Preventing Roads. March/April 1998. Volume 3 # 2

Water, Wilderness and Roads:

Creative Ways to Assert RS 2477 Claims
by Katherine Deuel

At a time when the federal government has publicly
acknowledged the importance of roadless area values with an
(albeit temporary) moratorium on building new roads in these
otherwise unprotected areas, the Forest Service, in a remote
corner of southwestern Montana, seems determined to build
new roads into just those areas that we have legislatively
protected: designated Wilderness.
Valley, past hay fields and cattle herds and ever-more
common subdivisions. We chose not to stop at St. Mary’s
Mission, the earliest anglo settlement in Montana, though it
would be an appropriate starting point to understanding the
issue at hand. There, in 1842, an enterprising Catholic
missionary showed that whites could survive in this inhospi-
table territory by irrigating its produc-
tive soils through the dry part of late
summer. Agriculture has been the

J
uly 24th, 1997. I mainstay of the Bitterroot’s economy
since then, and irrigation is the
find myself leading mainstay of agriculture. Father De
what feels like a Smet’s “innovation” — irrigation — is
small army up a trail what allowed considerable settlement
in this valley, and today we are going
in the Selway-Bitterroot into the Wilderness to view some of
Wilderness of western the physical consequences.
Montana. Usually when I lead trips in
Wilderness, I talk about how and why
The Bitterroot Range receives light we should minimize our impact on the
use compared to other major ranges in landscapes, wildlife and other people
the Rockies, partly because these we encounter. The conversation may
mountains aren’t as high and spectacu- stray from how to leave a clean camp
lar as others and partly because of to the enabling legislation that made
Montana’s sparse and well-dispersed all these considerations possible: the
population. The Bitterroot Mountain’s 1964 Wilderness Act. But today our
crest delineates the Idaho/Montana conversation has been robbed of any
border for over 200 miles, but the 1.3 philosophical discussion of how we
million acre Wilderness actually covers can use federal lands responsibly.
more of the former than the latter. Here in Bass Creek a decision has
From the crest, the mountains tumble already been made. Our goal is to
down into Idaho’s Selway river country examine the type and amount of
and beyond: the Selway-Bitterroot Crib structure at the Tin Cup dam. The Forest impact the Bitterroot National Forest
Wilderness is contiguous with vast Service has built roads within designated (NF) deems acceptable within this
tracts of still-undeveloped, unprotected Wilderness to repair old dams like this one, Wilderness, and to consider the
built earlier this century for irrigation. Photo implications for Wilderness dams and
public land that bump into more
by Jamie Lennox. roads throughout the United States.
designated Wilderness. This continu-
ous stretch of wild country is the largest of its kind in the We leave the trailhead walking
lower forty-eight states. west along a road. It follows the narrow corridor of the
We are coming from the decidedly more civilized creek bottom, pushes over a small rise and enters a flatter,
eastern edge of the Wilderness. The party of seven that I am more open valley. We pass the sign: “You are now entering
hiking with drove less than a half hour from the university the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness.” We are still on a road, a
town of Missoula to arrive at the trailhead. We traveled road that continues 5 miles further into the Wilderness and
south through the flat bottomland of the Bitterroot River
— continued on page 4 —
 From the Wildlands CPR Office...
I Can See Clearly Now...
The hubbub over the Clinton Administration’s new roads policy is beginning to
die down, but the confusion surrounding it continues to grow. In our efforts to find
out what is happening with the policy, we continue to receive contradictory informa-
Wildlands
tion from practically everyone we speak with. Just after our last RIPorter, the Forest C
Center for
Service told us that the 60,000 miles of ghost roads recently discovered included P
Preventing
only user-created, and not temporary roads, and that the 60,000 mile figure was R
Roads
extrapolated from Region 4 data. Just before this issue went to press, however, they
told us that 60,000 is a known number, not an estimate. They also said it includes P.O. Box 7516
temporary and all other types of roads. Then the Forest Service acknowledged that Missoula, MT 59807
the real number of ghost roads is “significantly more than 60,000” according to (406) 543-9551
Acting Director of the Engineering Staff wildlandsCPR@wildrockies.org
www.wildrockies.org/WildCPR
Skip Coghlan. All of the data came from
the Washington, DC office of the Forest
In this Issue
Service. Now if the media and engineer-
Wildlands Center for Preventing
ing departments would only start talking Roads is a national coalition of
to each other, we might get some useful Water, Wilderness and Roads, p. 1 grassroots groups and individuals
information. The comment period for Katherine Deuel working to reverse the severe
the interim roads policy was extended ecological impacts of wildland roads.
another 30 days to coincide with the 60 Odes to Roads, p. 3 We seek to protect native ecosystems
Tom Lyon and biodiversity by recreating an
day comment period on the long-term interconnected network of roadless
policy (deadline March 30). We hope you Legal Notes, p. 6-7 public wildlands.
received either an e-mail or snail mail Jacob Smith
alert from us on this issue. If you lost it Director
and still want to write comments, please Bethanie Walder
Wildlands CPR Annual Report,
contact us ASAP.
p. 8-9 Development Director
Tom Youngblood-Petersen
Thanks... Bibliography Notes, p. 10-11
Office Assistant
Karen Wood Dana Jensen
Many, many thanks to Patagonia,
especially the Reno and Dillon outlets.
The Reno store recently donated a bunch DePaving the Way, p. 12 (anti) Motorized Recreation
Bethanie Walder Program
of gear to use on field excursions, and Jacob Smith
the Dillon store made a generous grant to
our ORV program. We love ecologically Lost and Gone While Driving Newsletter
correct corporations - thanks Patagonia!! Ghost Roads, p. 13 Dan Funsch
As always, thanks to all of you who have Mark Huffman
Interns & Volunteers
sent donations, joined or just supported Ben Irey
our work, it makes all the difference in Ask Dr. Roads, p. 14 Scott Bagley
the world. Many thanks to our member Dr. Roads, Master of what? Vivian Roland
Deb Patla in Wyoming for sending the
Board of Directors
newspaper column that we have re- New Resources Available, p. 14 Katie Alvord
printed on page 13. Mary Byrd Davis
Kraig Klungness
Sidney Maddock
New Arrivals Rod Mondt
Cara Nelson
Wildlands CPR welcomes our new student intern from the University of Mon- Mary O'Brien
tana this semester. Ben Irey, an undergraduate, finished hiking the Appalachian Trail Tom Skeele
last fall. He is back in school and will be doing some ground-based monitoring of Scott Stouder
temporary road compliance on the Bitterroot or Lolo National Forest.
This issue of the RIPorter has a new section - DePaving the Way. We will use this Advisory Committee
Jasper Carlton, Libby Ellis,
column as a place to inform you about high-priority issues relating to roads and Dave Foreman, Keith
wildland ecosystems. We hope it offers you timely information that you can use in Hammer, Timothy Hermach,
your road challenges. We also have included our 1997 Annual Report in this issue, Marion Hourdequin, Lorin
therefore you won’t find any regional reports. Look for them next time. Lindner, Andy Mahler, Robert
You also may notice a new look for The RIPorter. Since Unity DP unbleached McConnell, Stephanie Mills,
Reed Noss, Michael Soulé,
recycled paper is no longer available, we have switched to Eureka 100. This paper is Dan Stotter, Steve
100% recycled, made from 100% post-consumer waste. And although it is white, it Trombulak, Louisa Willcox,
is non-chlorine bleached. Bill Willers, Howie Wolke

2 The Road-RIPorter March/April 1998

 Odes to Roads
Momentum
by Tom Lyon
I
’ve been thinking a lot about why
road construction is innocent until
proven guilty — why we on the
minority side have to struggle so hard
even to get a hearing. We never got one
on the Final Environmental Impact
Statement that the Utah Department of
Transportation prepared for Logan
Canyon, Utah. It was an unbelievably
bad document, full of false assumptions
and misused or faulty statistics. It sailed
through, as such things do. Then the
Forest Service dismissed our 187-page
appeal with a page and a half bureau-
cratic slap, the back of the hand. But
why? Why is it so easy for them, and so
hard for us? Why do the “Indians”
always lose?
I remember sitting at the big table
with Utah Department of Transportation
and Forest Service representatives in the
early days of the Logan Canyon contro-
versy. UDOT, the Forest Service and the
Federal highway people had convened
an “Interdisciplinary Team” that
included a few environmentalists. We
would all present our different views
and arrive at a consensus. But no such
thing happened: we could not see why
a faster, straighter road should be built,
and they could not see why we preferred
a winding, slower one. It was as if the
two sides spoke absolutely unrelated
languages. The momentum, however,
was theirs, and after a number of
meetings they dissolved the ID team,
sent us letters of thanks, and went ahead
with the project the way they wanted it.
You can see the same onrushing
impetus operating in other parts of our
strange life. A woman in Iowa gives birth
to seven babies, to general approval.
(Hardly anyone sees population growth
as the real, hurtful thing it is.) The
economy grows daily, to general
approval (what gloomy faces we will see,
if it should ever not grow). NAFTA goes
through; GATT goes through. Full steam
ahead. You and I get a raise, and we not
only don’t refuse it, we think it could
have been more. We know better,
The Road-RIPorter March/April 1998
rationally; we
know this can’t go
on. What if
everybody in the
world lived like
this? But we take
the money. We go
ahead and drive
the car — wonder-
ing what all these
other people are
doing on the road, Logan Canyon, Utah. Photo by George Nickas.
why the traffic is
so dense.
Shouldn’t they be at work, or in school
or something? We’re streaming down
the highway, part of the momentum.
What we don’t often see is that
momentum makes us stupid. It shuts off
awareness of the real, related, interde-
pendent world. Keeps us within our
metallic shells. Keeps us going straight
and fast on the road we have built. This
is truly a massive mental and spiritual
disorder. We straighten, simplify, and
speed up — the classic linear mentality,
the classic mistake. This is what the
Logan Canyon project is: an accurate
expression of who we think we are and
what we think the world is. What makes
our situation so difficult now is that we
haven’t just made a technical mistake,
we have become identified with our
construction. The straight, fast road, and
the salary increase, etc., become crucial
to our always-accumulating identity. We
are dedicated to safeguarding and
expanding this identity above all, and
our tight allegiance keeps us from
seeing, from knowing in any deep way
what we’re doing. The new, fast, straight
road in Logan Canyon is like such roads
anywhere, a symptom of our not seeing
the world.
Speaking from the state of identity,
we call our impacts “side effects,” a
revealing phrase. In Logan Canyon, there
will be “side effects” on Logan River, on
Beaver Creek, on trees, birds, flowers,
snails, snakes, worms, deer, elk, and on
and on. In reality, these are not “side”
beings, however; the world doesn’t work
in parts. What a strong and sad disease it
is, that we don’t see this.
It’s fortunate that along with the
ego-mind, the identity-builder, evolution
provided a capacity for wider, relational
awareness. This is where we touch the
world of source, where we see the tree
in its own right, feel its bark, feel into
the life that stands there flowing upward
and downward, feel compassion with it.
This is where we don’t just leave the tree
alone, we honor it as a fellow vessel of
sacred life. In relational awareness, we
get a bit of perspective on this fierce
little identity thing. We see the good-
ness of a winding, slow road, and the
greater beauty of a roadless canyon. We
don’t feel in such a hurry. We have
stepped aside from the clanking,
whirring machinery for a time. This kind
of seeing doesn’t translate well into
bottom-line language — it doesn’t carry
across the big table very well. But when
we are alive this way, aren’t we more
likely to do the right thing?
Tom Lyon is recently retired from the
University of Utah, where he has been a
professor since 1964. He edited the
classic anthology This Incomparable
Land: A Book of American Nature
Writing, and he also edits the journal
Western American Literature. Mr. Lyon
has been honored with conservation
awards from the Utah Wilderness
Association and the Bridgerland Audubon
Society.
3
Water, Wilderness and Roads
— continued from page 1 —
stops at the Bass Creek Dam.
There are 31 dams on the Bitterroot
National Forest, 18 of them within the Wilder-
ness. Nationwide, over 200 dams lie in Wilder-
ness areas. The earliest dams in the Bitterroot
mountains were built in the 1890’s, before
Montana was even a state. More were built
before the Bitterroot NF was established in 1905,
and all 31 dams were long since completed
when the Wilderness Act passed in 1964.
The dams hold the rush of water that pours
out of the mountains with spring snowmelt and
release it to irrigate crops in the late summer dry
season. The farmers who use this water hold
legal rights to this bounty — private property
rights under western water law — and many Forest managers have invoked “emergencies” to allow road
have easement rights to physical dam structures. building within designated Wilderness. Photo by Doyle
To maintain their rights, water users have to Gerrard.
monitor and maintain the structures, and use the
water they claim.
The Forest Service inherited the responsibility of ensuring
that water users uphold their obligations, and the agency
ultimately makes decisions on the fate of the dams. They
must protect public safety as well as the Wilderness values
around the dams — including solitude, quiet and keeping the
area “untrammeled by man.”
Although routine maintenance and monitoring is required,
in 1996 the Forest Service and the Bass Creek water users
declared that emergency measures were needed to make the
dam safe. Local conservationists requested that hand tools and
horses be used to make the repairs. After all, the dams in the
Bitterroot were built and maintained for over fifty years using
this “primitive” technology. But the Bitterroot NF officials
decided to fix this emergency by reconstructing a road. The
Bass Creek road was not new. It was rebuilt in 1952 for a
major dam reconstruction and was used every year for
maintenance until 1969 — 5 years after the Wilderness Act
passed.
Since then, the road had been slowly revegetating and the
area returning to a more natural state, until the Bitterroot NF
bulldozed a road
eight miles up the
creek, in the
Wilderness, to the They are here to mitigate the damage, gencies” can the Forest Service condone
dam. But the road
reconstruction was building water bars and replanting
never challenged in native vegetation, trying to make
court because the
plan included a the road look like a trail again.
benefit: the It doesn’t.
excavator that
reconstructed the
road would pull
vegetation and debris back onto it when it left, speeding up the
road to trail conversion process.
We are hiking that road. It skirts the open valley, crosses
the creek, and climbs up a steep hillside to the next level
bench. The creek pours through this section with a spectacu-
lar cascade. Out in the second hanging valley we pass two tan
4 The Road-RIPorter March/April 1998
(or filthy?) young
men with shovels
and pick-axes in
hand. They are here
to mitigate the
damage, building
water bars and
replanting native
vegetation, trying to
make the road look
like a trail again. It
doesn’t.
Rather than
making me feel
better about the
Forest Service’s
decision, this
mitigation work just
makes it seem
worse. In the end, it
was not worth the impact. The road to trail conversion did not
include recontouring or obliterating the road, just moving
some vegetation around. How much are we, the public, paying
for a cosmetic job of reducing erosion and revegetating the
scars? The gentle sections of the road have some tentative
regrowth, but less than a year after the bulldozers, the steeper
sections are completely denuded. How long before this valley
looks and feels like Wilderness again? And just how bad a
precedent did the Bitterroot National Forest set by making this
decision?
The answer to the last question followed right on the heels
of the project’s implementation. In May of 1997, Alaska
Senator Ted Stevens tacked the now-infamous “Pave the Parks
rider” (resurrecting RS 2477 road right-of-way claims — See
The RIPorter v2 #5) onto an emergency flood relief bill. There
are 18 dams in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, all requiring
maintenance and repair. Does that mean 18 roads and 18 RS
2477 claims in the Wilderness? It could. Especially if the
Forest Service continues to allow water users to ignore dam
maintenance and repair until, suddenly, an “emergency”
demands more bulldozers, and more
roads.
But really now, how many “emer-
for dams that ought to be regularly
monitored and maintained? I didn’t
think very many, but it turns out that
the Bitterroot NF has allowed 4 motor-
ized intrusions into the Selway-Bitter-
root wilderness since 1991, all in the
name of emergency dam maintenance.
And they are still doing it.
In 1993, the Forest Service began an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to analyze alternatives
for reconstructing the Tin Cup dam, another Bitterroot dam
approximately 50 miles south of Bass Creek. But the Forest
never completed the EIS. Four years later, the public had
another chance to comment. This time the project and the
analysis were divided into two components, (one planned for
1997 and the second for The road into Bass Creek
1998) despite the obvious becomes more obvious as
connectedness of the two Confronted with a self-proclaimed you approach the dam.
actions. Although the
Bitterroot Forest officials’ “emergency,” the Forest Service rubber- Where the trail once picked
through a boulder field, there
“preferred alternative” for stamped a proposal allowing the use of is now a bulldozer wide
phase I, including outlet pipe bench for easy walking. It is
repair and dam core testing, motorized equipment in Wilderness. impossible to plant vegetation
favored using primitive tools, to camoflaugue this damage,
the final decision did not. so mitigation here means an
Forest Supervisor Steve Kelly chose the Tin Cup Water Users’ occasional large boulder rolled back onto the road. The dam
preferred alternative, allowing 60 helicopter round-trips, a itself is visible from a distance — a flat, pale-grey face where
backhoe, a backhoe-mounted drill, a compressor, generator, the creekbed should be. It is conspicuous to me precisely
water pumps, and building a helicopter landing pad in the because of its lack of bright colors — it is bulky, not delicate;
Wilderness. too monotone; dead, not alive. There is nothing wild about it.
Why did Supervisor Kelly make this decision despite By the time we reach the dam we are hot and dehydrated,
strong opposition (the decision was appealed and an unsuc- and have become so accustomed to the marks of human
cessful lawsuit brought against the Forest Service) and feasible, impact that the dam hardly seems out of place. Cajoling from
legal alternatives? He explained that “patching [the outlet the intrepids in our party eventually coaxes each of us into the
pipe] as a temporary repair measure leaves a risk of failure chilling water of Bass Lake. I am one of the last in. Climbing
that I am not willing to make.” He invoked an emergency. out to dry myself in the warm summer sun, I face away from
It was the emergency that never had to be. State engineers the dam, letting the real wilderness ahead inspire me to
had warned that the dam needed repairs since 1990. Despite remind others of what the Wilderness behind me has lost.
this warning and federal regulations requiring yearly mainte- As this goes to print, the Forest Service has not yet
nance and monitoring, the water users and the Forest Service received the water users’ final proposal for phase II recon-
only made two inspections (and no struction. But Tom Wagner, the District
repairs) between that warning and last Ranger responsible for the decision, is
year’s proposal. It wasn’t until the water already making promises. The Forest
users mustered the money and the Service will analyze the project with an
internal cohesion that the Forest Service Environmental Impact Statement, and
decided to act. Then, confronted with a the EIS will be available for public review
self-proclaimed “emergency,” the Forest in December. And he told the water
Service rubber-stamped a proposal users that he doesn’t want to see a
allowing motorized equipment in proposal for a road up Tin Cup creek.
Wilderness last year and setting the stage In the meantime, for the first time in
to implement phase II. And what does almost 50 years, water this summer will
phase II entail? Drive a D-9 dozer right to spill over and beyond the dam, filling Tin
the dam site, 11 miles from the trailhead, Cup’s banks in spring and diminishing to
9 miles into the Selway-Bitterroot a trickle in late summer. Because the
Wilderness. Another road. dam is a high-hazard dam at risk of
Fortunately, the final decision on failure (hence the emergency), when the
Phase II hasn’t been made. And though it water company completed phase I last
may be possible for an RS 2477 claim to fall they had to remove the “headgate”
be made, Tin Cup does not have the same that traps the water behind the dam.
history of regular road use as Bass Creek Now, faced with the prospect of no late-
did. Though the first phase of Tin Cup season flows, they have already asked
dam repairs were done in a way that sets the Forest Service for permission to fly in
the stage for more roads into this vast a temporary headgate to contain this
Wilderness, we learned an unfortunate year’s flows, and perhaps next year’s as
lesson about the Forest Service’s sense of well. Apparently, the water users are
responsibility. They have consistently willing to risk the same dam failure that
decided NOT to require water users to Forest Supervisor Kelly and Federal
uphold their legal and ethical obligations Dams like this one in Montana’s Bass Creek District Judge Molloy refused to risk
to regularly maintain dams, and consis- have become a focal point in the debate over when they decided in favor of the water
Wilderness purity. Photo by Dana Jensen.
tently decided TO allow the most company on Phase I.
destructive impact possible — roads —
into the only areas in the country where Katherine Deuel is Ecosystem Defense
roads are legislatively prohibited — coordinator for Alliance for the Wild
designated Wilderness. Rockies.

The Road-RIPorter March/April 1998 5

 Legal Notes
Lawsuit Dead End Road for Snowmobilers
by Jacob Smith
T
he Biodiversity Legal Foundation
(BLF) and the Fund for Animals
(Fund) recently settled a lawsuit
they had filed against the National Park
Service (NPS) over the management of
winter recreation in Yellowstone
National Park (YNP). Their effort
provides one example of taking legal
action to force Federal land manage-
ment agencies to manage motorized
recreation responsibly.
After considerable research, the BLF
and the Fund concluded that winter
recreation, especially motorized activity
(primarily the use of snowmobiles and
snow coaches) was likely having
significant adverse environmental
impacts on Yellowstone. They sought
fundamental changes in the Park
Service’s winter recreation management
policies. The BLF and the Fund further
determined the NPS was violating
numerous Federal statutes, and the
agency’s ongoing winter recreation
planning process was unlikely to
remedy the legal deficiencies. These
organizations, along with Predator
Project, the Ecology Center, and a
number of individuals as additional co-
plaintiffs, filed suit against the NPS (in
the District of Columbia, U.S. District
Court) in May 1997 to force compliance
with legal and regulatory mandates
concerning recreation management and
environmental protection.
The Lawsuit
The Fund et al. argued that the NPS
was violating four major environmental
laws:
* the National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA);
* the Endangered Species Act (ESA);
* the National Park Service Organic
Act; and
* the Yellowstone National Park Act.
With respect to NEPA, the Fund, et
al. contend that the Park Service failed
to fulfill its legal obligations on two
6 The Road-RIPorter March/April 1998
Motorized recreation during the winter disturbs wildlife at a time when
they are most vulnerable. File photo.
counts. First, the NPS should have
prepared an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) concerning winter
recreation and its environmental effects.
Second, the NPS should have supple-
mented its 1990 Environmental Analysis
on winter use in YNP in light of signifi-
cant new information and circumstances.
The lawsuit further contended that
winter recreation in Yellowstone was
likely harming the grizzly bear and the
gray wolf, two species listed under the
ESA. The ESA required the Park to
consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (FWS), which it had not done,
and the FWS was required to issue a
Biological Opinion concerning the
impacts of winter use on the grizzly bear
and gray wolf, which it had not done
either.
Finally, the Fund et al. claimed the
NPS violated the National Parks Organic
Act and Yellowstone National Park’s
enabling legislation by failing to “con-
serve the wildlife” of the Park and to
“leave them unimpaired for the enjoy-
ment of future generations,” 16 U.S.C.
§1, by failing to leave them “in their
natural condition,” 16 U.S.C. §22, and
several additional (and related) regula-
tory violations. The lawsuit also in-
cluded Administrative Procedures Act
and Mandamus Act claims.
The Settlement
After extensive negotiations, despite
concerted efforts by industry groups to
intervene in the lawsuit, the parties to
the litigation agreed to a settlement.
Signed by the Court in late October
1997, the settlement agreement con-
tained several key provisions:
The Park Service agreed to complete
a comprehensive EIS on winter visitor
use by September 2000 (with specific
deadlines for the initiation of scoping
and the publication of a draft EIS).
During this interim period (until a
Record of Decision is signed regarding
this new winter visitor use plan), the
NPS agreed not to begin construction on
winter use facilities (with several specific
exceptions).
The Park Service agreed to prepare
a Biological Assessment and request
formal consultation with the FWS
regarding impacts to species listed (or
proposed for listing) under the ESA.
The Park Service committed itself to
prepare an EA with the proposed action
of closing one or more road segments to
winter visitor use in order to more fully
study the impacts of snowmobile
grooming on YNP bison, one of the
plaintiffs’ major concerns.
 The NPS published its EA in mid-
November concerning the proposed
action (a single road closure effective
immediately) and several alternative
proposals to close one of two road
segments during the next several years.
The NPS issued its Finding of No
Significant Impact and Record of
Decision in mid-January 1998. Remark-
ably, not only did the agency fail to
adopt the proposed action (immediate
closure of a single road segment), it
decided that no road closures would
occur during the next three winter
seasons for monitoring purposes
(although it reserved the right to make
emergency closures to protect Park
resources or visitors).
Although the NPS has refused to
comply with the spirit, and probably the
letter, of the settlement agreement, in
many respects the lawsuit still resulted
in victory. The plaintiffs secured a
court-backed commitment to comply
with NEPA regarding winter recreation,
they secured a commitment for consul-
tation between the NPS and the FWS,
and they secured at least some level of
additional research on the environmen-
tal impacts of winter recreation (includ-
ing the possibility of road closures while
the EIS is being prepared). In short, the
Fund et al. prepared and pursued an
aggressive (and well-constructed) lawsuit
against the NPS for its failure to manage
winter recreation adequately. Although
adequate implementation of the
settlement is as yet unresolved, the case
was strong enough to produce a good
settlement in the first place.
Not all winter recreation is created equal, in terms of its impacts on
wildlife. File photo.
The Road-RIPorter March/April 1998
Legal Precedent lawsuit. The strength of the case,
It is important to note that because especially the ESA claims, also relied on
the parties to the lawsuit settled this species-specific information: the
case out of court, there was no final plaintiffs demonstrated that activities in
court ruling on the issues raised by the a specific place were probably adversely
plaintiffs. Therefore, no legal precedentsaffecting specific species in that place.
were established by the lawsuit, limiting The Fund and the BLF then linked
its application to other cases. The terms these impacts and the activities thought
to be causing
them to specific
management
actions (and
The issue of uncontrolled winter inaction) by the
recreation in the Greater Yellowstone Park Service.
Grooming
Ecosystem is now a national issue… snowmobile
routes was an
obvious one, while
failing to conduct
of the settlement, while important to the an adequate NEPA analysis was more
development of more appropriate winter subtle but equally important. NPS
recreation policies in Yellowstone, are system-wide and specific mandates
not standards that can be applied to regarding preservation and natural
other National Parks. However, the regulation in Yellowstone further
methods used to bring the lawsuit can. strengthened the lawsuit.
What Worked Conclusion
The issue of uncontrolled winter
The basic strategy employed by the
Fund et al. involved several steps. First, recreation in the Greater Yellowstone
Ecosystem is now a national issue in a
the groups undertook a thorough review
of the scientific literature to learn what way that it had not been before. Al-
though the interim road closure is as yet
impacts might occur under what
circumstances according to the best unresolved, the EIS and new manage-
ment plan are likely to include some
available science. They also gathered
site-specific information about environ- measures limiting the impact of winter
use in the Park. In the end, if conserva-
mental impacts in the Park. Combining
these perspectives made the environ- tionists can prove that winter recreation
causes specific impacts in the Park, then
mental arguments so compelling in the
more protective management measures
should be implemented.
A key component of the strategy
adopted by the Fund, et al. in this
lawsuit was the focus on species and
site-specific impacts of specific activi-
ties. Although clearly not the only
approach to environmental litigation, if
employed carefully, it can provide a
powerful foundation for administrative
and legal strategies intended to stem the
rising tide of recreational impacts on
public lands.
Jacob Smith is halftime (anti) motorized
recreation program director for Wildlands
CPR and halftime Forest Conservation
Coordinator for Biodiversity Legal
Foundation.
7
 Wildlands CPR 1997 Annual Report
Introduction
From the ground up — from
grassroots activists to the general public
to the halls of Congress — people turned
their attention to the issue of wildland
roads last year like never before. Wild-
lands Center for Preventing Roads was
instrumental in this process: providing
resources to conservationists, defining
the emerging policy debate, and elevating
it to the national level. This 1997 Annual
Report outlines our accomplishments for
the past year and gives an overview of
our program activities. If you would like
more specific information, please contact
us. As we look ahead to our ongoing
challenges, we will continue to stress the
importance of preventing roads and the
growing need to remove them from
wildland ecosystems.
Organization
In February 1997, Wildlands CPR got Wildlands CPR seeks to recreate an
its non-profit [501(c)(3)] status from the interconnected network of roadless public
wildlands. White sage in Casper’s Park,tion you can use to challenge roads and
IRS. (We had been a project of The
Wildlands Project in Tucson, AZ.) Our California. Photo by Mark Alan Wilson.
steering committee became our board of
directors, Keith Hammer and Jasper
Carlton stepped down to join our board of advisors, and
shortly thereafter Scott Stouder and Mary Byrd Davis joined
the board to fill the vacancies.
We began ‘97 with a small staff. Bethanie Walder served
as 3/4 time Director and Aaron Jones as 1/4 time office
assistant. Dave Havlick and Jim Coefield produced The
Road-RIPorter, and we worked with over a dozen volunteers
and interns. Scott Bagley authored The Road-Ripper’s Guide to
Wildland Road Removal and updated our bibliographic data-
base with help from Alex Brooks and Catherine Shoemaker.
John Dillon took our slideshow to Wyoming, Colorado and
Utah. In April, Tom Youngblood-Petersen became our 1/2 time
development director, responsible for fundraising, develop-
“Wildlands CPR has been the supreme
catalyst in getting us this far.”
— Dave Willis, Director,
Soda Mountain Wilderness Council
ment, and membership. In September, Dana Jensen took over
Aaron’s job — he moved to Portland. The beginning of ‘98 saw
more hours for our staff and a new program to fight motorized
recreation. Jacob Smith will work 1/2 time through his office
in Boulder, CO. In addition, Dan Funsch, former outreach
director for Alliance for the Wild Rockies took over Dave
Havlick’s portion of The Road-RIPorter.
8 The Road-RIPorter March/April 1998
Programs and
Projects
Outreach and Membership
Outreach and member services
include distributing our bi-monthly
newsletter The Road-RIPorter, handling
information requests, making public and
conference presentations (slideshows,
papers, etc., average two per month), and
organizing events. Over 500 requests for
information came from small and large
organizations, print and broadcast media,
Congressional aides, and agency person-
nel. We heard from as far away as New
Zealand, Australia and Israel, in addition
to numerous requests from Canada.
We distribute roughly 700 copies of
our newsletter every two months, and
our mailing list grew from around 400 to
over 550 groups and individuals in 1997.
The Road-RIPorter is filled with informa-
motorized recreation, and articles have
been reprinted in nearly a dozen
environmental journals and newsletters
in the past year.
“Your 11th hour faxes were vital in our
litigation effort to stop roadless area logging
on Kenai lake.” (they won!)
— Jay Stange,
Alaska Center for the Environment
Publications
Our 1997 focus was strengthening our clearinghouse
resources, and that’s what we did. A key publication was The
Road-Ripper’s Guide to Wildland Road Removal, the fifth and
latest guide in the Road-Ripper’s Handbook. Available in March
1998, this guide explains how roads are built, where and why
they fail, and how to assess and influence road removal
projects. It takes a complex process and gives you the techni-
cal information needed to work on or simply understand this
issue. We also published several other reports in 1997,
including “Understanding National Forest Road Economics,”
and reports on ORVs, road removal and road impacts.
Our bibliographic database on the ecological effects of
roads now is current through late 1997. We conducted 53
bibliography searches in 1997 (compared to 22 in 1996) and
also sold 6 complete bibliographies. The next update will be
completed in 1999.
Financial Report

1997 Wildland CPR Expenses

1997 Summary of Expenses & Revenue

Publications 1997 Expenses $ 51,752

Workshops
10% 10% 1997 Revenue $106,177

Outreach/
Member
39%
44% Administration
36%
1997 Wildland CPR Revenue

Grants
91%

Fiscal Note: We received $45,000 in the Handbook

fourth quarter of ‘97 for our ‘98 programs. contributions 1%
Interest
Although this money will be spent in 1998, it is 2%
Biblio Earned
reported as 1997 revenue.
2% 1%
Membership
3%

Workshops
We conducted three workshops as part of conferences in
the northwest and the Great Lakes region. Bethanie presented
half day workshops at the Western Ancient Forest Activists
Conference in Ashland, OR in February; the Oregon Natural
Desert Association Conference in Malheur, OR in April; and
the Forest Reform Rally in Ely, MN in September. All three
were well attended and spawned road assessment work in the
different regions. One attendee from the Minnesota work-
shop, for example, has organized a group of college students
to do a series of road surveys on the Chequamagon National
Forest in Wisconsin. We are planning to convene more road
removal workshops in 1998, as well as a new workshop —
fighting motorized recreation on public lands.
National Legislative/
Management Issues
Roads made big news in Congress in 1997, and Wildlands
CPR was in the thick of it. We assisted groups fighting the
“Pave-the Parks” Rider to gain right-of-way access through RS
2477 (Revised Statute 2477 of the 1866 Lode Mining Act). We
also assisted with key lobbying efforts to support the Porter/
Kennedy and Bryant amendments to cut congressional
appropriations for road construction on National Forest lands.
Finally, in late 1997, the Administration began working on an
interim policy for roadless area protection, as well as changes
to how they deal with roads on National Forest lands. We
continue to track this important issue, and will be active as it
develops.

Thanks To Our Supporters

“Wildlands CPR provides a specialized
service... you’ve been a great partner in
combating Overlook, the Rim Road Bill, and
Gumboot. We’re grateful for the relationship.”
— Ric Bailey, Executive Director,
Hells Canyon Preservation Council
In 1997, Wildlands CPR was supported by the following
foundations: Cinnabar Foundation, Foundation for Deep
Ecology, Kongsgaard-Goldman Foundation, Patagonia, Inc.,
Peradam Foundation, Turner Foundation, Brainerd Foundation
(97/98), Harder Foundation (‘98), New-Land Foundation (‘98),
and Wilburforce Foundation (‘98). We appreciate their
support. We also greatly appreciate the support of all our
member organizations and individuals, and we’d like to
acknowledge the hundreds of hours of volunteer and in-kind
support donated to Wildlands CPR. Keep on Rippin’!!!

The Road-RIPorter March/April 1998 9

 Bibliography Notes
Bibliography Notes summarizes and highlights some of the scientific
literature in our 6,000 Citation Bibliography on the ecological effects of
roads (see page 15). We offer bibliography searches to help activists
access important biological research relevant to roads. We keep copies
of most articles cited in Bibliography Notes in our office library.

Roads and Toxic Pollutants Roadways introduce pollutants into aquatic systems
by Karen Wood through a variety of ways. Photo by Kraig
Klungness.

R
oads introduce a variety of toxic pollutants to the surrounding soils,
vegetation, air and waterways. Highways are a source of chronic, Snowmelt contamination has the
seasonal and accidental pollution (Balades et al. 1985, Reid 1993). Salts potential to alter both the species
from road de-icing agents (NaCl and CaCl) and lead from gasoline are common composition and biomass of wetland
contaminants associated with roads, but pollutants also include nickel, copper (part vegetation. For example, when watered
of clutch lining), zinc (additive to tires), oils and greases, tire rubber, and cadmium with pure snowmelt, only two out of five
(Isabelle et al. 1987, Bellinger et al. 1982, Nolte 1988). Pollutants are deposited onto wetland species germinated, and the
roads through vehicle emissions, dust fallout, wear on tires and traffic, and direct germination rate of the two successful
application, as in the case of de-icing salts (Wada and Miura 1984, Bellinger et al. species declined by 50 percent. Runoff
1982). Levels of zinc and lead are related to traffic level (Balades et al. 1985), while from roadside snowmelt could change
de-icing salts are related to climate and the amount of snowfall and salts applied in a species composition of wetland vegeta-
season. tion by causing a decline in intolerant
species, making more habitat available
Transport of Pollutants Away From the Road for tolerant plants (Isabelle et al. 1987).
Sodium and calcium chlorides were
Pollution from roads is introduced into the surrounding environment through a)
found in high levels 10 meters from the
changes in the quantity of runoff due to the creation of large impervious areas, and
highway on a road in southern Ontario,
b) changes in the quality of run-off from vehicular pollution (Bellinger et al. 1982).
but declined to background levels at a
Transport of pollutants away from the road occurs by one or more of the following
distance of 30 meters. Outside this area
mechanisms:
there was little accumulation (Hofstra
and Smith 1984). Another study of
* Soluble contaminants dissolve in run-off water; migration patterns of road de-icing salts
* Insoluble particulates act as sorbents for pollutant ions, which are then found a significant correlation between
transported by runoff water; a vehicle’s velocity and the maximum
distance to which the salt migrates,
* Surface contaminants are transferred to the atmosphere either as dry particles
affected by the variables of wind, road
or dissolved in surface water (spray) (Bellinger et. al 1982); or
gradient and geometrical features of the
* Contaminants in snow are pushed off the sides of roads by snowplows or road (McBean and Al-Nassri 1987).
concentrated in snow-dumping sites (Scott and Wylie 1980, Lockery et. a. 1982, Several regions of Canada ban snow
Hofstra and Smith 1984). dumping from within 150 feet of a
waterway because of the consequences
Pollutants accumulate on the road surface and are flushed out in great quantities of saline runoff (Lockery et al. 1982).
by rainfall. A few rain events can quickly introduce into the environment as much as Salt affects fresh water bodies because
30 percent of the annual pollution load of motorway runoff waters, especially if the the more dense saline water tends to
rains follow a long dry period (Balades et al. 1985, Wada et al. 1984). Road charac- move into the deeper part of the lake
teristics and climate play a more significant role in the removal of pollutants than basin. In a study of First Sister Lake in
mean daily traffic (Balades et al. 1985, Grayson et al. 1993, Bellinger et al. 1982). Michigan, saline water was found to
remain separate from the lower density
De-Icing Salts fresh water, preventing mixing of the
Sodium and calcium chlorides can impact vegetation through soil contamina- lake and causing a temporary stratifica-
tion, direct foliar contact, and water pollution. Sodium concentrations in soil can: tion. Laboratory and field tests indicate
that the salt left the lake and entered the
* lead to displacement of other cations such as calcium, magnesium and
ground water of the area (Judd 1970).
potassium in soil, rendering these other cations unavailable for plant uptake (Fleck et
al. 1988, Hofstra and Smith 1984);
A study of streams receiving runoff
* create osmotic concentration gradients and changes in soil structure and pH, from a highway in the Huntington
leading to soil stress in plants; and Wildlife Forest in New York found
* result in toxicity, plant injury, and increased susceptibility to disease through significant increases in chloride concen-
uptake into the vegetation (Fleck et al. 1988).

10 The Road-RIPorter March/April 1998

trations at sampling stations 50 and 100 meters downstream
from the highway. Chloride concentrations in downstream
samples were as much as 31 times higher than comparative
upstream samples. Elevated chloride levels continued
throughout the six month period following the termination of
winter salt applications, indicating the impact on streams was
not a short term phenomena restricted to the period of salt
application (Demers and Sage, Jr. 1989).
Lead
Lead content in soils and plants along heavily traveled
highways tends to increase with traffic volume and decrease
with distance from the highway. A study of crop plants grown
along a highway shows surface lead concentrations in the
uppermost portion of the plant (carrot leaves, corn tassels,
potato leaves, tomato leaves). The particle size of airborne
lead, however, is small enough to pass through open stomata
into the leaf. Field and laboratory studies manifest that plants
also may take in lead through the roots (Motto et al. 1970).
Plants do not appear to translocate lead (Scott and Wylie 1980,
Motto et al. 1970).
Lead can displace calcium, sodium and some other plant
nutrients. Lead tends to be mobile only as a function of the
mobility of the particulate to which it is attached. Therefore,
if lead is in sediments in an area of sudden melting or erosion,
it could be transported into water bodies, but otherwise is
fairly immobile (Scott and Wylie 1980). A study of lead levels
at snow dumping sites in dry, flood and submerged zones in
Manitoba, Canada found no change in lead levels in the dry
zone after eight years. Reductions in lead levels in the flood
and submerged zones, however, led the researchers to con-
clude that algae, rather than erosion, was leaching the lead
from the sediments (Lockery et al. 1983). Lockery et al. use
their field evidence to suggest that the bond between lead and
particulate matter is not as permanent in the aquatic environ-
ment as traditionally thought.
Lead in waterways has declined since lead was reduced in
automotive gasoline. A comprehensive study of dissolved lead
levels in major U.S. rivers found declines from 1974 to 1985,
especially coincident for the 1979 to 1980 sampling period in
most locations, when federal regulation began impacting the
availability of leaded gasoline in the United States (Alexander
and Smith 1988).
Conclusion
Roads and the toxic pollutants associated with them can
threaten the integrity of surrounding soils, water and vegeta-
tion. Salts and lead, in particular, could be subtly changing
soil health, water quality and vegetative community structure
over time, affecting other trophic levels. The domino effects
of these pollutants are not well understood. Although roads
are considered non-point sources of pollution, their capacity
as collectors of pollutants and their role as a mechanism for
releasing contamination into the environment is well docu-
mented.
Karen Wood is a volunteer activist currently working for the
City of Tucson in waste reduction and recycling.
The Road-RIPorter March/April 1998
Bibliography
Alexander, R.B. and R.A. Smith. 1988. Trends in lead
concentrations in major U.S. rivers and their relation to
historical changes in gasoline-lead consumption. Water
Resources Bulletin. 24(3):557-569.
Balades, J.D., M. Cathelain, P. Marchandise, J. Peybernard and
J.C. Pilloy. 1985. Chronic pollution of intercity motorway
runoff waters. Water Science and Technology. 17 (6/7):1165-
1174.
Bellinger, E.G., A.D. Jones and J. Tinker. 1982. The character
and dispersal of motorway run-off water. Water Pollution
Control. 81 (3):372-390.
Demers, C.L. and R.W. Sage, Jr. 1989. Effects of road de-icing
salt on chloride levels in four Adirondack streams. Water,
Air and Soil Pollution. 49 (3/4):369-373.
Fleck, A.M., M.J. Lacki and J. Sutherland. 1988. Response by
white birch (Betula papyrifera) to road salt applications at
Cascade Lakes, New York. Journal of Environmental
Management. 27 (4):369-378.
Grayson, R.B, S.R. Haydon, M.D.A. Jayasuriya and B.L.
Finlayson. 1993. Water quality in mountain ash forests—
separating the impacts of roads from those of logging
operations. Journal of Hydrology. 150 (2-4):459-480.
Hofstra, G. and D.W. Smith. 1984. The effects of road de-icing
salt on the levels of ions in roadside soils in southern
Ontario. Journal of Environmental Management. 19:261-
271.
Isabelle, P.S., L.J. Fooks, P.A. Keddy and S.D. Wilson. 1987.
Effects of roadside snowmelt on wetland vegetation: An
experimental study. Journal of Environmental Management.
25 (1):57-60.
Judd, J.H. 1970. Lake stratification caused by runoff from
street de-icing. Water Research. Great Britain. 4:521-532.
Lockery, A.R., T. Gavrailoff and D. Hatcher. 1982. Lead levels
in snow dumping sites along rivers in downtown
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Journal of Environmental
Management. 17(2):185-190.
McBean, E. and S. Al-Nassri. 1987. Migration pattern of de-
icing salts from roads. Journal of Environmental
Management. 25(3):231-238.
Motto, H.L, R.H. Daines, D.H. Chilko and C.K. Motto. 1970.
Lead in soils and plants: its relationship to traffic volume
and proximity to highways. Environmental Science and
Technology. 4:231-238.
Nolte, J. 1988. Pollution source analysis of river water and
sewage sludge. Environmental Technology Letters. 9
(8):857-868.
Reid, L.M. 1993. Research and Cumulative Watershed Effects.
Forest Service General Technical Report. 127 p.
Scott, W.S. and N.P. Wylie. 1980. The environmental effects of
snow dumping: a literature review. Journal of
Environmental Management. 10:219-240.
Wada, Y. and H Miura. 1984. Quantification of accumulated
leads on road surfaces and their runoff characteristics.
Water Science and Technology. 16 (5-7):463-472.
11
 DePaving the Way

The Problem with Temporary Roads

by Bethanie Walder

I
n December 1997, the FS revised their estimate of the National Forest road the Forest Service absorbs the responsi-
network from 380,000 to 440,000 miles. The extra 60,000 miles comes from bility and cost of complying with the
unauthorized and unengineered roads — including the ubiquitous, stealthy, FSM.
temporary road. The Forest Service has no method for tracking temporary roads, nor Therefore, temporary roads can
does it include public highways, state or county roads in its inventory. However, legally remain on the ground for up to
temporary roads cause lasting impacts to the National Forests, as explained below. 20 years or more, yet they are con-
Temporary roads are not considered “system” roads (see “glossary,” RIPorter V3, structed with few, if any, environmental
#1, p11). Most often, they are constructed in conjunction with timber sales, and safeguards. This leads to increased
financed by the timber purchaser. Timber sale contracts typically require that erosion and sedimentation, access for
temporary roads be obliterated and revegetated, but they often remain on the ground illegal off-road vehicles, and other
after the contract is closed, at which point they become the responsibility of the problems. But because temporary roads
Forest Service. aren’t tracked, their total mileage and
The Forest Service has impacts are unknown. Their status as
no design constraints for non-system roads often makes them
temporary roads other than priorities for obliteration, though timber
clearing width and location sale contracts require this anyway. And
(though location is decided as the agency obliterates these roads,
in conjunction with the total road mileage doesn’t change
timber purchaser). Best because they are not part of the system.
management practices (in Therefore, scarce obliteration funds are
states having them) may wasted fixing problems that timber
also apply to temporary purchasers were supposed to pay for,
road construction. If a while obliteration for system roads
temporary road is proposed proceeds at a snail’s pace and road
for sensitive habitat, the construction and reconstruction
Forest Service can impose continue to scar the landscape.
design parameters, but that In addition, the Forest Service has
The Forest Service has no method for tracking temporary changes the road designa- been known to misapply the term
roads, or assessing their ecological costs. Photo by Keith tion from “temporary” to “temporary” to allow road construction
Hammer. “specified short-term,” and in places it is prohibited. The FSM
qualifies the road for federal (2432.35b) states: “Use temporary roads
funding under purchaser road credit provisions. In addition to the lack of design only for short-term non-recurrent
constraints, no length constraints exist; a temporary road could be 1/8th of a mile or purchaser use.” But when the Superior
18 miles. In addition to timber sale access, temporary roads often are used for National Forest, as part of a Forest Plan
mineral and gas exploration. Amendment, implemented road density
Environmental analyses consider a maximum amount of temporary roads for a standards to comply with wolf habitat
project, and the contractor is limited to this amount. The FS sale administrator and requirements, the standards exempted
the timber sale contractor then jointly determine where they will be built. temporary roads from density calcula-
According to Forest Service Manual (FSM) 7703.1, the agency is required to: tions. Since the Amendment, the
“Reestablish vegetative cover on any unnecessary roadway or area disturbed by road Superior has built few forest develop-
construction on National Forest System lands within 10 years after the termination of ment roads, but it has built and rebuilt
the activity that required its use and construction.” temporary roads.
Regardless of the FSM 10-year rule, temporary roads can remain for much Temporary roads cause significant
longer. For example, timber sales typically last 3-5 years or more. If a temporary impacts on the land, require little
road is built in the first year of a 6 year timber sale, its intended use doesn’t end until environmental oversight and remain
the sale is complete — 6 years. The timber contract often requires the purchaser to untracked by the Forest Service. They
close, obliterate and revegetate the temporary road prior to closing the contract. In often remain on the land beyond their
other cases, however, the contract requires the purchaser to pay for the Forest allowable term and eat up limited road
Service to close/obliterate the road a few years after the FS completes revegetation obliteration money that might be better
work, slash burning, etc. So this temporary road could remain open through this 6 spent on system roads. Wildlands CPR
years, plus another 2-3 years before the 10 year clock starts ticking on the FSM is continuing our research into how to
guidelines. According to several agency road specialists, FS contract administrators understand and challenge temporary
also have signed off on contracts even though closure/obliteration has not been done. roads. For more information, please
Once the contract is closed, the timber purchaser is absolved of responsibility, and contact us.

12 The Road-RIPorter March/April 1998

Lost and Gone while Driving “Ghost Roads”
— by Mark Huffman
M
y friend Kranston arrived in
Jackson last week and called
the Forest Service to volunteer.
To help them look for their lost
roads.
He showed me a newspaper
clipping that explained the problem.
“Seems the Forest Service has a lot
of roads it can’t find,” he said, waving
the article at me. “Might be a million
miles of road out there in the forest that
they can’t remember are there.”
Seemed somewhat exaggerated to
me.
“No,” he said, “It’s true — some-
what, anyway. ‘Ghost roads’ they call
them, Forest Service roads that go from
nowhere to someplace without the
Forest Service being aware of them, just
wandering around in the woods mysteri-
ously.”
The article said the Forest Service
planned to spend $5 billion to repair
373,000 miles of backcountry road.
During its preparation, the Forest Service
“found” another 60,000 miles of roads,
that, according to the Associated Press,
“had escaped the government’s inven-
tory.”
“I lost my keys last week,” Kranston
said. “Left them stuck in the garage door
and thought I’d dropped them.” Looked
around, after about 15 minutes I went
out and there they were, hanging there.”
I didn’t see what that had to do with
anything.
“Just that I never lost 60,000 miles
of road,” he said. “Just that I don’t
understand how you can build 60,000
miles of road — dirt road though it
might be — and have it slip your mind.”
I told him the national forests are a
big place. You can’t expect Forest Service
officials — especially when they’re
always being transferred and promoted
and retiring and being replaced — to
keep track of every single mile of road
they had. That would be unreasonable.
“Sixty thousand miles of roads is
enough to go around the planet twice
and then some, enough road to get a
quarter of the way to the moon, enough
road to wear out a set of tires.
“And it’s not like it goes around the
world or off into space, so they don’t
have that excuse for losing it,” Kranston
said. “It’s all in the United States, and
The Road-RIPorter March/April 1998
mostly the western part of the United
States.”
Well, I said, so they lost 60,000
miles of road. But why focus on the
negative? They found it, didn’t they?
“But it makes you wonder how
much more is out there ‘escaping
inventory,’ “ Kranston said. “If they
admit they lost 60,000 miles of road this
long, might be another 60,000 miles out
there someplace, or more? Who knows?
That’s the thing about things you don’t
know about — you don’t know about
them.”
Which is why Kranston decided to
help. He’s offering to organize search
parties that will go out into the forests
and look around. They will keep their
eyes open for roads. When they see
them they will drive along them,
verifying they aren’t just small bare
patches in the grass, but really roads,
Photo by Jim Coefield
and find where they go. They will then
report to Forest Service officials.
“It’s all part of that volunteerism
thing the Republicans are always talking
about,” Kranston said. “About us taking
responsibility for ourselves, including
for the missing roads in our national
forests, which have been
misremembered by Forest Service
officials.
“Rather than whining about the
government losing roads and pointing
fingers, citizens can help solve the
problem,” he said. “And it might be an
inspiration to other people to volunteer
their efforts in other matters.”
Such as? I asked.
“Well, if the Forest Service mis-
placed 60,000 miles of road, how much
has the Park Service lost? Or the Bureau
of Land Management?
“What about Teton County and
Jackson and the state of Wyoming? What
about the Federal Highway Administra-
tion — I mean we might discover there’s
thousands of miles of interstate highway
we’ve forgotten,” Kranston said. “Maybe
there’s people who drove onto those
uncharted interstates and now they’re
out there driving around lost, wondering
how to get back onto highways that are
still within the knowledge of govern-
ment officials.
“We might find tens of thousands of
Americans who have been counted as
missing or dead,” he said. “Judge Crater,
Jimmie Hoffa, Amelia Earhart, all those
sailors gone in the Bermuda Triangle,
New Kids on the Block — maybe they’re
out there driving around on ‘ghost
roads’ waiting for rescue.”
That struck me as taking good
information — about the lost Forest
Service roads — and extrapolating
beyond what was reasonable. But
Kranston thought I was rejecting his
theory too soon. Like I said, he had
called the Forest Service and volun-
teered to start looking.
And?
“They said I had to talk to the
district ranger,” he said. “But that he
went out on a road inventory last week
and they hadn’t heard from him since.”
Mark Huffman is a columnist with the
Jackson Hole News. His column is reprinted
here by permission.
Editor’s Note: If you want to look for ghost
roads — get a copy of our Road Ripper’s
Guide to the National Forests. It’s got step-
by-step instructions to help you uncover
those “misremembered” roads.
13
 Ask Dr. Roads
Dear Dr. Roads,
Should I pay more taxes to have
underpasses built for the Florida
Panther or just run the endangered
cats over?
— Kay Nine, Meowmi, FL
These are hard questions and I am in a contem-
plative, relaxed and altered state. We all have issues
and we need to spend the time it takes to deconstruct
our lives and become one with our inner auto. I feel
autos have souls. Don’t you? Have you asked your
grill if this is an encounter it wants to have? I
communicate with my car all the time. It tells me
when I have splattered the worldly remains of an
endangered species and I can only pretend to
understand. My car is very deep, after all it is from
the desert whence all philosophy flows. Cats on the
other hand are anything but deep. Just little killers in
tawny trousers. Cats and their brethren are not hard
to understand. They will eat anything that looks or
acts like a fur ball attached to a pole by fishing line.
People who play with cats should watch what toys
they use. Personally, I think cat lovers are strange. I
have seen men turned to jelly by the mewing
melange of yowling kitties. It’s disgusting. This in no
way should be taken as an invitation to run the
sneaky little devils down. To make a long/short
answer longer, I call for more Panthers and more
underpasses (homeless habitat and wildlife corridor
all in one, another win-win If I ever saw one). For
God sakes how can you run down a mascot. Speak-
ing of football, I say allow Panthers unfettered access
(I really like that UN inspired term) to companion
animals and wing backs. VIVA LA GATO.
— D. Roads, DVS
Send questions to:
Ask Dr. Roads, c/o Wildlands CPR
PO Box 7516/Missoula, MT 59807
or WildlandsCPR@wildrockies.org
14
New Resources for
Road-Rippers
New Guide Available
The Forest Service now recognizes (with over 440,000 miles
of road on their land) that simply closing roads won’t fix the
environmental problems associated with them. The roads have to
be removed and revegetated. Our new “Road-Ripper’s Guide to
Wildland Road Removal” will help you understand how roads are
built, where and why they fail, and how to influence road
removal projects in your area. Assessing these projects is not
easy, but this guide will give you the technical information you
need to work on, or simply understand the issue.
If you already own a handbook (and remembered to register
it with us) then we will be sending your free copy. If you don’t
own a handbook and want one, with all five guides, or if you just
want to order the new guide, use the order form on page 15.
Updated Bibliography
Scott Bagely has been busy updating our bibliography. This
fall he and Alexandra Brooks combed the research to find out
what has been published since 1995. (Catherine Shoemaker also
completed a few searches for us out in Washington.) They
discovered about 800 new citations on road impacts from the past
two years. Scott then put it all together, screened for duplicate
entries and merged the new info into the old database. For those
of you who already have a copy of the complete database, we will
send you the update (one update is included with purchase). If
you would like to purchase the entire database, or take advantage
of the 10 free searches you get as a member, let us know via the
order form on page 15 or over the phone or e-mail. We are still
working to clean up some of the duplicates and unusable
citations from the existing database, but that shouldn’t hinder
your ability to use it.
Forest Service Web Site
The Forest Service has a new website on forest road issues
with a variety of scientific and media information. Check it out at
http://www.fs.fed.us/news/roads/. If you don’t have access to the
web, contact the USFS in Portland, OR at 503/808-2137 (Sherry
Richardson) and ask for a copy of the roads information packet.
Roads Scholar Project Data
Predator Project has released two reports summarizing
findings of their Roads Scholar Project. The first shows the
results of their surveys of 17 wildlife management units in the
northern Rockies and two important bull trout watersheds in
Idaho. The second is a close-up look at Road Scholar’s work in
the Cabinet-Yaak and Selkirk ecosystems.
In addition, Predator Project will be releasing a full length,
detailed report in April, with the working title of “The Roads
Scholar Project 1994-1997: Findings and Implications.” For
copies, please contact Predator Project at P.O. Box 6733,
Bozeman, MT 59771, phone 406-587-3389, or email
<predproj@avicom.net>.
The Road-RIPorter March/April 1998
 Wildlands CPR Publications: Join Wildlands CPR
Road-Ripper's Handbook ($15.00, $25 non-members)) —A comprehensive activist
manual that includes the five Guides listed below, plus The Ecological Effects of Today!
Roads, Gathering Information with the Freedom of Information Act, and more!
Road-Ripper's Guide to the National Forests ($4, $7 non-members) —By Keith Ham- Membership benefits both you and
mer. How-to procedures for getting roads closed and revegetated, descriptions of Wildlands CPR. You lend your support to
environmental laws, road density standards & Forest Service road policies. our efforts, giving us more leverage in sub-
Road-Ripper's Guide to the National Parks ($4, $7 non-members) —By David Bahr mitting comments, filing lawsuits, and cre-
& Aron Yarmo. Provides background on the National Park System and its use of ating pressure to prevent and close roads
roads, and outlines how activists can get involved in NPS planning. on public lands. In addition, your finan-
Road-Ripper's Guide to the BLM ($4, $7 non-members) —By Dan Stotter. Provides cial support helps us continue providing
an overview of road-related land and resource laws, and detailed discussions for information and resources to activists
participating in BLM decision-making processes. throughout North America.
Road-Ripper's Guide to Off-Road Vehicles ($4, $7 non-members) —By Dan Wright.
A comprehensive guide to reducing the use and abuse of ORVs on public lands. As a Wildlands CPR member, you'll
Includes an extensive bibliography. have better access to these resources, be-
Road-Ripper’s Guide to Wildland Road Removal ($4, $7 non-members) —By Scott cause you’ll receive:
Bagely. Provides technical information on road construction and removal, where
and why roads fail, and how you can effectively assess road removal projects. ❇ Our bimonthly newsletter, The Road-
RIPorter.
Bibliographic Services: ❇ 10 free bibliography searches per year.
Ecological Impacts of Roads: A Bibliographic Database —Updated Feb. 1998 — ❇ National support for your campaign
Edited by Reed Noss. Compiled by Dave Augeri, Mike Eley, Steve Humphrey, Reed through our newsletter and alerts.
Noss, Paul Pacquet & Susan Pierce. Contains approx. 6,000 citations — including ❇ Access to activist tools and public edu-
scientific literature on erosion, fragmentation, sedimentation, pollution, effects cation materials.
on wildlife, aquatic and hydrological effects, and other information on the im- ❇ Connections with groups working on
pacts of roads. Use the ecological literature to understand and develop road den- similar issues, and networks with ex-
sity standards, priorities for road removal, and other road issues. perienced road-fighting activists, law-
Database Searches —We will search the Bibliography on the subjects that interest yers and scientists.
you, and provide results in IBM or Macintosh format (specify software), or on ❇ Discounts on Wildlands CPR publica-
paper. We also have prepared a 1-disk Bibliographic Summary with results for tions.
commonly requested searches. Finally, we offer the full bibliography. However,
you must have Pro-Cite or a compatible database program in order to use it.
Bibliography prices— Sliding scale (all prices include shipping): Use the handy order form
1) Non-profits with budgets under $100,000/yr. below to join Wildlands
2) Non-profits with budgets $100,000-$500,000/yr. CPR or order publications!
3) Non-profits with budgets over $500,000//Universities
4) Government Agencies
5) For-profits and others Mail To:
Full Bibliography: $45 (1) / $100 (2) / $200 (3) / $300 (4) / $1000 (5)
Wildlands CPR
Summary (one disk): $7 (1) / $10 (2) / $15 (3) / $25 (4) / $35 (5)
Searches (add material costs of 15 cents/page, $3 minimum, and/or $3 per disk): P.O. Box 7516
-
$3 (1) / $5 (2) / $10 (3) / $15 (4) / $25 (5) (The first 10 searches/year are free for Missoula, MT 59807
members. )

Join Wildlands CPR Today!

Name/Affiliation:_______________________________________________________ I want to join Wildlands CPR
____$30 Standard
Address:_______________________________________________________________ ____$15 Low Income
____$50 Friend
City/State/Zip:__________________________________________________________ ____$200 Supporter
____$500 Sponsor
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____Other: $____________
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Prices include shipping (book-rate for Handbook, 1st Class for other items). If you need items shipped priority mail, add $3.00
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The Road-RIPorter March/April 1998 15

Visions...

File Photo.

Non-profit Organization
US POSTAGE
PAID
MISSOULA, MT 59801
PERMIT NO. 569

Wildlands Center for Preventing Roads

P.O. Box 7516
Missoula, MT 59807

“The American really loves nothing but

his automobile”
— William Faulkner, Intruder in the Dust