The environmental impacts of OHV use, both direct and indirect, have  been studied and documented over the past several decades. Most  field unit officials also indicated that social and safety impacts  occasionally occurred on their lands. According to field unit officials from  all three agencies, in an average year, OHVs were used on federal lands  primarily for recreational activities such as trail and open-area riding. Environmental Impacts of OHV Use Occur on Less Than One-Fifth of Federal Lands

Most field unit officials from all three agencies indicated that  environmental impacts of OHV use occur on less than 20 percent of the  lands they manage; a few field unit officials, however, reported that   80 percent or more of their lands are affected by OHV-related  environmental impacts. These plans, however, are missing some key  elements of strategic planning—such as results-oriented goals, strategies  to achieve the goals, time frames for implementing strategies, or  performance measures to monitor incremental progress—that could  improve OHV management. The Park Service has no extensive planning or  guidance for managing OHV use, but this absence seems reasonable given  that Park Service regulations limit OHV use to only a few units and that  OHV use is not a predominant recreational activity on Park Service lands. Despite identifying numerous goals and strategies to achieve the goals,  BLM’s recreation plan does not identify any time frames for implementing  the strategies or any performance measures for monitoring incremental  progress. Agencies’ Field Units Reported Taking Many Actions, but Additional Efforts Could Improve Communication and Enforcement; a Majority of Units Said They Are Unable to Sustainably Manage OHV Use

Actions that agencies’ field units reported taking to manage OHV use  include supplementing federal funds with authorized outside resources  (such as state grants), communicating with and educating the public,  enforcing OHV regulations, and engineering and monitoring OHV trail  systems. Additional efforts could improve communication with the public  about OHV trails and areas and enforcement of OHV regulations. A majority of officials  who post signs also said that it is an effective OHV management action. For example, nearly all Forest Service and  BLM field unit officials and most Park Service officials said their units  conduct occasional patrols of OHV routes or open areas. Some field unit officials from all three agencies had also  arrested individuals for OHV violations. Additionally, about half the field unit officials indicated that  existing fines were insufficient to deter illegal or unsafe OHV use. A Majority of Field Units Indicated They Cannot Manage Existing OHV Areas in a Sustainable Manner

Although field units are taking many management actions, a majority of  field unit officials indicated that they cannot sustainably manage existing  OHV areas; sustainable management would include having the necessary  human and financial resources available to ensure compliance with  regulations, educate users, maintain OHV use areas, and evaluate the  existing OHV program. In addition to staffing and financial challenges, a majority of field unit  officials cited enforcement of OHV regulations as a great challenge as well. Other challenges identified by field unit officials include managing varied  public expectations about how public lands should be used and altering  long-established OHV use patterns. Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

The objectives of our review were to determine (1) the trends in and status  of off-highway vehicle (OHV) use on federal lands managed by the  Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service and the Department of the  Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and National Park Service  (Park Service) from fiscal year 2004 through fiscal year 2008, as well as the  reported environmental, social, and safety impacts of OHV use; (2) the  agencies’ strategic planning for managing OHV use on federal lands;   (3) actions taken by the agencies’ field units in managing OHV use on their  lands; and (4) current OHV management challenges facing these agencies. To address our objectives, we collected and analyzed OHV-related  documentation, including applicable executive orders and agency plans,  regulations, and guidance.
Why GAO Did This Study

Off-highway vehicle (OHV) use on lands managed by the Department of Agriculture's Forest Service and the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and National Park Service (Park Service) has become popular over the past few decades. Some critics have asserted that OHV use causes adverse environmental, social, and safety impacts, while proponents have voiced concerns about retaining access to federal lands. GAO examined the (1) trends in and status of OHV use on federal lands, as well as reported environmental, social, and safety impacts; (2) agencies' strategic planning for managing OHV use; (3) actions taken by agency field units to manage OHV use; and (4) current OHV management challenges. GAO collected and analyzed related executive orders and agency OHV plans, regulations, and guidance; interviewed agency and interest group officials; and conducted a Web-based survey of all three agencies' field unit officials.

What GAO Found

OHV use on federal lands--both authorized and unauthorized--increased from fiscal year 2004 through fiscal year 2008, with varying environmental, social, and safety impacts, according to officials from all three agencies. All three agencies reported that OHVs are predominantly used on their lands for OHV recreation, such as trail and open-area riding. Most Park Service officials said that OHV use constitutes less than 10 percent of the recreation on their lands. Most officials from all three agencies also said that OHV-related environmental impacts occur on less than 20 percent of their lands, although a few said that such impacts occur on 80 percent or more of their lands. Most officials said that social and safety impacts, such as conflicts with nonmotorized users, occasionally or rarely occurred. Forest Service and BLM plans for OHV management are missing key elements of strategic planning, such as results-oriented goals, strategies to achieve the goals, time frames for implementing strategies, or performance measures to monitor incremental progress. For example, the Forest Service's strategic plan has no strategies to address key aspects of OHV management, such as communicating with the public or enforcing OHV regulations. Similarly, while BLM's recreation plan contains strategies addressing key aspects of OHV management, the agency has not identified time frames for implementing these strategies or performance measures for monitoring progress. The Park Service has no extensive planning for managing OHV use, but this absence seems reasonable given that its regulations limit OHV use to only a few units and OHV use is not a predominant recreational activity on its lands. While agencies' field units have taken many actions to manage OHV use, additional efforts could improve communication and enforcement. In particular, units have taken actions such as supplementing federal funds with outside resources like state grants, communicating with the public by posting signs and maps, and enforcing OHV regulations by occasionally patrolling OHV areas and writing citations for OHV violations. Few officials, however, indicated that their unit had signs and maps for nearly all of their OHV areas. Additionally, while most field unit officials said that they conduct enforcement activities, such as writing citations, about half indicated that fines are insufficient to deter illegal or unsafe OHV use. In addition, a majority of officials reported they cannot sustainably manage their existing OHV use areas; sustainable management would include having the necessary human and financial resources to ensure compliance with regulations, educate users, maintain OHV use areas, and evaluate the OHV program. Officials identified numerous challenges in managing OHV use, of which the most widely identified were insufficient financial resources, as well as staff for OHV management and enforcement. In addition, most officials cited enforcement of OHV regulations as a great challenge. Other challenges were maintaining signs, managing the public's varied expectations about how federal lands should be used, and changing long-established OHV use patterns.