The Applegate Neighborhood Network (ANN), Klamath Forest Alliance (KFA), and the Siskiyou Crest Blog have joined forces to monitor Off-Road Vehicle (OHV) use on the Siskiyou Crest. We monitor a vast region in the eastern Siskiyou Mountains from Grayback Mountain to Mount Ashland. For the past two years we have been publishing Siskiyou Crest OHV Monitoring Reports. We spend countless hours walking the ridges and forests of the Siskiyou Crest, following and monitoring OHV trails. Our goal is to document the impacts of illegal and unauthorized OHV use, notify the agency of violations, and advocate for ecological values.
The Forest Service, although the land managers in the area, are not always aware of the impacts that are occurring from unauthorized OHV use on the public land they manage. The Siskiyou Crest OHV Monitoring Reports have documented significant impacts to the region’s Botanical Areas, Roadless Areas, and to the non-motorized experience on the Pacific Crest Trail. We have recently been meeting with both the Rogue River-Siskiyou and Klamath National Forests to address OHV impacts and eliminate unauthorized routes. We intend to protect the important habitats and non-motorized recreational experiences of the Siskiyou Crest.
These places are too special, and the ridges and meadows too beautiful to be turned into unauthorized roads, motorcycle paths or OHV routes.
We are also currently working on a BLM OHV Monitoring Report focused on the foothills of the Applegate Valley, specifically the numerous roadless areas on BLM land, including the Dakubetede Roadless Area and Wellington Butte Roadless Areas. Our current project area extends across the Applegate Valley on all BLM lands.
If you see OHV damage while hiking the Siskiyou Mountains, take pictures, document the impacts and please contact ANN at wildapplegate@gmail.com
ANN & KFA want to thank you for your continued support of our annual OHV Monitoring Reports. Your support has made this important work possible!