By Jim Stoltz
Date: Sun, 14 Dec 1997 13:37:17 I got Bill’s e-mail (testing the ALDHA e-list) and figured I’d try to pass this info on to you concerning the Symms Act, federal funding that helps hiking trails, but also funds the destruction of wild places. Many hiking clubs are promoting the Act, not realizing they are also promoting motorized vehicle intrusion in our nation’s last wild places. 70 percent of the money goes to (motorized) ORV, ATV and snowmobile trails, while the hiking trails get 30 percent.
The ATV problem is an epidemic of untold proportions on our western public lands. The machines are illegally entering designated Wilderness Areas; they’re trashing the trails in unprotected areas also, turning what were once pristine footpaths into wide, erosion-filled “roads.” The hiking community has turned its back for too long, and now the machines have gotten totally out of control. Even along the Continental Divide the machines are turning the CDT into a noisey road. The wild (silent) character of the west is being altered forever and your hiking club (s) may involved in promoting it.
Funding for hiking trails should not come at the cost of our wilderness heritage. We shouldn’t be pumping money into motorized intrusion of our last roadless areas by promoting hiking trails. This Act need to be killed.
Bring this attention to your hiking friend, hiking organizations, and most importantly, your congressional delegation. Here is a quote from Earthlaw with some other reasons to kill the Symms Act:
The Symms Act should not be reauthorized for the following reasons:
1) Trails created under the Symms Act often disregard fundamental environmental law and prevent public involvement.
Supposed safeguards such as the requirement to follow the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and protect non-motorized uses do not
work. NEPA is routinely bypassed by frequent use of “categorical
exclusions” and few Symms Act projects ever present required public
notice before the project begins or is completed. All trail construction should follow environmental laws.
2) The Symms Act creates poorly planned off-road vehicle trails.
This damages wildlife habitat, creates erosion, spreads noxious weeds and greatly disturbs wildlife in unprotected wilderness areas. Forest fragmentation from off-road vehicles ruins wildlife habitat and reduces opportunities for future habitat improvement.
3) Motorized trails into roadless areas ruin the wilderness character and eliminate areas from potential Wilderness designation.
In Idaho and Montana alone roughly 15 million acres of potential
wilderness could be disqualified by the construction of new Symms Act
funded motorized trails.
4) To provide accountability, U.S. Forest Service trails should be
funded through the Interior Appropriations bill.
Rather than be routed through a state agency with little accountability and experience with non- motorized trails, trail funds should be dispersed in accordance with the long range recreation and management plans of the National Forest. Under the Symms Act now federal land managers often do not have adequate control or accountability over damaging user-created motorized trails.
5) The Symms Act is a redundant and wasteful program.
Symms Act funding generally goes into two major categories: urban and National Forest trails. Urban trails are excellent candidates for ISTEA funding since they serve real transportation needs by offering
alternatives to motorized transportation. Funding for urban trails
should, and does, take place under the “Enhancements” program in ISTEA.
Symms funding is duplicative and not needed for urban or National Forest trails.
Please write, call or E-mail your Senators and Representatives and urge them to remove the Symms Act from the ISTEA bill.
From: Jim Stoltz, walknjim@avicom.net
Subject: The Symms Act
Hi Folks:
The Symms National Recreation Funding Trails Act (NRFTA) program is due for reauthorization as part of the huge Intermodal Surface
Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA). Commonly known as The Symms Act,
this trails program gives federal money to state agencies to use for
trails, often on federal public lands. The result is a multi-million
dollar program that reduces recreation opportunities, damages wildlife
and fish habitat, circumvents environmental law, and allows motorized
off-road vehicles into backcountry areas. The Symms Act purports to
provide “multi-purpose” trails for the general public but the program is geared to creating new special interest trails that can only be used for motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and snowmobiles.
Well, there it is, folks. I hope that us hikers won’t be so self-centered that we support this Act just because it gives funding to hiking trails. We also have to look at the damage which it inflicts on the rest of the public lands. In Montana only 2 percent of the backcountry users are motorized, yet they get 70 percent of the funding and impact an area thousands of times more with one passing than non-motorized users. They displace other quiet uses and they are very destructive machines. You wouldn’t believe the damage just a few machines can make. Add a few hundred, and it’s outrageous that we allow this on our National Forest and BLM lands.
I hope you’ll help America’s last wild places and write a letter against the Symms Act. Thanks
Jim Stoltz, “Walkin’ Jim”
walknjim@avicom.net
