Key Members of Congress oppose de facto wilderness designations Examiner.com
Washington, D.C.,– The Motorcycle Industry Council applauds the 18 Members of Congress who wrote U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell expressing strong objections to managing Recommended Wilderness Areas (RWAs) as full-fledged, congressionally designated wilderness areas.
Wilderness areas are specially designated federal public lands on which access is prohibited to particular uses including motorized (i.e. motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles and recreational off-highway vehicles) and mechanized vehicles, which include bicycles.
The statute that provides authority to establish these areas, the Wilderness Act of 1964 , defines potential wilderness areas as those that are “untrammeled by man” and that retain “primeval character and influence, without permanent improvements or human habitation.” The Forest Service is currently in the process of reviewing its policies on managing RWAs.
The letter notes that only Congress has the authority to designate wilderness areas.
