There are two fundamental and interrelated tasks associated with CTTM (1) the delineation of travel management areas and (2) the delineation of OHV management areas, which designates travel management (as open, limited, or closed).
The transportation network on the public lands in the Bighorn Basin consists of federal and state highways, county roads, and roads built to facilitate industrial and commercial development. There is also an extensive network of official BLM roads that range from regularly maintained ditched and crowned gravel roads to an extensive array of unofficial roads and vehicle routes that were never formally constructed and rarely receive maintenance. Many are two-track vehicle trails created and maintained simply by the passage of motor vehicles. The network of two-track roads and trails is important for recreational and ranching uses on public lands.
For purposes of this RMP and EIS, motorized vehicle use refers to the use of motor vehicles (e.g., OHVs) off the main highway network in the Planning Area. The road and trail network in the Planning Area provides access for private, commercial, and industrial vehicles. Motor vehicle use supports many other resource uses, including livestock grazing, mineral exploration and development, communications, administrative activities, and recreation. Numerous types of motor vehicles are used on BLM-administered lands in the Planning Area, including large trucks, four-wheel drive vehicles, automobiles, motorcycles, and all-terrain vehicles.
Motorized vehicle use in the Planning Area has local, regional, and national significance, and has increased over the last ten years. Recreation enthusiasts are buying OHVs at a rate of approximately 1,500 units per day nationwide (BLM 2001b). The use of these mechanized vehicles is linked to a variety of recreation activities, including dispersed camping, hunting, and fishing, and they have become a popular form of recreation in the Planning Area. The McCullough Peaks area, Little Mountain, the west slope of the Big Horn Mountains, and Carter Mountain are popular areas for OHV use, especially during hunting season. In addition, OHVs have become tools for resource-related industries, including ranching, mineral exploration, and oil and gas production. Due to increases in the price of gasoline, there has been an increasing trend in the use of OHVs for recreational activities and common transportation. Dispersed motorized vehicle use for activities such as driving for pleasure, sightseeing, and OHV tours has shifted from using vehicles such as cars and sport utility vehicles to OHVs because OHVs get better gas mileage (BLM 2008c).
The use of OHVs is expected to continue to grow, increasing the demand for specialized trails and areas available to motorized vehicle use (BLM 2001b). Areas between Basin and Greybull, Wyoming, are experiencing an increase in off‐road motorized vehicle use, even though this activity violates current motorized vehicle use management prescriptions for these areas.
The BLM establishes travel management areas for areas of at-risk resources and those subject to a higher degree of BLM management to protect resources, manage use and user conflicts, and protect public health and safety. Travel management areas address acceptable modes of access and travel. They also identify objectives for allowing travel in the area and setting characteristics to be maintained, including recreational settings for Special Recreation Management Areas (SRMAs). Travel management plans identify the appropriate network of roads and trails, including nonmotorized vehicle access, in travel management areas.
The BLM has implemented travel management plans for the McCullough Peaks area, Rattlesnake Mountain, the Carter Mountain ACEC, areas along the slope of the Big Horn Mountains, and a portion of the West Slope SRMA. The BLM implements these plans through coordination with local landowners, the WGFD, and the Wyoming State Trails program. Travel management plans designate and develop travel routes and identify areas closed to motorized vehicle use in areas popular for big game hunting, hiking, camping, horseback riding, interpretive environmental education, and OHV use, and in crucial wildlife habitat areas. The areas for which travel management plans have been completed and implemented are primarily sensitive areas where substantial motor vehicle use was perceived to be a threat to resource integrity. The BLM established cooperative agreements with private land owners and other entities, including the WGFD and the Wyoming State Board of Land Commissioners, to manage motorized vehicle use in areas in the Absaroka foothills and the west slope of the Big Horn Mountains. In 1990, the WFO implemented Off-Road Vehicle Designations for WSA. The plan effectively closed all roads and trails in WSAs to motorized vehicle use.
All public lands are required to have motorized vehicle use designations (43 CFR 8342). Accordingly, all lands are to be designated as open, limited, or closed to motorized vehicle use (Map 55). Lands designated as open are open to all motor vehicle use, on or off established roads and vehicle routes, as long as this activity does not cause unacceptable levels of resource damage. Limited means an area is restricted, at certain times, in certain areas, and/or to certain vehicle uses. These restrictions can be of any type, but generally can be accommodated within the following categories: number of vehicles; types of vehicles; time of season of vehicle use; permitted or licensed use only; use on existing roads and trails (limited to existing roads and trails); and use on designated roads and trails (limited to designated roads and trails). Closed means the area is closed to all motor vehicle access, with the authorized officer granting exceptions for emergencies, firefighting, public safety, or related incidents. A closed designation usually does not exclude foot or horseback travel or mechanized (such as mountain bikes) travel, and can be implemented to protect back country recreational setting opportunities or sensitive wildlife habitat.
The BLM manages some areas in the Planning Area specifically for nonmotorized vehicle use. Areas with trails open only to foot traffic include the Red Gulch Dinosaur Tracksite, Legend Rock, and Duck Swamp Environmental Education Area. Areas open only to foot travel and mechanized vehicle use include the Paint Rock Trail, Lone Tree Trail, Salt Lick Trail, Canyon Creek access trail, Gebo, and Gooseberry Badlands Interpretive Trail. The BLM manages these areas to protect their natural resources, provide for semi-primitive recreation opportunities, and provide for public health and safety.
Approximately 1,320 acres in the Planning Area are open to motorized vehicle use. These locations include an area south of Cody, an area southeast of Lovell, an area northeast of Lovell, areas near Powell and Greybull, and an area west of Worland. Several of the areas have been used for many years and continue to be used for this type of activity, even though there has been no formal implementation of this travel designation. See Appendix R for a list of other areas open to motorized vehicle use.
OHV groups, in coordination with the BLM, had previously adopted an area southeast of Worland called The Pits as a “play area” (an area open to motorized vehicle use where on- or off-route travel is almost unrestricted). However, after further monitoring and analysis, the BLM closed the area as a designated play area because of concerns about public health and safety related to H2S from the oil and gas wells in the area.
Motorized Vehicle Use Limited to Existing Roads and Trails
Motorized vehicle use is limited to existing roads and trails on approximately 2,332,355 acres in the Planning Area. The BLM created this designation to allow motorized vehicle use without increasing the number of acres disturbed by route creation. Recreational users are not authorized to travel off of roads and trails in these areas, except during the performance of necessary tasks such as the retrieval of game or for maintenance of range improvements and livestock management. Since the implementation of this prescription, OHV use in the Bighorn Basin, Absaroka foothills, and the west slope of the Big Horn Mountains has increased dramatically (BLM 2009b). Each year, new unauthorized pioneered routes and trails are being created, especially during the hunting season. See Appendix R for a list of other areas where motorized vehicle use is limited to existing roads and trails.
The BLM and Wyoming State Trails Program established the Nowater OHV Trails System in an effort to curb unauthorized pioneered routes. Almost 160 miles of Wyoming State Trails designated as motorized vehicle routes provide access to public lands for recreational riding and destination travel in the Worland, Manderson, and Ten Sleep areas. Visitor orientation kiosks at main access portals delineate routes that traverse a variety of terrain and road conditions in view of the scenic Big Horn, Owl Creek, Absaroka, Beartooth, and Pryor Mountains.
Motorized Vehicle Use Limited to Designated Roads and Trails
Motorized vehicle use is limited to designated roads and trails on approximately 787,626 acres, primarily in environmentally sensitive areas, in the Planning Area. These areas include the West Slope SRMA (which includes the Little Mountain ACEC); the Sheep Mountain Anticline ACEC; the McCullough Peaks area; the Carter Mountain ACEC; mountains along the North and South Forks of Shoshone River; the west slope of the Big Horn Mountains and the Bridger Mountains; Absaroka Mountain foothills; the Red Canyon Creek area south of Thermopolis; Meeteetse Draw Rock Art area; Medicine Lodge and Renner Wildlife Habitat Management Units; Carter Public Access Area; Upper Nowood and South Brokenback areas; and Double-H Ranch (a cooperative agreement between the BLM and the Double-H Ranch). This designation has been successfully applied in a number of these locations. Management has been successfully implemented using fences, regulatory signs, and barricades in the Grass Creek/Enos Creek area through a cooperative agreement between the WFO BLM, WGFD, Wyoming State Board of Land Commissioners, and the LU Sheep Company. The off-road travel that does occur is infrequent, and the establishment of new two-tracks has remained minimal. Additional areas where motorized vehicle use is limited to designated roads and trails include essential and recovery habitat for threatened or endangered species, areas with fragile soils or with Class I or II VRM ratings, areas containing important cultural and paleontological resources, and areas over important caves or cave passages. See Appendix R for a list of other areas where motorized vehicle use is limited to designated roads and trails.
Seasonal and Over-Snow Closures
A number of locations in the Planning Area are generally limited to designated roads and trails, but also have a seasonal closure. During a portion of the year these areas are closed to motorized vehicle use. These seasonal restrictions are designed to protect the values of other resources, such as crucial wildlife winter range. Areas with seasonal closures include Carter Mountain, Medicine Lodge and Upper Renner WHMAs, Little Mountain Travel Management Area, Bald Ridge area, and Twin Creek Trail; the dates of these closures appear in Appendix R.
Areas closed to over-snow travel are generally decided on a case-by-case basis. However, some areas, such as LAUs, are designated as closed to this type of use to protect important habitat.
Approximately 59,192 acres in the Planning Area are closed to motorized vehicle use. These areas include the Cody Shooting Complex; the Cody Archery Range; the Lovell Rod and Gun Club area; around the Duck Swamp-Bridger Trail Environmental Education area; surrounding the rifle range west of Worland; lands on Sheep Mountain, Red Butte, Bobcat Draw Badlands, and the Owl Creek WSAs; the Spanish Point Karst ACEC; and along the Bighorn River south of Greybull, Wyoming, to protect threatened and endangered species habitat. Travel management designations in these areas are designed to protect resources from unnecessary damage or to protect recreationists from hazardous conditions. See Appendix R for a list of other areas closed to motorized vehicle use.
In the Planning Area, the number and percent of lands open to cross-country motorized vehicle use is minimal and in areas where there are less likely to be sensitive resources or where potential conflicts can be mitigated (1,320 acres, or 0.04 percent of BLM-administered surface in the Planning Area). In addition to areas currently managed as open to cross-country motorized vehicle use, several new areas or expansions of existing areas are proposed as part of this RMP revision project. Table 3–44 shows all areas proposed as open to cross-country motorized vehicle use currently or under any of the RMP alternatives, and any of a selection of key resource values each such area overlaps. Where overlaps between areas open to cross-country motorized vehicle use and these key resource values occurs, Table 3–44 describes why such use does not pose resource damage concerns or cause inherent conflicts. The percentage of lands closed to motor vehicle use is limited to areas, such as certain WSAs, where resource protection is paramount. Most of the Planning Area is available to motorized vehicle access on the designated or existing network of roads and trails (see Appendix R) and these areas include locations where motorized vehicle access and the protection of resources are important priorities.
Table 3.44. Overlap of Areas Open to Cross-Country Motorized Travel with Select Key Resource Value
| Open Area | Acres | Wetland Riparian Areas (acres) | Greater Sage grouse Key Habitat Areas (acres) | Big Game Crucial Winter Range/Parturition Habitat (acres) | Known Prehistoric or Historic Cultural Sites2 | NHTs /Other Historic Trails (acres within 3 miles)3 | Area Description |
| Hill Climbing areas near Cowley | 118 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | No | 0/0 | This area is a de facto OHV hill climbing area. Motorcycle hill climbing events have been authorized in the past using Special Recreation Permits. Members of the public have used the area for many years for this purpose. The area is being mined for bentonite, and previous events were coordinated with the mining company. Once mining is completed, there may be an opportunity for hill climbing, depending upon land ownership and the terrain. |
| Hills area near Lovell | 273 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | No | 0/0 | This area was identified in the Cody Resource Management Plan (BLM 1990) as an open area, but implementation never occurred. Motorized recreationists (using all-terrain vehicles and motorcycles) use the area for its technically challenging hill climbing opportunities. Nearly the entire area has been used for cross-country motorized travel. |
| Lovell Lakes Motocross Area | 274 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | No | 0/0 | This area was identified in the Cody Resource Management Plan (BLM 1990) as an open area, but implementation never occurred. |
| Red Lakes area near Cody | 67 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | No | 0/0 | This area was identified previously as an open area, but implementation never occurred. This area is a de facto OHV play area where motorized recreationists (using all-terrain vehicles and motorcycles) use the area for its technically challenging hill climbing opportunities. Much of the area has been used for cross-country motorized travel. |
| Area near Park County Landfill | 619 | 0 | 406 | 0/0 | No | 0/343 | The open area is on the periphery of the Greater Sage-grouse Key Habitat Area, where the habitat is marginal. This area is used by motorized recreationists (using all-terrain vehicles and motorcycles). |
| Basin Gardens Play Area | 4,600 | 4 | 0 | 0/0 | Yes | 0/0 | Wetland/riparian areas, and known eligible historic properties could be mitigated through site specific implementation. |
| Rattlesnake Ridge | 7,996 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | Yes | 0/61 | This area is a de facto OHV play area where motorized recreationists use the area for its technically challenging hill climbing opportunities. The area is also heavily used for oil and gas activities, a concern due to high levels of hydrogen sulfide gas. The area is currently managed as motorized use limited to existing roads and trails. |
| 15-Mile | 1,576 | 0 | 0 | 842/0 | Yes | 0/1,289 | The Grass Creek Resource Area Resource Management Plan (BLM 1998a) designated about 900 acres as open for cross-country motorized travel, but implementation never occurred. |
| Source: BLM 2009a; BLM 1998a; BLM 1990 1Area, or portion of area, currently managed as open to motorized vehicles. 2 Based upon existing available inventories and information. An inventory would precede the site-specific analysis for any plan to open these areas to cross-country motorized travel. 3 Inventories and assessments have not occurred to determine where the contributing segments of these Other Historic Trails are located. NHT National Historic Trail OHV Off-highway vehicle | |||||||
Environmental concerns associated with motorized vehicle use include a loss of soil and damage to vegetation due to surface disturbance, the creation of scars on hillsides, habitat loss, disturbance of wildlife in crucial habitats such as winter ranges, siltation of streams due to erosion from roads and trails, and degradation of scenic qualities and cultural sites.
Areas of concern in relation to actual and potential damage from motorized vehicle activity generally include highly erodible soils, riparian/wetland areas, crucial wildlife habitat (such as winter range), fragile soils and vegetation, scenic areas, WSAs, ACECs, cultural sites, and historic trails.
Managing motorized vehicle use on public lands is one of the great challenges associated with public land management. This is not just a challenge unique to the Bighorn Basin or the state of Wyoming, but all over the United States. The BLM uses travel management designations, public information and education, and law enforcement as primary tools to manage motorized vehicle use on public lands.
Controlling the proliferation of unauthorized roads and trails is a challenge for the BLM CTTM program. Unauthorized road and trail proliferation damages scenic resources, disturbs vegetation and wildlife, and degrades wildlife habitats, the end result of which is that long-term resource values and uses are compromised.