Off-Road Vehicles

The number of off-road vehicle riders has increased seven-fold in less than 30 years. It’s not just the increase in the number of riders that creates problems on our public lands; the power and speed of these vehicles have also increased dramatically, and previously inaccessible backcountry can now be easily reached by motorized vehicles.

Mud-Bogging - Photo by Peter Arnold, Inc.

Off-road vehicles can cause substantial damage to wild, fragile ecosystems by impacting soils, vegetation, water quality, wildlife, and users of public lands who prefer quiet unspoiled landscapes. We believe everyone has a right to use their public lands but no one has the right to abuse it.

Public land agencies at local, state and federal levels are attempting to develop balanced and responsible management plans, but they don’t have the staff or funding to monitor motorized use, or to enforce established rules over the vast areas they manage. In response, Great Old Broads for Wilderness launched the Healthy Lands Project (HLP), an objective, quantifiable off-road vehicle monitoring and data management system. It is our hope that the data collected along travel corridors by citizen volunteers will assist agencies in protecting and restoring our public lands.

How you can help…

1. Become a volunteer and monitor off-road vehicle activity on public lands in your area. HLP monitoring projects are underway in many areas and new projects are often formed. Contact broads@greatoldbroads.org for more information about monitoring projects.

2. Make sure businesses and agencies know that you prefer to recreate in places without off-road vehicles, and ask them to direct you to those areas.

3. Donate to Healthy Lands Project.

4. If you would like to donate to HLP, please click on the button below to donate on-line, or if you would prefer to mail a check or money order, please print and mail our membership/donation form.

Broads off-road vehicle position statement