The U.S. Forest Service and Hells Canyon Preservation Council have reached an agreement on the Sled Springs OHV (off-highway vehicle) Trails located near Enterprise. The 2012 Settlement Agreement, approved in federal court Jan. 6, will provide seasonal OHV trail riding opportunities while addressing environmental and wildlife concerns in the Sled Springs Area of Wallowa County, according to the Forest Service.

The 2012 Settlement Agreement together with the 2009 Sled Springs OHV decision, signed by Wallowa Valley District Ranger Ken Gebhardt, identify seasonal OHV riding trails while restricting OHV and other motorized uses to designated roads and trails as required by the Forest Service’s Final Travel Management Rule. The limited seasonal use of the trails (May 15 through three days prior to the State of Oregon’s archery season) was in response to environmental and wildlife concerns, Gebhardt said.

Gebhardt said that it was important for the Forest Service to evaluate the existing road system and other motorized uses in the Sled Springs Area. The evaluation involved a review of existing OHV and other public access interests and needs and identified actions that would help to mitigate environmental impacts associated with existing roads and unauthorized trails.

According to the Forest Service, important public access needs that were considered during the decision and settlement included dispersed camping, hunting, public firewood gathering, mushroom picking, and other recreational uses. Both public access and fish and wildlife habitat needs played a big role in the decision and settlement, Gebhardt said.

“The 2009 decision and our 2012 Settlement Agreement will greatly improve fish and wildlife habitat, particularly for big game and steelhead, by closing many existing roads that currently fragment areas where elk and deer can find refuge from human disturbance and by eliminating motorized trails across fish streams,” said Jennifer Schwartz, staff attorney for Hells Canyon Preservation Council. “We are also very pleased that the Forest Service agreed to limit new trail construction to a few short segments, place seasonal gates to prevent unauthorized use in some key areas, fully decommission approximately four miles of existing road, and enforce a limited OHV riding season for the benefit of our forest resources.”

A Project Implementation and Monitoring Plan will be developed with interested partners this winter, said Gebhardt. The Wallowa Valley Trail Riders, Hells Canyon Preservation Council, and the Nez Perce Tribe have expressed interest in helping to implement and monitor the OHV trails.