To the Editor:

Do you want your access to public lands treated like a basketball game, where you have to worry about if you are “in bounds” or “out of bounds” and having to live with the penalties of not staying within the boundaries set forth by the Forest Service? That is exactly what your life will be if the proposed designation of routes language and travel management plan are put into place on our National Forest.

Currently you are allowed to openly and freely access the Wallowa-Whitman and Malheur National Forest via motorized means at your discretion unless otherwise noted by wilderness areas or areas specifically targeted as non-motorized.

Once roads areas are designated a use, all motorized use off those roads will be prohibited (within a given buffer along the road) going from an open forest system to a closed forest system. Much like the basketball court where you are not allowed to leave the court, motorized access will be disallowed from roughly 95% of your public lands. You may only play on the court the Forest Service allows, which will be along their selected roads, and if you play outside those lines you will be penalized up to $5,000 and/or 1 year in jail.

When did you turn over your right of motorized access to the US Forest Service? Did any of you sign a document giving Mr. Montoya or Pena the authority to decide when and where you traveled?

Offenses that will get you penalized if you go outside the designated area are — Firewood cutting, retrieving big game, dispersed camping, accessing historic berry and mushroom picking areas, accessing historic hunting areas, or simply recreating in your favorite area, just to name a few.

If you do not agree that our motorized access should be restricted, please contact Secretary Tom Vilsack (tom.vilsack@usda.gov) and Robert Bonnie (robert.bonnie@usda.gov) to let them know how their staff is failing our communities and families.

John D. George

Bates