The U.S. Forest Service has agreed to consider closing 500 miles of roads for motorized vehicles that land managers improperly allowed in mountains west of Front Range cities.
Under a legal settlement accepted Monday in U.S. District Court, the Forest Service also must consult with state wildlife experts within three months on whether immediate changes must be made to protect deer and elk.
A coalition of environmental groups forced the settlement, the result of a 2011 lawsuit challenging the roads across 1.1 million acres of the Pike-San Isabel National Forest.
That forest contains delicate alpine terrain including 19 of Colorado’s 54 peaks higher than 14,000 feet, such as Mount Elbert, the state’s highest, and Pikes Peak, above Colorado Springs.
“This will give Coloradans a chance to have their voices heard,” said Ted Zukoski, an Earthjustice attorney representing environmental groups. “It will force the Forest Service to ensure, as the law requires, that they minimize environmental damage.”
Forest Service spokesman Lawrence Lujan said the agency “will move forward with the process by following the settlement agreement and all applicable laws.”
Federal law requires the Forest Service to consult with the public and examine potential harm before it opens forests to ATVs, motorcycles and other vehicles.
“They need to follow their own regulations,” said Tom Sobal of the Quiet Use Coalition.
Some roads in question, near Leadville and Pikes Peak cut across streams where banks are eroding habitat for lynx, elk, spotted owls and greenback cutthroat trout.
Forest officials agreed to conduct a full review of motorized use and, within five years, produce a plan for where vehicles can go without causing harm.
Pike-San Isabel managers have allowed more than 2,200 miles of motorized routes in the forest.
