FAIR Campaign Launched to Educate and Encourage Dog Owners to Learn More About Forest Access
The Forest Access is a Right & Responsibility (FAIR) campaign launched to help citizens access quality off-leash recreation opportunities on the Deschutes National Forest.
Bend, OR (PRWEB) August 10, 2010
The Forest Access is a Right & Responsibility (FAIR) campaign was launched to help citizens access quality off-leash recreation opportunities on the Deschutes National Forest.
We believe it is possible for skilled land managers to provide quality opportunities for all recreationists, while sustaining our public lands. Because recreation is so important to dog owners and many others, we encourage citizens to learn more about access issues. FAIR is sponsored by DogPAC, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to promote the health and enjoyment of dogs and their guardians through the provision of off-leash recreation opportunities in Central Oregon. DogPAC has collaborated successfully with the Bend Park and Recreation District to expand opportunities in local parks.
For the past 3+ years, DogPAC has also sought to work with the Deschutes National Forest (Deschutes) to expand opportunities there. DogPAC is an Adopt-a-Trail partner with the Deschutes, and it maintains a portion of the Deschutes River Trail. It also created, maintains, and grooms Oregon's only dog-friendly groomed ski/snowshoe trail.
Despite DogPAC's commitment, and despite dog owners being the single largest recreation group on this forest, the Deschutes is unusually restrictive of dog owner access. It has more miles of leash restrictions than all other national forests in Oregon combined. This has had a huge impact on dog owners - those that live in Central Oregon and those that visit and support its tourism industry.
Because the Deschutes has been unwilling to openly address access issues, DogPAC utilized the Freedom of Information Act to compel the forest to provide relevant documentation. These internal documents reveal that the forest lacks a scientific/managerial foundation for such strong access restrictions. More importantly, the documents indicate that the forest lacks a legal foundation - and that decision makers have implemented restrictions despite being aware of this. In other words, the Deschutes National Forest is knowingly misusing federal regulations to deny dog owners access to public lands.
The Forest Service uses the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) as a foundation for restricting access. The three local orders restricting dog owner access on the Deschutes are based on 36 CFR 261.58(s), which states: "When provided by an order, the following are prohibited… possessing, storing, or transporting any bird, fish, or other animal or parts thereof, as specified in the order."
This CFR clearly relates to wildlife, not dogs. In an internal email, the forest's chief law enforcement officer stated: "In no case is 261.58(s) an appropriate regulation for managing domestic dog issues." She went on to say the forest should use "regulations appropriately (as intended by Congress)… Otherwise, we are 'bluffing' the public and we risk losing our credibility."
DogPAC president Kreg Lindberg states: "Deschutes National Forest decision makers have acted as if they are above the law. I believe the Forest Service should follow the law - and that access restrictions should be legal, ethical, and scientifically sound." As authors Sharpe, Hendee, and Sharpe note in their Introduction to Forest and Renewable Resources textbook: "management's role is to manage recreation use skillfully, not to inhibit it." With skillful management, all recreation interests can have quality opportunities. Access to public lands is too important to Western communities for it to be poorly managed. This context is about one user group on one national forest, but legal abuses and poor management occur elsewhere. DogPAC launched the FAIR campaign to encourage citizens to learn more about how their access to public lands is restricted, and to help them ensure that access decisions rest on a solid foundation.
To learn more about FAIR, go to the website or follow on Facebook.
To learn more about DogPAC, go to the website or follow on Facebook.
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