Story Photos
 Jeff Dunlap of Cougar rides his ATV with his miniature schnauzer Sassy up front. Photo by Greg Ebersole.
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Seeking a place to ride
Friday, November 9, 2007 7:50 AM PST
By Tom Paulu
Printable version
E-mail this articleCOUGAR -- Barbara Vertz and Mike Hayden used to gas up their all-terrain vehicles and ride out of town. They'd get on a rough track under PacifiCorp's transmission lines that took them two miles to a network of roads on state property.
But in August, PacifiCorp posted bright yellow signs announcing that ATVs are no longer allowed on the utility's land.
It's becoming a familiar roadblock for people who ride all-terrain vehicles, the four-wheeled machines that can go over steep, rough terrain.
Though sales of ATVs, also know as "quads," are booming, fewer and fewer places are open to riding.
Over the past decade, most private timber companies in the Lower Columbia region have closed their gates to all motorized vehicles during most of the year. Even when timber companies open their gates to pickups and cars during hunting seasons, the companies specifically prohibit ATVs.
Though the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, which includes much of the land northeast of Cougar, has about 1,200 miles of trails, only 32 miles of them are open to quads.
"There's no area around here designated for quads," said Eric Turya, a salesman at Pro Caliber Motorsports, a Longview business that sells ATVs and motorcycles.
Earlier this year, ATV riders in the Cougar area formed CATS, which stands for Cougar Area Trail Seekers. The group has more than 100 members, said Hayden, who's the president.
CATS arose from frustration. "All of our old trails are closed down," Hayden said.
The turning point for members was PacifiCorp's closure of the road that extends west from Cougar, underneath the company's high voltage lines. It links with a block of state Department of Natural Resources land that's one of the few places in the region where ATVs are still allowed.
"People have used that road for 50 years," said Rocky Hendricks, a life-long resident of Cougar and CATS member.
"They used to be a very, very friendly neighbor," Hendricks said. "Anymore, it's 'don't stop on our property.' In essence, it just locks us up."
There's no shortage of terrain that's suitable for riding, club members argue.
"There are literally thousands of miles of old logging roads in the vicinity of Yale and Swift reservoirs, many of which could be designated for ATV use," the club states in a written plea for more trails.
It's unlikely that PacifiCorp, which owns most of the land adjacent to Merwin and Yale reservoirs, will reverse its policy, however.
As part of its federal re-licensing process for its Merwin, Yale and Swift dams on the Lewis River, the utility convened a panel with representatives from state and federal agencies and environmental and citizen groups.
Three years ago, the groups agreed on a 242-page "Settlement Agreement" that includes extensive fisheries enhancements, and improved campgrounds, picnic areas and boat ramps. The Settlement Agreement includes building a number of trails, but none that would allow motorized vehicles. And the plan discourages motorized use of PacifiCorp lands in general.
Mark Stenberg, a PacifiCorp manager who took part in the recreation plan, said preserving wildlife habitat is the main reason no motorized trails were included.
"We've taken habitat out for the reservoirs," said Stenberg, who now works for PacifiCorp in Idaho. To compensate, wildlife agencies asked the utility to create better habitat for big game and birds, he said.
The message is clear: ATVs, deer and elk to don't mix.
In September, the Izaak Walton League released a survey of state fish and wildlife agencies. Most of the wildlife managers who responded said off-road vehicles damage wildlife habitat.
The Settlement Agreement won't officially go into effect until the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approves it as part of re-licensing. Though PacifiCorp's existing license to operate the dams expired in 2006, the new one hasn't been approved. FERC is waiting for an opinion from a federal fisheries agency before approving the license, and company spokesman Tom Gauntt didn't want to predict when it would be granted.
PacifiCorp decided to go ahead and cut off motorized use of the power line road because that's part of the long-term recreation plan, Gauntt said.
Another disputed route is what's known as the IP Road, a route that goes 12 miles along the south side of Yale Reservoir. It's barely passible to motorized vehicles now, Gauntt said.
CATS members would like it to be fixed up as an ATV trail. As part of the Settlement Agreement, PacifiCorp has agreed to spend up to $500,000 to convert the IP Road into a trail -- but not for motorized vehicles.
Gauntt said that in theory the Settlement Agreement could be modified. "But considering the amount of time they took to get to that point," it would be hard to get all parties to agree to a change, he said.
DNR allows quads
Though PacifiCorp and private timber companies appear unlikely to change their ban on ATVs, riders may get more opportunities on state and federal forest land.
According to the Speciality Vehicle Institute of America, sales of ATVs more than doubled nationwide, from 447,000 in 1998 to 912,000 in 2004, and agencies are feeling the pressure for more trails.
The state Department of Natural Resources allows licensed dirt bikes and ATVs on its roads, said Brian Poehlein, a recreation manager for the agency. They needn't be street-legal.
The DNR operates two trail systems for ATVs in Southwest Washington: the Bradley system near Cathlamet, and Jones Creek in the Yacolt Burn State Forest east of Vancouver.
The DNR is currently working on a new recreation plan for the 41,000-acre Yacolt Burn are that could include more trails for motorized users.
Most of the land north and east of Cougar is in the federal Gifford Pinchot. CATS members have their eyes on trails south of Mount St. Helens that are used by snowmobilers and cross-country skiers in winter and to a lesser extent by hikers in summer.
In the entire 1.3 million-acre GP, only two trails allow ATVs: a 23-mile loop near Randle and a 10-mile route near Trout Lake.
Unlike the state DNR, the Gifford Pinchot only allows street-legal vehicles on its roads -- quads don't qualify. However, that could change under terms of a GP transportation plan that's due in 2010.
The plan might designate some Gifford Pinchot roads for only dirt bikes and quads, or allow them along with street-legal vehicles, said Tom Savage, a GP planner.
Any trail that's not in a wilderness area could theoretically be designated for motorized vehicles, he said, but environmental and hiking groups are sure to object.
Other quad-user groups besides CATS have lobbied for more places to ride, Savage said.
CATS members said an increase in ATV trails could bring more tourism to an area where logging has been curtailed. Vertz, the secretary of CATS, said most Cougar residents own ATVs. The average age of club members is around 50, Hayden added.
"In retirement villages, golf carts are the vehicle of choice," Vertz said. "Here, it's ATVs. Some of our members are not ambulatory. I still like to hike but I don't know how long I can do it."
One of the club's members, Steve Pettit, is paralyzed from the waist down. "I can still get out and see the country," he said.
With new ATVs costing from $5,000 to $10,000, "They're going to ride somewhere," Turya said. "They're not going to let it sit in the garage."
Unless trails are provided, Hendricks said, "people end up riding where they shouldn't be riding."
For information on ATVs on state lands, see www.dnr.wa.gov/base/recreation
For information on ATV routes on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, see www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/recreation/trails/Quadtrails
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