A coalition of conservation advocates have filed an official objection against the Tonto National Forest’s motorized travel plan.
The travel management plan is still in draft form, so there’s still time for the groups to negotiate a change without filing a lawsuit. As it’s written now, it would authorize public motorized use of more than 3,600 miles of roads and trails on the Tonto National Forest. It also allows hunters to use a motor vehicle to retrieve their game.
Katie Davis is a public lands campaigner with the Center for Biological Diversity, one of the groups that filed the objection. She said she hopes the Forest Service will adapt the plan to include more protections for endangered species and watersheds.
"It’s not about restricting anyone’s ability to enjoy those things," she said. "It’s really about preserving those things for everyone so that we all have the opportunity."
The objection period closed earlier this week. It’s now up to the forest service to determine if they’ll make any changes to the plan.
