The Road-RIPorter
Bimonthly Newsletter of the Wildlands Center for Preventing Roads. November/December 2000. Volume 5 # 6
Rewilding
The beautiful, wild, and unprotected Dragoon Mountains. Home and
resting place of the Apache Chief Cochise. Photo by Matt Skroch.
Islands region of
The Sky southeast Arizona,
southwest New
Mexico and Northern Mexico is a spectacular
theatre in which our glorious natural world
plays. Situated at the convergence of the
Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Madres, and
the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts, the Sky
Islands harbor an explosion of life.
the
Sky
(Islands)
By Matt Skroch, Sky Islands Alliance
The mountains and valleys of this region
provide a wide range of habitats, from succu-
lent desert to spruce-fir forest within a matter
of miles. The Sky Islands’ geographical loca-
tion combined with its topographical com-
plexity make for an extremely diverse ecosys-
tem, housing more mammal and reptile
species than anywhere else in the United
States.
— continued on page 4 —
 From the Wildlands CPR Office... Wildlands
C
Center for
P
Preventing

F R
Roads
all has settled into the Missoula valley and we are anxiously awaiting the
winter storms, and hoping the erosion in burned areas won’t be too severe. By
the time you receive this newsletter, we’ll have elected a new president,
congresspeople and state officials. Let’s hope we have a new majority who support Main Office
land protection and restoration. This issue’s cover story looks at road removal in the P.O. Box 7516
Sky Islands of the southwest — an area where we trained volunteers in road inven- Missoula, MT 59807
tory and removal. It’s great to see such a successful project, and we hope you’re as (406) 543-9551
WildlandsCPR@wildlandscpr.org
inspired as we are by the work of the Sky Island Alliance. www.wildlandscpr.org

Thanks Colorado Office

2260 Baseline Rd., Suite 205
As always, we want to thank all of you who recently donated to Wildlands CPR. Boulder, CO 80302
We especially want to thank those who passed on names of friends who may be (303) 247-0998
interested in our work. We’ve sent out over 100 letters and hope we’ll get a positive prebles@indra.net
response — don’t hesitate to send more names if you’d like. Thanks also to the
Foundation for Deep Ecology for a grant to support our work - we greatly appreciate Wildlands Center for Preventing
Roads works to protect and restore
their continued support. wildland ecosystems by preventing
and removing roads and limiting
Welcome In this Issue motorized recreation. We are a
national clearinghouse and network,
Wildlands CPR is happy to wel- providing citizens with tools and
come three new interns this semester. ReWilding the Sky, p. 1, 4-5 strategies to fight road
Danielle Gardner and Kinza Cusic join Matt Skroch construction, deter motorized
us from the Environmental Studies recreation, and promote road
graduate program at the University of DePaving the Way, p. 3 removal and revegetation.
Montana. Danielle is completing a Bethanie Walder Director
preliminary assessment of fire lines — Bethanie Walder
looking at line density and rehabilita- Odes to Roads, p. 6-7 Development Director
tion — while Kinza is assessing roads in Barry Lopez Tom Petersen
wetland ecosystems, with a focus on
prevention and mitigation. Back on ORV Grassroots Advocate
Legal Notes, p. 8-9 Ronni Flannery
fires, Jen Dacy will collect data on the TJ Brown
effectiveness of fire suppression. Their ORV Policy Coordinator
work should appear in future issues of Jacob Smith
The Road-RIPorter as part of our
Regional Reports
p. 10-11 Roads Policy Coordinator
“Bibliography Notes” series. We’ve also Marnie Criley
been happy to have Nicole Olmstead
Bibliography Notes, p. 12-13 Program Associate
volunteering on our bibliographic Leslie Hannay
database for the past few months. And Leslie Hannay
Amy Wright is helping Jacob with Newsletter
Skidmarks. Thanks to all of you. New Resources for Dan Funsch & Jim Coefield
Road Rippers, p. 14 Interns & Volunteers
Odds-n-Ends Kinza Cusic, Jen Dacy, Danielle
Gardner, Nicole Olmstead,
Speaking of the database, our long overdue update is nearly complete; we are Amy Wright
considering how to best make it available on the web. With regard to the web, we’ve
finally changed our address to: www.wildlandscpr.org. In other news, Marnie just Board of Directors
Katie Alvord, Karen Wood DiBari,
completed a month-long tour of the southeast, leading workshops in Alabama, South Sidney Maddock, Rod Mondt,
Carolina, Georgia and Kentucky, presenting slide shows and meeting with other Cara Nelson, Mary O'Brien,
groups. Thanks to all who turned out; we’re looking forward to increasing our Ted Zukoski
presence in the southeast. Ronni will be contacting many of you within the
Advisory Committee
next few weeks to talk about our National ORV Coalition. We hope you’ll Jasper Carlton, Libby Ellis,
like what we’re doing and become active members of the Coalition. Dave Foreman, Keith Hammer,
Timothy Hermach,
Marion Hourdequin, Lorin Lindner,
Correction Andy Mahler, Robert McConnell,
Stephanie Mills, Reed Noss,
A number of editing changes were made to Colin Chisholm’s essay in The Michael Soulé, Dan Stotter,
Road-RIPorter, 5.5, “One Inch Tall,” that altered the tenor of the piece. We now Steve Trombulak, Louisa Willcox,
Bill Willers, Howie Wolke
offer the original version of “One Inch Tall” on our web-based version of The
RIPorter, 5.5.” Please go to www.wildrockies.org/WildCPR for Colin’s original essay.
Our sincere apologies to Colin. Wildlands Center for Preventing Roads. © 2000 Wildlands CPR

2 The Road-RIPorter November/December 2000

Urban Corridors
— Bethanie Walder
H
abitat fragmentation, though discussed
frequently in the context of conservation
biology, is quite an abstract term. Its
impact, however, became all too concrete here in
Missoula a few months ago, when a key non-
motorized human transportation corridor was
severed.
Missoula is split in two by the Clark Fork River.
On the river’s south side a trail runs for more than
five miles, from the center of town east into Hellgate
Canyon and the foot of Mount Sentinel. You can
access all sorts of walking, biking and other non-
motorized activities from that trail, as well as
downtown and the University. With foresight,
planners also designed three pedestrian bridges that
cross the river and feed into the trail system.
For the next three years the Orange St. bridge,
one of Missoula’s main auto bridges, will be under
reconstruction. And during that construction they’ve
erected a fence across the river trail where it passes
under the Bridge.
Anyone who lives west of the bridge (the
majority of the trail lies to the east) now has to take a
significant detour when trying to get from one part of
the trail to the other. Standing on the sidewalk,
amidst heavy traffic, waiting to cross, the concept of
habitat fragmentation becomes all too personal.
Even at a legitimate crosswalk, few cars actually stop
for pedestrians. The alternative is to travel through
town and on busy streets, instead of along the river
trail.
But at least we, as humans, can read the signs
that explain how to follow the detour. We can read in
the newspaper that construction is expected to last
The Road-RIPorter November/December 2000
three years. I can resign myself to finding a different, less scenic, less
pleasant, less fast, but still viable route to and from different parts of
town.
What do I do, however, if I am an animal? What do I do when I or
my ancestors have been traveling the same route for lifetimes and those
routes, those corridors, are severed by roads and clearcuts. While
habitat fragmentation may be inconvenient to me as a person, it can be
deadly to wildlife.
Habitat fragmentation is a real thing, not just an abstract concept. It
interrupts and changes the lives of animals. Roads and other linear
barriers to travel are the primary cause. If elk migrate from the depths
of Hells Canyon in the winter, to the heights of the Seven Devils Moun-
tains in the summer, and we choose to build a road along the last
portion of unroaded area in their migration corridor, the impact will be
real, not just conceptual. Those elk will have to find a new route to their
breeding and summer feeding grounds - if there is one. And they don’t
have an aerial map to peruse to figure out the shortest, safest distance
between two points.
And so it is with some unaccustomed clarity that I think about
habitat fragmentation everytime I go from the west to the east of Orange
St. I look across the fences at the place I want to be, but I can’t get there
from here. I think, wistfully, how easy it used to be to go for a lunch-
time run along the river. I wonder what animals think when their
habitat is fragmented. I wonder how they find new routes to travel and
how they figure out which routes are safest. I wonder if humans are
more or less creatures of habit than other wildlife. I rethink my efforts
to protect wildlife and wildlands from the habitat fragmentation caused
by roads and I realize that we have a long, long way to go.
Perhaps it would do us all some good to have our personal habitat
or migration/transportation corridors severed for a while. Perhaps it
would help us more clearly understand the need to protect more intact
habitat where it still remains. Even if I don’t like my new travel routes,
at least I can still get where I want to go safely - unfortunately, the same
is rarely true for wildlife.
3
Rewilding the Sky Islands
— continued from page 1 —

It is a place where Northern Goshawks take

Thick-billed Parrots on the wing, where moun- This photo was taken
tain lions stalk coatis, and where grizzly bears
once shared the same canyons with jaguars. before the closure effort.
Wow! As Aldo Leophold once said of the region, There is no vegetation on
“To my mind these live oak-dotted hills fat with the road surface. Notice
side oats grama, these pine-clad mesas spangled
with flowers, these lazy trout streams burbling the trail leading off
along under great sycamore and cottonwoods, to the left.
come near to being the cream of creation.”

Reality Check Photo by Chip Hedgecock.

As the 21st century peeked over the horizon
the land within the Sky Islands, like so many
other places, started to gasp for air. As old
growth was felled, fire was put out, cattle were
overstocked, and predators were “controlled,” the The inventory is the quintessential activity
land’s heart started to skip (it needs CPR!). One that taught us so much about the nooks and
of the most devastating activities, evident in
almost every wound, was the building of roads. crannies of the forest, something we could
Erosion, sedimentation, habitat fragmentation,
poacher access, exotic species dispersal, pollu-
never have learned elsewhere.
tion, population isolation, and the list goes on.
Many roads were built to access mines and water,
two popular destinations in the arid Southwest.
Today’s roads access the same, by many-fold.
plans to come that approaches specific conservation measures from a
regional, even continental perspective. To maintain biological integrity
A New Plan across the board, from species to ecosystem levels, these networks look at
In September of this year, the Sky Island the interconnectedness of flora and fauna over large expanses of land.
Alliance together with The Wildlands Project, Protecting and expanding core wilderness and wild places is essential, but
New Mexico Wilderness Alliance, Southwest to maintain viable populations of the large carnivores that play such crucial,
Forest Alliance and our cooperator in Mexico, rippling roles in ecosystem regulation, we must look at rewilding those
Naturalia, unveiled the Sky Islands Wildlands areas that once provided oh-so-important habitat for dispersal, migration,
Network Conservation Plan. It is one of many and genetic flow. Increasing the acreage of effective habitat is the backbone
of the Sky Islands Wildlands Network. Not only must wilder-
ness be protected, but roads must be removed to attain the
goals set forth. With the absence of roads, wildness has hope.

The Coronado National Forest in southeastern Arizona

encompasses 1.79 million acres of forest and woodlands.
Although not a timber producing forest, roads plague the
ecological integrity of this sensitive ecosystem; the overall road
density is approaching 2.0 mi/mi2 in areas where road con-
struction is allowed. In addition to the 2800 or so miles of
classified system roads, the Sky Island Alliance (SIA) estimates
there are 1000 miles of wildcat roads. Due to the low rainfall
and plant regeneration rates and delicate soil types, one pass
over the open terrain with an ORV or 4WD can persist for
months or years. The visual stimulation of tracks beckons
others to follow, and soon another wildcat road is born. Cross-
country travel is illegal on the Coronado, but unfortunately
Hillary Oppman and a friend install sediment traps in the Dragoons.
occurs frequently - thus the current state of the road system.
Photo by Bethanie Walder.

4 The Road-RIPorter November/December 2000

Taking Inventory
In response to the burgeoning road density on the forest and the
inaccuracy of the current road inventory, the Sky Island Alliance embarked
on a volunteer-based inventory of the Coronado’s road system. Beginning
in 1998, SIA set out to compile the most up to date, on-the-ground inventory
of system and non-system roads on the forest. Today, after 6000 volunteer
hours and almost 200 folks’ participation, the inventory has been com-
pleted around much of the forest. The inventory process has literally given
face to our organization. It is the quintessential activity that taught us so
much about the nooks and crannies of the forest, something we could never
have learned elsewhere. It is the anchor behind our volunteer participation,
allowing our members to get a first hand perspective on issues concerning With the right tools, anything is possible. Photo by
Bethanie Walder.
the forest. It is the center of public interest, along with agency concern.
And most of all, our field events weave us into the landscape and remind us
just how important conservation activism is.

Today, with a fairly large portion of our inventory

completed, it’s a “now what?” question. With the
extensive information collected, we were almost
. . . this was the first opportunity to dig
overwhelmed with the possibilities of how to use it. A into the ground and spill all of those hours
Wilderness Bill? Well yes, we can confidently draft
boundaries, focus on areas needing protection, and go of toil onto the bed of a road that will
to Congress with a sound proposal (after more public never be driven again.
outreach!). But coming back to a more encompassing
outlook of ecological health across the region, we
realized that much more will be needed to ensure
long term protection of species that not only use wilderness, but also the attacked the road with a sense of vengeance.
roaded, developed, and less than pristine areas. Hence we return to roads While the auger was decompacting the road
and, more importantly, road closures. surface, check dams were built in gullies, vertical
mulch was laid to encourage seed germination,
Rewilding with Road Removal and barriers were constructed to effectively stop
all motorized traffic. One neighbor supported the
Given the dwindling amount of wildness, protecting existing roadless work so much that he dealt the final blow by
areas combined with strategic road closures are essential to the rewilding constructing an impassible, non-barbwire, steel
concept. In November of 1999, SIA teamed up with Wildlands CPR and fence running 50 yards across the beginning
Round River Ecological Services for a road-closing workshop to kick off our (with a gap for foot access). At the end of the day,
campaign by obliterating the first of many roads. We traveled to the we sat to contemplate, and soon realized . . . this
Dragoon Mountains of southeast Arizona. Home and resting place of the is only the beginning! For so many of our
famous Apache Chief Cochise, the Dragoons are a prime example of an volunteers, this was the first opportunity to dig
unprotected wilderness compromised by a slew of wildcat roads. One road into the ground and spill all of those hours of toil
in particular, a one mile stretch intruding into a 33,000 acre roadless area in onto the bed of a road that will never be driven
a perennial stream drainage, was the focus of our closure. With 25 volun- again. Momentary satisfaction was ours, and the
teers and only $150 in materials the road became a thing of history within 8 scope and foreshadowing of future events like
hours. The goal was not only to effectively close the road, but also to this soon sunk in.
rehabilitate the road surface. Spades, shovels, augers, boulders, and bodies
Now, one year after the first closure, SIA is
working to close 30 more roads around the
forest. Many of them are wildcat roads, some of
This photo was taken in them are system roads, but all of them deserve to
October of 2000. Notice the be permanently shut down. Road closures are
the biggest step we can take towards rewilding
revegetation behind the our landscapes. Combined with policy rework-
vertical mulch and in the ing, restoration, and reintroduction, road closures
middle of the road. Due to will reinvent our long lost humility and
help ensure that humans will not bear
heavy use by horses and
the heavy burden of total ecological
hikers now, the two tracks are devastation.
still being used for side
— Matt Skroch is the Field Coordinator for Sky
by side travel. Island Alliance. Reach him at 520.624.7080.
Photo by Matt Skroch. matt@skyislandalliance.org

The Road-RIPorter November/December 2000 5

 Odes to Roads
Waiting on Wisdom
By Barry Lopez
W
e need a pause the like of
which we’ve never had in
Western civilization. We need
to halt at watershed junctures, like this one
involving the disposition of Utah’s public
lands, and ask not only what is fair, just and
reasonable, but what is enduringly wise.
The durable wealth of “public lands” lies
beyond private bounty. Our principal task
should not be to create new wealth but to
manage the wealth we already have and
which, for a variety of reasons, we cannot
perceive.
In theory, publicly owned lands are
publicly managed lands. In practice, the
managing public comprises two opposing
forces that government must reconcile:
those with a specific economic interest and
those without. As politics changes in the
United States, one or the other of these two
factions construes itself more (or less)
influential in shaping public land policy.
. . . the decision to develop a stretch of
public land can’t be reconsidered, and at
present, we’re making these irrevocable
decisions in preemptive, fearful haste.
Neither group, of course, is ever in an
unassailable position of authority, but
public land decisions show a clear pattern.
Land of little or no perceived economic
utility tends to get protected; land showing
6 The Road-RIPorter November/December 2000
Wildlands CPR file photo.
any potential for economic profit—because
it may support grass or timber or may
harbor minerals or water—is contested. (It
is also true in an economy like ours that the
imperative to develop inevitably forces a
subdivision of the public land under consid-
eration, thus ensuring that at least some
land is always released for development.)
We need a pause in Western society
because the decision to develop a stretch of
public land can’t be reconsidered, and at
present, we’re making these irrevocable
decisions in preemptive, fearful haste.
Nearly anyone who has attended a public
land hearing, in which opposing sides
square off over economic issues and what
are quite accurately called spiritual issues, is
appalled by the rudeness and contempt that
often characterize testimony. A disinterested
observer feels saddened and embarrassed
by the witless rhetoric, the false airs and
vituperative retorts, the blind allegiance of
some individuals in government, in the
environmental movement, in industry.
Citizens who speak from their hearts in-
stead of their wallets are too often dis-
missed by hearing committees as “irrational.”
 We are not, of course, in dire need of
roads, transmission towers, dams, reser-
voirs, and gas pipelines. We are in dire need
of courtesy. We are in dire need of a broadly
intelligent conversation about human fate.
We are in need of a thorough and piercing
review of our plan for human economic
development, a plan that at best is a hugely
expensive speculation about human needs.
We are not debating “wilderness” here
in trying to decide the fate of Utah’s unde-
veloped public lands. The term is too re-
strictive. We’re debating the future direction
of Western civilization, and our issue could
not be more serious. A brutal, pointed
lesson of human history is that unhealthy
civilizations die. Civilizations that are
physically, spiritually, or economically
corrosive fall apart. Their people wither. If
we do not want to pass away as a civiliza-
tion, let alone as a Western nation, we need
to recast our discussion so that it is this, not
“wilderness,” that is at stake. We need to see
what a grave decision the release of public
land for development is. If our central
concerns remain who “wins” in these
disagreements, or what sorts of “conces-
sions” will please the most people, twenty
years from now we’ll be looked upon as
fools. In a moment that called for discerning
intelligence, we will be seen as people who
settled for a fight over control, a venal and
pedestrian aspiration.
Wildlands CPR file photo.
The Road-RIPorter November/December 2000
The wisest thing now, it seems to me, is
to regard undeveloped lands as an asset and
to protect every acre of land possible.
American culture, more than any other in
the world, has been shaped by the image of
private exploration of public land. The
opportunity to still have that experience is
deeply important to our sense of hope. And
what you might call the principal, what’s
left in the account, is down to a pittance.
The wisest thing now, it seems to me, is to
regard undeveloped lands as an asset and to
protect every acre of land possible.
If we do not take the time now to under-
stand where the diminishment of wilder-
ness in America is taking us, the day will
soon arrive when it will not matter. We will
have given up a vision of heaven to bet
we’re not embarked on a trip to hell. The
United States is a nation of staggering
wealth. We can easily afford to conserve
what we’ve been given and to wait patiently
for a wisdom that so far has eluded us, a
wisdom that will enable us to
convey this gift, not simply
consume it.
© (reprinted with permission of the author)
— Barry Lopez won the 1986 National Book Award in non-
fiction for Arctic Dreams. His work gives equal weight to
short stories and to narratives about landscape and ideas. Of
Wolves and Men won the John Burroughs Medal for natural
history writing. His other books include Crossing Open
Ground, The Rediscovery of North America, and Crow and
Weasel. Lopez has received a Guggenheim fellowship, a
Lannan Award, and an Award in Literature from the
American Academy of Arts and Letters. He lives along the
McKenzie River in Oregon.
7
RS 2477/Phantom Roads
By TJ Brown
Originating with the 1866 mining law, RS 2477 has
become a major headache for federal land management
agencies and conservationists alike. In 1976 Congress repealed
this outdated statute with passage of the Federal Land Policy
and Management Act (FLPMA), however, Congress left open a
loophole by recognizing prior and existing rights. Off-Road
Vehicle (ORV) enthusiasts are using this loophole and attempt-
ing to drive a legion of ORVs through it on “phantom roads.”
For background see The RIPorter 2.5.
Phantom roads include cattle trails used by the ranching
community, wash bottoms that drain the Colorado Plateau,
horse and foot trails leading to ancient mining claims, vehicle-
created routes in the national forests, abandoned logging
roads, and two-track routes in the desert that fan out with no
apparent destination. Unfortunately, counties in the western
states, spurred on by industry-backed ORV enthusiasts, are
trying to convert these ancient routes into ORV highways by
using the antiquated statute. In recent months, as the Bureau
of Land Management (BLM) has closed areas to motorized use
to protect their pristine nature, several lawsuits have been filed
claiming that RS 2477 routes exist within those closures.
Pristine Coastline Threatened
One lawsuit was recently filed against the Arcata BLM
District in Northern California; plaintiffs include the California
Association of 4 Wheel Drive Clubs, Lost Coast 4x4s, The Blue
Ribbon Coalition, and other recreation groups. At issue is the
1998 closure of an area known as Black Sands Beach within
the King Range National Conservation Area (KRNCA). The BLM
closed this 3.5-mile section of undeveloped beach to motor-
ized use to protect unique resources and recreation, and to
provide consistent management for the entire KRNCA coast-
line, most of which is managed for primitive and back-country
recreation. The Plaintiffs contend that the closure violated the
following laws:
The wild King Range in California. Photo courtesy of BLM.
8 The Road-RIPorter November/December 2000
• The Federal Land Policy and Management Act, which
requires the agency to recognize and provide for legitimate
public uses of the area, including motorized access;
• The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), by failing
to conduct an Environmental Impact Statement, failing to
consider alternatives to the proposed action, and failing to
determine whether the proposed action may have a significant
effect upon the human environment;
• The Mining Act of 1866 (RS 2477), by restricting or
eliminating existing rights-of-way along or adjacent to the
wave slope at Black Sands Beach;
• The Rehabilitation Act (which precludes discrimination
against an individual suffering a disability), by preventing a
disabled individual from participating in an activity conducted
by an Executive Agency.
ORV use had been a controversial issue in the KRNCA (and
especially the undeveloped beach) since its designation in
1970. User conflicts and incursions into non-motorized areas
were well documented and led to the closure. BLM’s action was
supported by a myriad of conservation groups, users of the
KRNCA, Congressional representatives, and the California
Coastal Commission. Because of this overwhelming support
and the potential implications for all public lands, conserva-
tionists have intervened to support the BLM. Parties to the
intervention include the Natural Resources Defense Council,
Sierra Club, The Wilderness Society and the California Wilder-
ness Coalition; attorneys from the California Environmental
Law Project represent these groups. No hearing or trial dates
have been set, though many eyes will be watching this case as
it unfolds.
The “Big Dogs” Come Out to Play
Another RS 2477 issue is raising its ugly head in southern
New Mexico. At issue is, again, a closure by the BLM, but this
time the routes in question are within the Robledos Mountains
Wilderness Study Area (RMWSA). In the last decade the
RMWSA had become a popular playground for “extreme” ORVs
- 4 Wheeler magazine called the routes within the RMWSA
“hardest of the hardcore.” Only extremely modified vehicles
could make it, as the advent of “locking differentials” allowed
vehicles to traverse steep and rocky terrain that was impos-
sible not long ago. With this new technology and the promo-
tion of these routes in motorized publications and by local
four-wheel-drive clubs, the use within the RMWSA drastically
increased along with degradation of the resource.
Exploring the wild coast, quietly. Photo courtesy of BLM.
BLM personnel noticed these new routes in 1997 and,
after closer inspection, identified significant adverse impacts.
In February of 1998 BLM issued an emergency closure of the agencies to adequately defend against such claims. Moreover,
approximately 10 miles of routes within the WSA, to prevent because there is so little caselaw on RS 2477, and no espe-
further degradation and protect natural values. At the same cially favorable or unfavorable precedents, every case is
time, BLM designated approximately 15 miles of new motor- important. Second, on-the-ground documentation related to
ized routes south of the existing WSA, to appease the motor- potential RS 2477 claims is critical. Knowing about the
ized community. Of the new ORV area, BLM’s “Robledos existence, purpose, construction and maintenance histories,
Mountains Vehicle Management Environmental Assessment” and similar information is extremely important when assess-
states that “The routes have been carefully selected to provide ing the validity of claims. Conveniently, this information is
challenging and scenic Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) opportuni- readily obtained while conducting roadless boundary surveys
ties while screening these activities from view.” These routes and ORV damage surveys, and the same basic rules apply: be
are intended for “both stock and custom OHVs” and “the level systematic and precise, take well-documented photographs,
of challenge associated with some of the new routes would and take thorough field notes.
exceed any existing routes in the Las Cruces area.”
For more information on phantom roads/RS 2477 or to
The June 1998 edition of Four Wheel & Off-Road maga- report RS 2477 problems, contact TJ Brown at the Coalition to
zine notes: “With the closing of the two toughest trails at last Fight Phantom Roads, 303.650.5818 x111 or e-mail
year’s meeting, the Guardian and Wolf Run (within the WSA), tj_brown@tws.org. CFPR is a project of: The Alaska Wilder-
the Las Cruces Wheelers knew they had to find some bigger ness League, Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund, Great Old
and better trails quickly. The results of these efforts were the Broads for Wilderness, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance and
opening of no less than 5 new trails, rated either hard or The Wilderness Society.
extreme. When you open that many new hardcore rock trails,
the big dogs come out to play.” — TJ Brown works for the Coaltion to Fight Phantom
Roads, tracking RS 2477 issues and providing assitance
Unfortunately the “big dogs” still weren’t satisfied. The to communities fighting the ancient statute.
Southwest Four Wheel Drive Association and Las Cruces Four
Wheel Drive Club filed suit in June of this year, claiming that
the routes closed were public roads established under RS
2477. Conservationists disagree and are intervening in this
case to support the BLM. The New Mexico Wilderness Alliance
and The Wilderness Society have joined forces and are
represented by the Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund.

Both of the above mentioned cases could have far reach-

ing impacts on all public lands. They represent some of the
first major RS 2477 cases outside of Utah and Alaska (the
traditional hotbeds for this issue) and probably won’t be the
last. ORV groups are spreading the gospel of RS 2477 through-
out the West and those concerned with wildland protection
must take note and fight to prevent a web of phantom roads
from taking over our last remaining roadless areas.

For activists, the implications are twofold. First, it is

imperative that grassroots activists know about any pending
RS 2477 issues in their region. Activists should not rely on the
The last undeveloped stretch of California coastline. Photo courtesy of
BLM.

The Road-RIPorter November/December 2000 9

 Regional Reports
Juneau Votes Down Road
Background
Berners Bay - an area north of Juneau in southeast Alaska
- was protected as a Legislated LUD (land use designation) II
roadless wildland under the Tongass Timber Reform Act of
1990. A rose by another name - LUD II areas are managed in
virtually the same manner as federally designated Wilderness
in Alaska. They are managed to protect their wildland
character in perpetuity, they are withdrawn from commercial
timber harvesting, and they have strong restrictions on road
building. An exception for LUD II areas, however, allows the
construction of roads to meet “transportation needs deter-
mined by the State of Alaska,” and set the stage for a long
battle over a proposed road through Berners Bay - an impor-
tant fish, wildlife and recreation area north of Juneau. The
proposed road would connect Juneau to the town of Skagway.
For more background, see The RIPorter 3.3.
Update
Juneau Residents voted on October 3 between two options
for meeting transportation needs in the region: enhanced ferry
service or a road between the cities of Juneau and Skagway. A
narrow majority of voters (5840 to 5761) favored enhanced
ferry service over road construction. Juneau residents also
elected new members of the City and Borough of Juneau
Assembly, which now consists of 5 pro-ferry members out of a
total of 9 seats. Residents say they hope this will settle the road
question, at least for the next several years.
“Mud Fest” Update
On Saturday, September 23, 2000 more than 400
people in 200 SUVs, trucks, pickups, and all-terrain
vehicles trespassed on private land in the Caribou
Creek area near Nederland, Colorado, causing exten-
sive damage to three separate wetland areas. Boulder
County Sheriff’s officials are investigating the role that
a Denver radio station, KBPI, played in advertising the
“mud fest” that has left property owner Tom Hendricks
up in arms.
Nearly 25 acres of the wetlands are covered in tire
tracks and oil slicks left by off-road vehicles plowing
through the old peat bog. This high mountain alpine
wetland lies at nearly 10,000 ft. in elevation and is
prime habitat for the imperiled western boreal toad,
migrating elk and birds, and a rare species of willow.
Hendricks hired an environmental consulting firm to
assess the damage - repairs are expected to cost
thousands per acre. Two KBPI disc jockeys have
received $50 fines and the Sheriff’s Department is
considering charges against other mud fest partici-
pants. The Southern Rockies Forest Network is
organizing a volunteer restoration effort.
For more information contact Jacob Smith,
Wildlands CPR ORV Policy Coordinator at (303) 247-
0998, E-Mail: prebles@indra.net.
10
Gov. Tony Knowles decided against building the road in
January and was pleased with the outcome of the ballot
question, said spokesman Bob King. “He thinks that this was
an important vote because it sends a clear message that Juneau
residents support a modern fast-ferry system,” King said.
The city advisory vote represents yet another victory for
those that have been involved in the decades long fight against
a road along the spectacular Lynn Canal, North America’s
longest fjord, and through the wildlands in Berners Bay.
Berners Bay is one of a very few areas protected as LUD II that
will ever face the threat of road construction, since all long-
distance travel in the southeastern portion of the state is by
airplane or ferry. Because they could face that threat again in
the future, however, designating Berners Bay and the Upper
Lynn Canal as Wilderness is the only sure way to permanently
safeguard these areas against a future road proposal.
Contact
Marc Wheeler, Southeast Alaska Conservation Council,
907-586-6942, mailto:marc@seacc.org Mark Rorick, Sierra
Club - Juneau Group, 907-789-5472, mailto:mprorick@gci.net
Sue Schrader, Juneau Marine Access Committee, 907-789-1269,
mailto:sue@akvoice.org
Sensitive alpine
wetlands
damaged by
renegade
off-road
enthusiasts.
Photo by Vanessa Arbogast.
Private
property and
conservation
values violated
— who will
be held
accountable?
Photo by Vanessa Arbogast.
The Road-RIPorter November/December 2000
All’s Not Quiet on the Last Frontier
“It’s the stillness that fills me with peace.”
The Last Frontier’s a great place, but contrary to what one
would expect, it can be damn noisy; motorized toys are as
popular in Alaska as they are anywhere else. You can help
Robert Service rest easy in his grave by sending a brief letter to
the Chugach National Forest in Alaska asking them to restore
natural quiet and the opportunity to enjoy natural sounds to
the Forest. The Chugach has released a Draft Environmental
Impact Statement for revising its Forest Plan and is accepting
comments until December 14.
At 5.6 million acres, the Chugach is the nation’s second
largest national forest. While the Chugach does a good job of
managing ATVs, it says it has no jurisdiction over jet skis or
airboats, heli-skiing is increasing dramatically, and only about
1/10 of 1% of the forest is closed to snowmachining. But
probably the worst and most unexpected news is that the
Forest Service’s interpretation of the Alaska Lands Act opens
lands managed as Wilderness to recreational snowmachining,
motorboating, and airplane landings (there is no designated
Wilderness on the Chugach, but there is a WSA and recom-
mended Wilderness). Does it really make sense to have tamer,
noisier Wilderness in Alaska than in the lower 48?
Raise your voice for quiet on the Chugach National Forest! Photo
courtesy of US Forest Service.
ORVs Kicked Out of California Dunes
In the first round of a lawsuit over management of the
10.5 million acre California Desert Conservation Area, the
Bureau of Land Management agreed on October 20th to
temporarily ban off-road vehicles from 48,000 acres of the
Algodones Dunes (Glamis Dunes). The suit was filed by the
Center for Biological Diversity, Sierra Club, and Public Employ-
ees for Environmental Responsibility, and claims that BLM
failed to consult the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) on the
California Desert Plan. The groups are represented by Brendan
Cummings and Jay Tutchton of Earthjustice.
Up to now, 77% of this rare ecosystem has been degraded
by a yearly pilgrimage of one million ATVs, motorcycles, dune
buggies, jeeps, and monster trucks. Highly imperiled are the
beautiful Peirson’s milk-vetch, the Colorado fringe-toad lizard,
Andrews dune scarab beetle, and Algodones Dunes sunflower.
The ban will last until a plan is developed (with FWS consulta-
tion) to protect the wildlife, plants and dune ecosystem.
The Road-RIPorter November/December 2000
— Robert Service
In addition, the Chugach’s preferred alternative does not
recommend any of the valuable wetland habitat of the Copper
River Delta for wilderness protection, and falls short on
protections for Prince William Sound and other areas. Your
comments are needed now to improve the draft plan. Please
write today!
What To Say
√ Prohibit motorized recreation in the Wilderness Study Area
and recommended Wilderness;
√ Close to snowmachines, by timeshare or land allocation (in
addition to closures in the Draft Plan): Johnson Pass
(north end), Lost Lake (balanced timeshare), Snow River
(South Fork), Fresno Mountain, slope behind Summit
Lake Lodge, Carter Lake, and Jack Bay;
√ Ban jet skis and limit ATV use to a few designated routes;
√ Reduce commercial helicopter/airplane landings;
√ Recommend wilderness for the Copper River wetlands, and
for important areas in Prince William Sound like Knight
and Montague Islands and Jack and Sawmill Bays;
√ Recommend wilderness for all critical brown bear habitat,
the Kenai River valley, Resurrection Creek, Snow, and
Twenty-Mile River valleys;
√ Recommend ALL eligible wild and scenic rivers including
the Copper, Martin, Bering, Katalla Rivers, Alaganik
Slough, and Martin and Bering Lakes.
Mail Letters To
Chugach National Forest Plan Revision/U.S. Forest Service
3301 C St., #300/Anchorage, AK 99503
E-Mail: r10_chugach_revision@fs.fed.us.
Wildlife are not the only ones assaulted during massive
ORV gatherings at the dunes. The infamous and growing
melees are giving off-road enthusiasts throughout California a
bad name. BLM rangers have been threatened and deliberately
run over by dune buggies. They have had beer bottles and bags
of fecal matter thrown at them by crowds chanting “kill the
cops.” Management of the dunes has become so dangerous
that a recent Department of Interior “Law Enforcement Special
Evaluation” concluded that Algodones is “unsafe for family
recreation activity due to the use of drugs and alcohol, and the
problems of lawlessness that occur with such use.” It recom-
mended that BLM rangers be issued riot helmets, batons, and
gas masks for their own safety.
For more information on the suit, Algodones Dunes,
Peirson’s milk-vetch and other neat desert creatures: <http://
www.biologicaldiversity.org/swcbd/goldenstate/
algodones.html>
11
 Bibliography Notes
Bibliography Notes summarizes and highlights some of the scientific literature in our
6,000 citation bibliography on the ecological effects of roads. We offer bibliographic searches
to help activists access important biological research relevant to roads. We keep copies of
most articles cited in Bibliography Notes in our office library.

Of Roads and Fire

- by Leslie Hannay

Despite a general lack of research on the relationship

between roads and fire, available data indicates a strong
correlation between the two. This correlation is demonstrated
by the relatively high frequency of anthropogenic fire relative
to fire caused by lightning, the difficulty in controlling risk
factors in roaded areas, and the tendency for fires to start near
roads. The perceived need for roads as a tool for fire suppres-
sion has significant implications for public lands policy. This
review discusses the extent and adequacy of current data and
analysis on roads and fire and offers suggestions for much
needed additional research.
Natural vs. Human Caused Fires
A primary indicator of a direct relationship between fires
and roads is the high frequency of human-caused fires in
comparison to fires started by lightning. According to data
from the Interagency Fire Center collected between 1988 and
1998, 88.1% of all wildland fires were caused by humans, in
contrast to 11.9% started by lightning (Department of Interior,
1999). There is a spectrum of anthropogenic causes of fires,
ranging from purely accidental to hopelessly careless. Direct
causes include burning carbon particles emitted from car
mufflers, burning toilet paper, cigarette butts, improperly
contained or extinguished campfires, burning vehicles, and
arson.
Risk Factors
The various causes of anthropogenic fire rely upon a
common mechanism for dispersal: roads. By facilitating
human access to otherwise remote areas, roads are a major
factor in the incidence of anthropogenic fires. With all but 4%
of our public land already converted in some form into roaded
areas, the risk of fire starts on public land is considerable.
Furthermore, current agency guidelines for road “closure” are
often far from effective at actually preventing their use by
humans on ever more-powerful vehicles. Additionally, the
difficulty of controlling human behavior makes limiting risks
of anthropogenic fires on roadsides problematic. With limited
budgets available for enforcing public land regulations, and
variable success in effectively closing roads to human traffic,
behavior control by public education is often considered the
most effective means of controlling human fire risks (Wilson
1979). Such methods as posting warning signs and public
service commercials, however, are moderately effective at best,
and do nothing to prevent fires that are not caused by igno-
rance. The destructive potential of roads, combined with the
difficulty of regulating human use and behavior on or near
roads, renders prevention of unnecessary roads and the
Whether directly or indirectly, roads constructed for timber harvest
seem to be correlated with increased fire risk. Photo by Aaron Coffin.
obliteration of roads in highly sensitive areas the most
significant means to limiting fire risk associated with roads.
An indirect cause of increased fire risk that is associated
with roads is the spread of weeds. It is well documented that
weedy species are abundant in disturbed areas such as
roadsides (Milburg ad Lamont, 1994; Kopecky, 1988; see also
Bibliography Notes, The RIPorter 3.1 and 2.3). Increased
runoff, frequent soil disturbance on and around roads, seed
dispersal by cars and animals using roads as corridors, and
open conditions in the cleared areas around roads account for
the preponderance of weeds along roadsides. This increased
richness in weedy species, combined with disrupted drainage
patterns and altered microclimates in the immediate vicinity
of most roads, creates a corridor of fire-susceptible vegetation
along roads. According to D’Antonio & Vitousek (1992), the
presence of grass weeds tends to increase the frequency and
intensity of fire. This implies an increased susceptibility of
vegetation to both anthropogenic and lightning-caused fires
along roadsides. Road maintenance and construction are also
associated with disruption and damage to soils and organic
matter, which can reduce soil moisture retention, thereby
creating more arid conditions in these areas during fire
seasons (Everett et al 1994).
Where Fires Start
In his study of the effects of roads on wildfires in national
forests in California, Robert F. Johnson concluded that over 52
percent of man-caused fires occurred within 33 feet of a road
edge (Johnson, 1963). Other studies showed similar results,
reinforcing the correlation between roads and wildfire (Show
et al 1941; California Division of Forestry and USDA Forest

12 The Road-RIPorter November/December 2000

Service, 1968). Given the importance of roads to the fire
suppression campaign, it is surprising that these studies, over
30 years old, are the most recent analyses of the road problem
in fire control. Their results, if not conclusive on their own,
indicate a possible causal relationship between human-caused
wildfire and roads, and support the need for further research
on the subject. Recent analysis of this summer’s wildfires, for
example, noted that all of the fire starts in the Skalkaho Valley
Complex were in roaded and developed areas, which ac-
counted for 93% of the total area burned (Morrisson et al
2000). Increased attention to data of this kind is needed to
adequately assess the extent of the impact of roads on
wildfires.
Rethinking Policy
Agency fire policy views road-building and maintenance
as an essential tool in fighting wildfires (Show et al, 1941).
Roads, it is argued, in addition to serving as firebreaks, provide
access to firefighters to remote wildlands, and thereby serve as
the foundation of an ardent policy of fire suppression. While
it is true that roads can serve as barriers to the spread of fire,
this is not always the case, as was seen this summer, when
fires in Montana jumped across major roads, including four-
lane Interstate 90. That roads provide access to firefighters
and their tank trucks is also true, but the question remains as
to whether the benefits of roads as a fire fighting tool outweigh
the extreme fire risk that is associated with roads.
Research Needs
In designing a network of roads for fire protection on
public lands, engineers in the first half of the 20th century
envisioned a system of roads that would be supported by an
arsenal of fire fighting apparatus that could be deployed on
short notice in an aggressive front line attack on fires (Show et
al 1941). Given the lack of recent research on the relationship
between wildfires and roads, or on the effectiveness of roads
as fire suppression tools, further research is needed to ad-
equately assess and reform current use of roads for fire
suppression. An effective and well-informed critique of
current fire suppression practices will require research on the
following questions:
Q. What are current statistics related to the
incidence of fires near roads?
Q. What is the relative frequency of roadside fire
starts as they relate to traffic volume?
Q. To what extent does road construction and
maintenance impact roadside vulnerability
to fire?
Q. What are the specific causes of anthropogenic
fires? Are they caused by recreationists or
industrial activity?
Q. Is there a correlation between fires and ORV
use?
Q. What is the relative frequency of fires started
in roaded versus roadless areas?
— Leslie Hannay is the Program Associate for Wildlands CPR.
Editor’s Note: Wildlands CPR has two interns researching road/fire
issues this fall. We’ll keep you posted on their progress.
The Road-RIPorter November/December 2000
More research is
needed to establish
correlations between
roads and fire, and
the resulting
landscpae changes
they affect.
Photo by Aaron Coffin.
Bibliography
California Division of Forestry and USDA Forest Service, Region 5.
1968. Fire hazard reduction guide for roadsides. Calif. Dep.
Conserv. and USDA.
D’Antonio, C.M. and Vitousek, P.M. 1992. Biological invasions by
exotic grasses, the grass/fire cycle, and global change. Annual
Review of Ecological Systems 23: 67-87.
Everett, R.L.; M.E. Jensen; P.S. Bourgeron; W.G. Robbins; D.W.
Wolf; J.K. Agee; B.A. McIntosh; C.G. Johnson. 1994. Eastside
forest ecosystem health assessment. Pacific Northwest
Research Station, Portland, OR. USDA Forest Service Pacific
Northwest Research Station.
Hammer, K.J. 1986. An On-Site Study of the Effectiveness of the
US Forest Service Road Closure Program in Management
Situation One Grizzly Bear Habitat, Swan Lake Ranger
District, Flathead National Forest, Montana.
Johnson, R.F. 1963. The roadside fire problem. Fire Control Notes
24: 5-7.
Kopecky, K. 1988. Influence of roads on the synanthropization of
the flora and vegetation according to observations in
Czechoslovakia. Folia-Gedotanica-Phytotaxonomica 23
(2):145-171.
McKelvey, K.S. 1996. An overview of fire in the Sierra Nevada.
Status of the Sierra Nevada: Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project
Final Report to Congress: Volume II. Wildland Resources
Center Report No. 37. University of California, Davis.
Milberg, P. and B.B. Lamont. 1995. Fire enhances weed invasion
of roadside vegetation in southwestern Australia. Biological
Conservation 73: 45-49.
Morrisson, P.H., J.W. Karl, L. Swope, K. Harma, and T. Allen. 2000.
Assessment of Summer 2000 Wildfires: Landscape History,
Current Condition, and Ownership.
Show, S.B., C.A. Abell, R.L. Deering, and P.D. Itchson. 1941. A
planning basis for adequate fire control on the southern
California national forests. Fire Control Notes 5: 1-59.
Wilson, C.C. 1979. Roadsides- Corridors with high fire hazard and
risk. Journal of Forestry, September 1979.
13
Lawlessness Spreads to Montana
Wildlands CPR along with many other regional conserva-
tion groups are addressing a recent spate of vigilantism on our
public lands. Over the past month a Montanan’s for Property
Rights advocate has used his talk radio station in Kalispell,
Montana to espouse “Gate Opening Days.” An email sent out
nationally from John Stokes announces the following:
“Citizens fed up with the federal land closures and locked
gates and federal extreme environmental policies, will be
permanently manually opening as many federal forest service
locked gates as possible October 20, 21, and 22. No organiza-
tion, no committees just citizens. They encourage all folks
around the nation to do the same if they are of the same
attitude. This is a region wide civil protest and the gates are
being opened now in the dark of the nite (sic) without fanfare.
It’s time. Just do it and shut up.”
Wildlands CPR and 15 other organizations in Montana
responded by sending a letter to Forest Service Region 1 Law
Enforcement, Regional Forester Dale Bosworth, and all
Montana Forest Supervisors. In the letter, we urged the Forest
Service to enforce existing laws and road closures, and see that
those who destroy or attempt to destroy either public or
private property be apprehended and prosecuted to the fullest
extent of the law. This letter wasn’t only a response to the
proposed vandalism, but also to Forest Service quotes in the
media indicating they were not going to make a strong effort to
try and stop these illegal activities. It is the responsibility of
the Forest Service and US Attorney to uphold the law and
prevent an attitude of lawlessness from spreading into Mon-
tana.
14
We do not yet know the extent of any vandalism, although
preliminary indications are that it was limited. However, the
concern is that if these vigilantes start to feel they can get
away with reopening closed roads, then such local actions
could escalate into something much bigger. For that reason,
we encourage anyone faced with similar threats of vigilantism
on public lands to make sure land management agencies take
the threats seriously and address them before they get out of
hand.
Finally, this latest round of illegal gate openings once
again demonstrates the ineffectiveness of road closure gates
and the need for road obliteration and restoration.
New Resources for
Road-Rippers
Wildlands CPR will soon be offering Science Notes, a
monthly review of the most current research on topics
related to roads and ORVs. These short summaries of
current articles will help to keep you up to date on the most
recent ecological info about roads and ORVs. If you are
interested in receiving this monthly electronic service,
please send an e-mail to: leslie@wildlandscpr.org.
The Road-RIPorter November/December 2000
 Wildlands CPR Publications: Bibliographic Services:
Road-Ripper's Handbook ($15.00, $25 non-members) —A Ecological Impacts of Roads: A Bibliographic Database (Up-
comprehensive activist manual that includes the five Guides dated Feb. 1998) —Edited by Reed Noss. Compiled by Dave
listed below, plus The Ecological Effects of Roads, Gather- Augeri, Mike Eley, Steve Humphrey, Reed Noss, Paul Pacquet
ing Information with the Freedom of Information Act, and & Susan Pierce. Contains approx. 6,000 citations — includ-
more! ing scientific literature on erosion, fragmentation, sedimen-
Road-Ripper's Guide to the National Forests ($4, $7 non-mem- tation, pollution, effects on wildlife, aquatic and hydrologi-
bers) —By Keith Hammer. How-to procedures for getting cal effects, and other information on the impacts of roads.
roads closed and revegetated, descriptions of environmen- Use the ecological literature to understand and develop road
tal laws, road density standards & Forest Service road poli- density standards, priorities for road removal, and other
cies. road issues.
Road-Ripper's Guide to the National Parks ($4, $7 non-mem- Database Searches —We will search the Bibliography on the
bers) —By David Bahr & Aron Yarmo. Provides background subjects that interest you, and provide results in IBM or
on the National Park System and its use of roads, and out- Macintosh format (specify software), or on paper. We also
lines how activists can get involved in NPS planning. have prepared a 1-disk Bibliographic Summary with results
Road-Ripper's Guide to the BLM ($4, $7 non-members) —By for commonly requested searches. Finally, we offer the full
Dan Stotter. Provides an overview of road-related land and
bibliography. However, you must have Pro-Cite or a com-
resource laws, and detailed discussions for participating in
patible database program in order to use it.
BLM decision-making processes.
Bibliography prices — Prices are based on a sliding scale. Call
Road-Ripper's Guide to Off-Road Vehicles ($4, $7 non-mem-
for details.
bers) —By Dan Wright. A comprehensive guide to reduc-
ing the use and abuse of ORVs on public lands. Includes an
extensive bibliography.
Road-Ripper’s Guide to Wildland Road Removal ($4, $7 non-
members) —By Scott Bagley. Provides technical informa-
tion on road construction and removal, where and why
roads fail, and how you can effectively assess road removal
projects.
Trails of Destruction ($10) —By Friends of the Earth and Wild-
lands CPR, written by Erich Pica and Jacob Smith. This
report explains the ecological impacts of ORVs, federal fund-
ing for motorized recreation on public lands, and the ORV
industry’s role in pushing the ORV agenda.

WILDLANDS CPR MEMBERSHIP/ORDER FORM

I want to join (or renew my membership with) Send me these Wildlands CPR Publications:
Wildlands CPR:
Qty: Title/Price Each: Total:
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Affiliation Prices include shipping: for Priority Mail add $3.00 per item;
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International Membership — $30 Minimum
Address All prices in U.S. Dollars
Ask about reduced rates for items ordered in bulk.

Please send this form and your check (payable to Wildlands CPR)
Phone/E-mail to the address below. Thank you!
Wildlands CPR • PO Box 7516 • Missoula, Montana 59807

The Road-RIPorter November/December 2000 15

Visions...

Wildlands CPR member Greg Gordon and his Sierra Institute students on an ORV inventory project in Muddy Creek, San
Rafael Swell, Utah. Sierra Institute photo.

Non-profit Organization
US POSTAGE
PAID
MISSOULA, MT 59801
PERMIT NO. 569

Wildlands Center for Preventing Roads

P.O. Box 7516
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The paving of the Kinshasa Highway

affected every person on earth . . . It has
already cost at least ten million lives . . . In
effect I had witnessed a crucial event in the
emergence of AIDS, the transformation of a
thread of dirt into a ribbon of tar.

- Richard Preston, The Hot Zone, 1994

The Road-RIPorter is printed on 100% post-consumer recycled, process chlorine-free bleached paper.