Lawsuit Alleges Off-Road Vehicle Damage to National Parks

WASHINGTON, DC (ENS) — --> Three conservation groups have filed a lawsuit against the National Park Service and the Department of the Interior in U.S. District Court in Washington, DC, alleging that the agencies have failed in numerous ways to protect the National Park System against the damage caused by all-terrain vehicles and other off-road vehicles in America's national parks.

The plaintiffs Bluewater Network, a division of Friends of the Earth; the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA); and Wildlands CPR met with the Park Service in July 2004 and raised concerns about off-road vehicle damage in the national parks.

In response, the agency conducted an internal survey of all national park sites. The 256 responses available to the plaintiffs demonstrate that off-road vehicles are causing widespread damage in America's national parks.

Park managers reported that off-road vehicle use is harming archaeological sites at the ...