The National Park Service is poised to allow more off-road vehicle use on additional 147,000 acres of the Big Cypress National Preserve.
The changes would allow the use of nearly all types of off-road vehicles except those with propellers in the water, including trucks, swamp buggies, airboats, hovercraft or any other device capable of moving over land, water, marsh, and swamps. Vehicles would be limited to designated routes throughout 230 square miles of Big Cypress.
“The National Park Service proposes to amend special regulations for Big Cypress National Preserve that regulate the use of motorized vehicles off roads,” the park service wrote in the Federal Register. “With the effect of expanding the areas within the national preserve where motorized vehicle use could occur.”
The change would not open the entire area to cross-country driving. Vehicles would be limited to designated routes. Still, the new rules would alter the nature of public access and force changes in habitat management.
Whether that’s for the better or worse depends on one’s perspective.
Those against the proposal feel national parks are protected lands to be left alone for the animals and plants within them to grow in their natural settings.
Opponents often argue too many exceptions have already been granted on land in or near preserves for subdivisions, roads, malls, and schools. And environmentalists are adamant that the increased noise and activity would frighten panthers and other animals that reply on the peacefulness of a preserve.
Elise Bennett is the Florida and Caribbean director of the Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental nonprofit that has been opposed to increasing off-road vehicle use in the national preserve each time the topic has come up in recent years.
"Big Cypress National Preserve is this really irreplaceable and vulnerable collection of ecosystems that support dozens of endangered and threatened species," she said. "It's really a wrong activity in the wrong place kind of issue.
"There are dozens of species that rely on an intact ecosystem, and we know that off-road vehicles are incredibly impactful. With a National Park Service that is underfunded and understaffed, the idea of opening up even more of this impactful use raises red flags and concerns."
Those in favor of opening up the acreage to vehicles point to a tradition of off-road uses since the 1930s, and believe the impact on flora and fauna is minimal.
The plans for Big Cypress disallow vehicles along several portions of major hiking trails. In addition, history shows Congress intended to allow off-roading in national preserves.
“At Big Cypress National Preserve, we are committed to balancing public access with conservation,” Tom Forsyth, superintendent of Big Cypress National Preserve, said. “These proposed changes will help ensure the preserve remains accessible for recreation and hunting on designated trails while protecting its unique natural resources.”
A link to the details of the proposal, and the online form for the public’s input, can be found here. Comments are due Dec. 1.
Environmental reporting for WGCU is funded in part by VoLo Foundation, a nonprofit with a mission to accelerate change and global impact by supporting science-based climate solutions, enhancing education, and improving health.
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