Dune routes designation revs up noise debate

Ryan Cronk

Over Memorial Day weekend, the U.S. Forest Service completed sound monitoring tests for off-highway vehicles in the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, resulting in data that showed 50 percent of users were above the 93-decibels noise limit.

With many Florence residences in earshot of OHV riders, it was natural that excessive noise levels, coupled with enforcement issues, were the main concerns introduced at last month’s OHV Designated Routes Working Group meeting.

Members of the working group gathered June 26 at the Florence Events Center to continue reviewing routes for three riding areas, in compliance with the 1994 Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area management plan.

“Noise can be a factor with the designation of routes,” said Sharon Stewart, dispersed recreation supervisor for the Siuslaw National Forest. “We’re in the process of looking at areas that were slated for route designations, and noise is one of the considerations.”

The 15-stakeholder group was formed in 2009 to consider the designation of OHV routes in upland vegetation areas, outlining sections of the Oregon dunes that will be off-limits to riders. By the year’s end, the working group will provide route proposals to the Forest Service.

But, the majority of citizens who spoke during the meeting’s public comment period seemed to be more concerned with OHV noise than route assessments.

“We want to be good neighbors with our ATV riders … but it’s a quality of life issue for us,” said Kathy Shamey, representing residents of the Cleawox Lake area south of Florence. “We wake up to the noise in the morning, we live with it during the day and we go to bed with it at night.”

The South Jetty to Siltcoos River riding area is open between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. for OHV users. A noise buffer zone, which reduces the amount of sound resonating in the dunes, begins west of Honeyman State Park and carries south along Highway 101.

Some community members, however, believe the buffer is not enough.

“Noise is definitely an issue,” said Rob Shuck, a Tacoma, Wash., resident who frequently travels to the Oregon dunes with his family. “… You can tell very quickly who’s legal and who’s not. I think the only way you’re going to solve it is by enforcement.”

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Source: http://www.thesiuslawnews.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=3515

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