SILVER CITY, NM; April 20, 2016 - The Travel Management Rule (TMR) will go into effect across four districts of the Gila National Forest on July 1. The TMR is mandated across all national forests and prohibits motor vehicle use off designated routes and roads. The four districts where TMR will begin are Quemado, Reserve, Wilderness and Black Range.

TMR will not occur on the Glenwood and Silver City Ranger Districts in 2016. These districts are working to complete resource surveys and obtain concurrence from the State Historic Preservation Office before TMR will go into effect. The motor vehicle use map (MVUM) is the legal document displaying the roads, trails, and areas open to motor vehicle use on the forest. The MVUM is free of charge and will be available at Gila National Forest offices a couple weeks before TMR begins.

Adam Mendonca, Gila National Forest Supervisor says, GǣThe Travel Management decision for the Gila National Forest is a change in use of the forest as cross-country travel will no longer be allowed. Time and education will be needed as the process moves forward.Gǥ

In November of 2005, the Forest Service published final travel management regulations in the Federal Register requiring each National Forest or Ranger District in the nation to designate roads, trails, and areas open to motor vehicles.

Highlights of the Gila National Forest decision:
The decision keeps open 3,334 miles of road, increases motorized trail opportunities from 16 to 179 miles and maintains a 3-acre area for motorcycle and all-terrain vehicle use.
The 3.3 million acres of forest remain open to all users; only the use of motorized travel is restricted to the designated open travel routes.
Hunters are allowed to drive up to 300 feet from either side of roads designated with a corridor to retrieve their big game.
Fuelwood cutters can use their motorized vehicle within designated cutting areas to gather their fuelwood.

For more information, please call Punky Moore, Public Affairs Officer at 575-388-8211.