“In desert areas, off-road vehicles can be quite destructive,” said Jeff Ruch, director of the Pacific Regional Office of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. “They rip up whatever vegetation is there and make the land uninhabitable for wildlife.”
Ruch called the issue “one of the biggest challenges facing public lands in the West.” He explained that as vehicles drive on non-authorized roads, they erode the soil and pull out critical flora. As the soil continues to erode, it becomes “difficult, if not impossible” to replace the vegetation that has been lost.
Vehicles traveling on illegal roads can also pollute waterways, which, combined with a loss of vegetation, makes it difficult for wildlife in the area to survive, Ruch explained.
“While Lake Mead is a big body of water, I’m sure it is not helped by gasoline and other sediment flowing into the streams where it wouldn’t otherwise,” Ruch said.
