美保育團體興訟 反對國家公園行駛越野車 | 台灣環境資訊協會-環境資訊中心
美保育團體興訟 反對國家公園行駛越野車
ENS報導美國，安哥拉治報導；吳紀政編譯；莫聞審校
美國三個保育團體6月29日提出訴訟，對國家公園管理局之決策提出質疑。此案緣於美國國家公園管理局允許越野車輛（ATV）行駛在阿拉斯加的藍吉爾─聖額萊斯國家公園暨保留區（Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve）的9條山徑上，而保育團體認為此一決策違法。
美國國家公園保育協會（NPCA）阿拉斯加地區執行長史特拉頓（Jim Stratton）指出：「只要你到國家公園裡，就會很明顯得看到越野車輛造成無法復原的損害，甚至有些地方，越野車輛在土地上留下的傷痕寬達數百碼。」
聖額萊斯國家公園意指北美洲的山脈王國，是美國國家公園系統中佔地面積最廣的。公園內包括北美最大的冰河，和16,000多英呎的山峰，其中聖額萊亞斯山（Mount St. Elias）更是美國的第二最高峰。史特拉頓指出：「如果我們不做些事來保護公園的原始面貌，損害將會繼續擴大，而且永遠不會復原。越野車輛活動所傷害到的，恰恰就是此處之所以被指定為國家公園的特色。」
阿拉斯加環境中心的執行長維京（Randy Virgin）則說：「阿拉斯加有很多地方都很合適享受開越野車的樂趣；不過，如果在國家公園內不管制越野車輛的活動，和大多數人的觀念並不相符。現在越野車在藍吉爾地區9條山徑所造成的損害，很可能造成以後這些山徑都要封閉修養，不讓任何遊客進入，甚至連當地以公園內資源謀生的居民都不行。這些山徑一定要妥善管理，以符合限定的管理目標。」
國家公園管理局對於越野車輛使用已有所規範，其開放行駛的條件非常嚴格，而且必須確保駕駛活動不會傷害的國家公園當初設立的初衷。而目前，開放越野車行駛於藍吉爾地區是否適當，則尚未完整評估。
本案辯護律師、來自安哥拉治公益環境法律事務所「受託阿拉斯加」（Trustees for Alaska）的史蒂夫（Mike Steeves）表示：「國家公園當局漠視現有法律和規定，這些法律正是為我們和未來世代保護公園資源與價值，我們正式提出訴訟，是為了防止進一步損害，並迫使當局以負責任的方式管理公園。」
Lawsuit Filed Against ATV Use in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park
ANCHORAGE, Alaska, July 3, 2006 (ENS)
Three conservation groups filed a lawsuit Thursday challenging the National Park Service over all-terrain vehicle (ATV) use on nine trails in Alaska's Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve that the groups claim is illegal.
"It is obvious when you're out in the park that the ATV riding is posing irreversible threats - scars on the land from ATV trails are several hundred yards wide in some places," said National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) Alaska Regional Director Jim Stratton.
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, referred to as the mountain kingdom of North America, is the largest unit in the National Park System. The park includes the continent's largest assemblage of glaciers and the greatest collection of peaks above 16,000 feet, as well as Mount St. Elias, the second highest mountain in the United States.
"If we don't do something to protect this otherwise pristine park from this abuse, the damage will continue to expand and the healing will never begin," Stratton said. "This activity is risking the very reason the area is designated a national park."
"ATV enjoyment is appropriate in many places in Alaska, however, unregulated recreational riding is not compatible with most people's view of a national park. The damage being done in Wrangells could cause nine trails in the park to be closed to all users, including local subsistence users," said Randy Virgin, executive director of Alaska Center for the Environment. "These trails need to be managed for the allowed purposes only."
National Park Service rules on ATV use allow for only limited riding under specific circumstances and only when such riding on park trails has been found not to impact the purposes for which the park was created. The necessary analysis to ensure that Wrangells remains healthy if ATV riding is permitted has not been done.
"The National Park Service has ignored existing laws and regulations designed to protect park resources and values for present and future generations," said Mike Steeves, the plaintiffs' attorney from Anchorage based public interest environmental law firm, Trustees for Alaska. "We filed this lawsuit to prevent further damage and to compel the Park Service to manage the park responsibly."
全文及圖片詳見 http://ens-newswire.com/ens/jul2006/2006-07-03-09.asp#anchor5
劉櫂豪順利連任：配合縣府爭取打通26線
「中華水塔」三江源 2020年將正式設立國家公園
苗栗公館山貓森林護石虎 竟有獵人闖入
馬拉威保護區采采蠅暴增 民憂非洲昏睡病再起
雪豹首度現身四川貓熊保護區 專家：不會打起來