Critics say Trump’s opening of public lands to off-road vehicles is ‘reckless and nonsensical’

In a fact sheet posted with the orders, Trump labeled the off-road vehicle limits “outdated and burdensome”.

“President Trump believes the American people should be able to access and enjoy their public lands without being burdened by unnecessary and outdated regulations,” the fact sheet states.

The Nixon-Carter executive orders required off-road vehicles to use roads or trails that the federal agencies established to minimize ecological harm. The Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service already have more than 500,000 miles (800,000km) of roads available for use between public lands and parks. The National Park Service also allows limited snowmobile use in Yellowstone national park.

However, the Nixon-Carter restrictions prevented the vehicles from going everywhere in a park, which they will now be able to do.

That is a problem because the vehicles’ routes carve up wildlife habitat, fragmenting it into smaller and less functional tracts that are not suitable for many animals. The damage further stresses species that are already endangered or threatened, and the habitat loss can lead to species loss.

The roads and snowmobiles also present a problem for grizzly bears and other predators. Research shows bears begin to leave habitat regions when there is at least one mile of road per square mile. The new rules will force them into closer contact with humans. State and federal agents kill hundreds of thousands of predators annually because they come into contact with humans, a practice that some advocates have previously characterized as a “bloodbath”.

“This will end badly for the bears,” Spivak said.

Aquatic life also does not do well near off-road vehicle tracks because vehicles damage the plant life around streams’ edges that keep the water cool and habitable, or send sediment into the streams.

“Even when the first executive orders were put in place, the science was clear that there needed to be regulations, and there were way fewer … and they were smaller,” Spivak said. “They’re needed even more today.”

Spivak said environmental groups cannot sue over the rescission of the executive orders, but they will watch the new rule-making process closely and take action if needed.

Already, the US Forest Service is preparing to open 5m acres (2m hectares) of parkland to vehicles, mostly in Idaho and Montana, according to the New York Times.

“As the United States marks 250 years of independence in 2026, we must shine a light on our nation’s greatest natural treasures and ensure every American can recreate on these majestic lands,” a Forest service spokesperson said in a memo announcing the opening.