National Forest restricts some OHV use on the dunes due to court order.
Eugene District Court rules in favor of an environmental group and issues a ruling to limit access of off highway vehicles to areas of the dunes inhabited by the endangered coastal marten.
Written and photographed by Will Yurman
A U.S District Court judge in Eugene, in two rulings [ruling one] [ruling two] over the weekend, restricted access of off-road vehicles to areas of the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area in order to protect the endangered coastal marten, the U.S. Forest Service announced in a press release.
The case was brought by the environmental group Center for Biological Diversity in 2024.
The rulings close areas of the dunes as shown on the map below, and prohibit nighttime activity by OHVs in the North Riding Area. And, the Forest Service is prohibited from issuing special use permits that have allowed for large OHV events on the dunes in the past. All of these restrictions are in place “…pending the completion of consultation as to both agency actions and full compliance with applicable law,” the ruling states.
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The Forest Service press release describes the specific closures and limits this way:
“The closure areas include Banshee Hill, which is located northeast of the Umpqua #2 staging area, and the southwestern edge of the Umpqua Dunes south of the Umpqua #3 staging area. Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) trails within the closure area will be off limits.
The curfew includes the entirety of the Middle Riding Area. To view the Forest Orders and maps, visit the Siuslaw National Forest alert webpage https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/siuslaw/alerts. Notice of the curfew and closure will be posted at the Umpqua 2 and Umpqua 3 Day Use areas.”
In addition to the closures and limits, the judge ordered the Forest Service to complete a review of the impact of the 2015 Routes Project, which expanded OHV use on the Dunes. Because the marten was not identified as endangered until 2020, it was not included in the 2015 study.
“The Forest Service is ordered to reinitiate and complete consultation as to the Routes Project’s effects on the coastal marten and its habitat,” the judge wrote in the ruling. In 2020 it was estimated there were just 71 of the small mammals on the dunes in Oregon.
The court ruling “bans the Forest Service from permitting for-profit, multi-day riding events — held each summer in Coos Bay and Winchester Bay — until the agency complies with federal law,” the Center for Biological Diversity wrote in its press release.
The martens are an example of how complicated the dunes systems are. Over the past 100 years, invasive grasses have spread across the dunes, turning open sand into grassy hills. That has impacted the snowy plover, a native bird that is also an endangered species on the dunes.
The marten prefers the scrub brush that has expanded as the invasive grasses have spread. A plan to restore large areas of the dunes to its pre invasive grass state was put on hold because of risks to the marten, dividing the environmental community.
Read more about the dunes and the coastal marten
The district court has ordered the parties in the case to file additional briefs this fall:
“The parties are directed to confer and to file briefing on injunctive remedy including interim measures. The parties shall provide simultaneous briefs no later than September 9, 2026. Response briefs are due September 23, 2026. Reply briefs are due October 7, 2026.”