Commentary: Science should shape OHV policy in national parks

(Trent Nelson | Tribune file photo) People ride ATV's into Recapture Canyon north of Blanding, Utah, in a protest against what demonstrators call the federal government's overreaching control of public lands on May 10, 2014. ATVs will be allowed on certain roads in the five national parks in Utah under a new rule from the National Park Service that went through without public comment. When our first national parks were established more than 110 years ago, automobiles were not allowed inside park boundaries. As thousands of cars began rolling off the assembly lines in the early 20th century, park managers faced a critical question: Should cars be allowed in?

Even before the onset of…