If you love your riding in National Forest areas, best to get on this and get heard...Without a lot of support, we could see more riding area lost to trail closings.
US Forest Service Launches Effort to Rewrite Forest Planning Rule
US Forest Service Launches Effort to Rewrite Forest Panning Rule -- Shifts Focus to 'Restoration'
Opportunity for Public Comment Through February 16, 2010
In December, the USDA Forest Service announced that it would rewrite the national forest system land management-planning rule. The planning rule sets priorities and defines the process for the development and revision of site-specific management plans for every national forest or grassland.
The Forest Service has issued three planning rules since 2000 but two of them have been struck down by legal challenges and the 2000 rule has never been utilized because of its "complexity". In effect most current forest plans have been written under the planning rule of 1982.
The Forest Service raises a number of noteworthy concepts in the scoping document (Federal Register - December 18, 2009). Foremost being the concept of "restoration" which is heavily stressed but never defined. Nor does the document examine how making "restoration" a priority would affect recreation or other land uses. Rather the agency asks the public to provide comment on what "restoration" ought to mean. However, last August, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack stated publicly, "Restoration means managing forest lands first and foremost to protect our water resources, while making our forests more resilient to climate change."
Adaption to climate change and resiliency are frequently referenced in the document but it is left to the public to comment on how those concepts should be applied. Similarly the document suggests that local forest planners should not limit themselves to planning for National Forest Service land but should expand their efforts to include "all-lands" or whole watersheds.
Wrongly applied to local planning processes, many of the concepts raised in the scoping document could be very problematic for maintaining recreational access to public lands for a number of activities - including motorized recreation. The AMA strongly encourages off-highway vehicle enthusiasts to review the proposal and to provide written comment to the agency on the importance of recognizing recreational access in the forest planning process.
The Forest Service's Notice of Intent, background materials and information on how to comment are available at www.fs.usda.gov/planningrule. Comments will be accepted until February 13th.
The Forest Service expects to develop a proposed rule and a draft environmental impact statement by late fall 2010. The public will have additional comment opportunities at that time.
__________________ Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely and in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways totally worn out, shouting "Holy Crap, What a Ride!"
They are at it on the Oregon Coast too. They are going to be shutting down a bunch more land to ATV's before the end of 2010.
The problem is that there has been a new game plan on behalf of the Environmentalists. Over the last few years, they have begun to get jobs within the different agencies such as the US Forest Service. The problem with this is that now THEY are in the possition to make the changes they used to fight from the outside lookin in. They pulled a quicky on us and now we are SCREWED!
They are at it on the Oregon Coast too. They are going to be shutting down a bunch more land to ATV's before the end of 2010.
The problem is that there has been a new game plan on behalf of the Environmentalists. Over the last few years, they have begun to get jobs within the different agencies such as the US Forest Service. The problem with this is that now THEY are in the possition to make the changes they used to fight from the outside lookin in. They pulled a quicky on us and now we are SCREWED!
Yep, they have been weaseling their way into these agencies for some time now.
Bad RPM, Bad RPM...spank spank. Oh wait, you might like that too much...
Over the weekend I had to watch my DVD from St Anthony's again... I hope I get to go again this year.
__________________ Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely and in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways totally worn out, shouting "Holy Crap, What a Ride!"
It's turning out to be a bad year for the St A trip. A lot of people have had to back out. We were planing on skipping going to St A in 2011. The way it's looking, I wish I had known, we would have just skipped this year.
I have a frame sitting at the shop that use to be my KFX700 and now it's getting ready to go to the powder coaters to make it all look pretty. You guys with all your bling made mine look like trash...had to step it up a little.
Times are tough, money is tight, jobs are not solid... I can't fault anyone for saying they can't that is for sure.
__________________ Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely and in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways totally worn out, shouting "Holy Crap, What a Ride!"
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