Bad news for the upcoming wheeling season...

News & Events


Court Order Prohibits Motorized Vehicle Travel on 42 Popular OHV Routes

Release Date: Apr 4, 2012 Placerville, CA
Contact(s): Frank Mosbacher

Forty-two off-highway-vehicle routes that cross meadows in the Eldorado National Forest may be closed to motor vehicle travel this recreation season while the Forest Service completes an environmental analysis, announced Eldorado National Forest Supervisor Kathy Hardy.
The potential travel prohibitions are the result of a February 2012 court order by U.S. District Court Judge Lawrence Karlton. The order said the Forest Service failed to comply with the National Forest Management Act in 2008 when it designated “open for public motor vehicle use” portions of 42 routes that cross meadows. Judge Karlton ordered the Forest Service to “set aside” the decision that designated these segments as open and to reconsider the decision.
A final court order with further direction to the Forest Service is pending. In the interim, Karlton ordered the 42 routes remain closed to motorized public use. The final order will identify specifically where travel will be prohibited until a new environmental decision is made.
“I know that prohibiting travel on these routes will be a big disappointment to forest visitors, but we have to be responsive to the order.” said Hardy. “I have a team of people lined up to complete a supplemental environmental impact statement as quickly as possible.”
The SEIS is scheduled to begin in April or May 2012 and to be completed by April 2013.
Hardy says many popular high county routes may be affected by the closure. Some of these routes include: Barrett Lake Jeep Trail; Squaw Ridge Four Wheel Drive Trail; Clover Valley/ Deer Valley Trail; Strawberry Four Wheel Drive Trail; Carson Emigrant Trail; Allen’s Camp Motorcycle Trail and the Bucks Pasture Motorcycle Trail. The Rubicon 4wd Trail is not affected by this court order.
Maps and a complete list of the routes affected by the court order will be posted on the Eldorado National Forest website at: http://www.fs.usda.gov/eldorado. These maps will be modified to reflect the final court order once it is received. A free-of-charge motor vehicle use map that shows the routes that are open to wheeled motor vehicle use will be available at all Eldorado National Forest offices in June 2012 reflecting the final order.
“I intend to close the routes where it makes sense to do so if the final order prohibits travel on routes that cross meadows,” said Hardy. “A route may be closed near a meadow or some distance away depending on how difficult it is to turn a vehicle around.”
Some routes will also be closed indirectly because they branch off closed routes and will not be accessible.

 

wow
the eldo forest is where i've spent most of my life and i've fallen in love so many times over and over again with its beauty and now i can't enjoy any of it.
I had some trips planned for barrett, deer valley and slick rock this year...the con is going to be 10 times more crowded now which will most likely lead to a quick demise.

Where is the list of closed trails?
edit: found em.
http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5362062.pdf

 

goddamn it!!!! damn hippies trying to take our trails away!!!!!!!!!!!

 

that's weak!

 

@87xjmike, I think slick rock is in the stanislaus NF. So I think it will still be open.
Full list:

8N23B Prothro Headwater
8N35 Upper West Panther
9N01 blue lake to meadow lake
9N04 Mud Lake 4WD
9N08 Stockton Camp
9N15 Leek Spring Valley
9N54 Leoni
9N82 Pardoes 4WD
9N83 Dear Valley 4WD
9N95 Cosumnes Head
10N01 woods lake area?
10N03 Devils Gate Summer Home
10N06 Pebble Ridge
10N13 Schneider Camp 4WD (know as Strawberry 4WD)
10N14 Mule Canyon
10N21 Long Canyon 4WD
10N26 Scoits Creek
10N32 South Beanville Creek
10N98 Jim Quin Spring
10NY04 Middle Long Canyon
10NY05 Rocky Road
10NY06 Upper Long Canyon
11N09A Bryan Creek
11N22 Strawberry Creek
11N23F North Shanty Spur
11N26F Barrett Lake Jeep Trail
11N70 Mcmanus
11NY32 47 milestone
12NY06 Crystal Shortcut
12NY15 West Robbs Peak
13N24 Dry Lakes
14N05 Mckinstry Lake
14N27 Bunker Meadow
14N39 Richardson Lake 4WD
14N58 Jerre
17E12 motorcycle trail strawberry to Lovers leap
17E16 motorcycle trail behind little round top
17E17 Buck meadows motorcycle trail
17E19 motorcycle trail out of Allen camp
17E21 motorcycle trail north of Silver Lake
17E24 Mud lake trail
17E28 motorcycle trail south of mud lake

 

Wondered when this would be posted here. Sucks
I wanted to run deer valley.

 

DV was a blast last year. Wanted to run it this year with my brother but looks like no dice.

 

ha. stole the words out of my mouth!!!! lol jk. just allot of the places that i know of in TN are owed by some one or are a wildlife management area. and i guess take allot more bad shit happing to close them.

 

OK, guys. Don't get mad. Get organized.

Everyone on here needs to write a letter to

1. Frank Mosbacher (listed contact on the press release - please spell his name right!)
2. Forest Supervisor's office for the Eldorado
3. US Forest Service Chief's Office (http://www.fs.fed.us/aboutus/chief/)
4. California Senators Boxer and Feinstein

What do you say?

Be polite, but firm. Nobody's served if you go off like a misinformed profanity spewing hick. That does NOT help us get roads reopened. Quite the opposite.

You're a responsible four wheeler who adheres to the principles of "tread lightly" and resposnsible forest use. You stay on posted roads and trails, taking care to minimize your impact.

You're very disappointed that a road you've travelled in the past (or roads you were planning on travelling this year - be specific) have been closed as a result of this court order. You understand that the court order requires that the road can't be reopened until the required impact statement has been completed, but you hope that this will be completed as expeditiously as possible.

If there's a need for volunteer labor in the completion of the required impact statement, you might volunteer to help out, and coordinate other volunteers. Don't let the Sierra Club get a monopoly on wilderness data gathering.

You only need to write one letter; then send it to all those folks.

What should you NOT do? Don't "vote with the gas pedal" by ignoring the postings and going ripping through the closed meadows. ("Ha! I'll show them!!") Shit like that will just show up in bold glossy photos in the new revised impact report, and get the trails closed permanently.

 

this is very well said! maybe something that if i had to deal with this i would ad that when i’m out i clean up other peoples trash that they leave. we do this when go 4 wheeling.

 

One more thing - if you haven't already, it's time to join one of the clubs that's lobbying to keep our roads (I call them "Roads" not "Trails") open to all forms of access.

e.g.
http://cal4wheel.com/

 

wow, sorry you guys are getting shafted. that group is just a disgrace. it really is a shame that so many places are being closed off for motorized use. the only thing it effects are the people who use it and love it. its only a matter of time before all ohv use is closed off unless something is done. extremists environmentalists are counter productive ignorant jack asses who have such a drastic stance on "protecting" nature it sickens me.

 

I am part of NorcalFJ and we adopted Long Canyon last year. Looks like we will be able to get a special permit to continue to maintain the trail. We are currently in the stages of putting a list of projects for submission to the forest service. Contact your local ranger or someone within the forest service to see you can do to help. Maybe with the help of the OHV community we will have the trails back sooner than later.

 

and the funny thing is its us 4wheelers that usually go out and upkeep the trails, when was the last time you saw a freaking environmentalist out there on the trails cleaning up.

 

yeah your right, thanks for the reminder.

 

Not that I disagree with being good stewards of the land but nothing short of blocking motorized access is going to please some of these people.

I need to renew my BRC membership.

Also, have word that the BRC is pushing to start a NV 4wheel advocacy group for the sole purpose of fighting to keep NV public lands open. I know this doesn't help you guys much but still good news.

 

Agenda 21 in the works

 

Court Order Prohibits Motorized Vehicle Travel on 42 OHV Routes

Background:

On May 26, 2011, U.S. District Judge Lawrence Karlton found that the Forest Service failed to comply with the National Forest Management Act (NFMA) when it designated 42 existing wheeled motorized vehicle routes that cross portions of meadows.
Subsequently, the court directed the Forest Service to reconsider, in light of applicable law, the portion of the 2008 Eldorado National Forest travel management decision that designates 42 roads through meadows for motorized vehicle traffic.
The court found that the routes failed to meet standards and guidelines for meadow management contained in both the Eldorado National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (LRMP) and the Sierra Nevada Forest Plan Amendment (SNFPA). The primary concern was segments of routes that may affect meadows.
On February 14, 2012 the court directed the Forest Service to submit a proposed order that will set aside the decision that designates the 42 routes to the degree they go through meadows, and not affecting the sections of those same roads that do not go through meadows, unless they cannot otherwise be reached. The Forest Service submitted the proposed order on March 14.
The court also directed that the current seasonal closure for those routes remain in effect until the court order is issued.
Status:

Judge Karlton is currently reviewing the Forest Service’s proposed order and the response by the plaintiffs.

• The routes are temporarily closed by court order until a final court order is issued.
• The final court order may prohibit travel through meadows until a new environmental decision is made allowing public wheeled motorized travel.

The Eldorado National Forest will begin the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement after the Judge’s final ruling. A Forest Service team of specialists has been identified and a supplemental environmental impact statement is expected to begin in April or May 2012.
Location:

42 motorized routes on the Pacific, Placerville, and Amador Ranger Districts

• Route List
• Route maps –Note: Once the judge has made his final decision this map will be replaced with a version showing which parts of the affected routes are open and which are closed.
  • Placerville Ranger District
  • Pacific Ranger District
  • Amador Ranger District
• An updated free-of-charge motor vehicle use map that shows the routes that are open to wheeled motor vehicle use will be available at all Eldorado National Forest offices in June 2012.

 

Call To Action:

Read the news release: http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/eldorado/news-events/?cid=STELPRDB5362068

Read the FAQ: http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5362065.pdf

Write to
Frank Mosbacher fmosbacher@fs.fed.us
and
Tom Tidwell (US National Forests Chief) ttidwell@fs.fed.us

What do you say? Well, you need to put the following thoughts into your own words. A few well written individual letters means more than a flood of identical web photocopies.

1. You're disappointed by the ruling but you understand the Forest Service has to comply with the order of the court.

2. You hope the "Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement" will be completed quickly. You're looking forward to the chance to comment and respond with your comments.

3. If volunteer labor is required to complete the SEIS, you're available as part of a larger group of interested OHV users - the Northern California Tacoma Owners.

4. You believe that the Sierra Club and other environmentalist organizations don't accurately depict how you use your vehicle to access public lands. You're a responsible vehicle owner who follows the tenets of "Tread Lightly." Your vehicle gives you access to more of the public lands than you'd be able to access on foot.

Bonus points if you send similar legislation oriented letters to Senators Boxer and Feinstein.

I sent my letters this evening. Now its your turn.