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The Medicine Bow National Forest in Southeast Wyoming is undergoing a Forest Plan Revision. The Draft Plan and Draft Environmental Impact Statement have been released and the USFS is accepting public comment until April 4, 2003. This forest includes premier snowmobile and hunting areas such as the Snowy Range and the Sierra Madres near Laramie, Saratoga and Rawlins. This is the last chance we have to protect recreational interests on this Forest.
A local pro-recreation and access group, "Recreationist of The Bow" (www.recreationist.org [email protected]), needs your help to support recreation and multiple use on the Medicine Bow National Forest. Comment letters are urgently needed.
In the draft documents, the Forest Service selected a Preferred Alternative (Alternative D) that will be detrimental to recreation on the Medicine Bow National Forest, especially to snowmobiling, mountain biking and OHV use. Additionally, this Preferred Alternative places a major emphasis on restoring natural processes, threatened and endangered species and their habitats. Multiple Use management will take a back seat to the "Green" management method of locking the gate and keeping everybody out.
Here are some notable items in the Draft Plan:
* Doubles the acres Wilderness on the 1.1 million acre forest from ~80,000 (7%) to ~150,000 (14%)
* Primary emphasis is on non-motorized recreation winter and summer
* Eliminates 30% of all existing areas open to snowmobile recreation
* Restricts snowmobiles to designated routes on 10% of remaining areas open to snowmobile use
* An aggressive road closure schedule to closes tens of miles of road each year
* Allows "natural processes" to take precedence on almost oneself of forest lands
* Gives precedence to threatened and endangered species over game animal habitat and human use
* Reduces timber harvest by 30%
The local and national Green groups are hard at work with letter campaigns, rallies and door-to-door solicitation to get the Plan changed to reflect their ideas, which in short are a textbook implementation of the Wildlands project). We need to combat these environmental and anti-recreation interests and let the USFS know that we have a voice.
Support from all recreationists in all areas is needed to amend this biocentric Draft Plan to one that will support recreation and continue the Forest Service's mandate of multiple use. The USFS wants SPECIFIC comments on the draft plan. A comment letter is the proper way to make these comments. In you letter please let the USFS know that you recreate or wish to be able to recreate on the Medicine Bows in the future. If you have visited, please tell the USFS where you recreate and what types of recreation you participate in.
Your comment letter should also include the following speaking points:
* Additional wilderness is not needed on the MBNF. Currently 7% of the forest is Wilderness and 14% of all non-motorized trails are in wilderness areas. Current areas more than support the 2.5% of forest visitors desiring a wilderness experience. The Preferred Alternative should be changed such that all areas proposed as "recommended wilderness" with Management Area 1.2 must be managed as Area 3.31 which is a back country recreation area supporting snowmobiling, OHV and mountain bike use. The proposed Rock Creek Wilderness closes tens of miles of the most technical mountain bike trails on the forest, closes traditional OHV routes and eliminates snowmobile use. Additionally this area land locks thousands of acres open to motorized recreation as the only access would be through private lands. The proposed Laramie Peak/Ashenfelder Wilderness closes the largest contiguous block of USFS land in the Laramie Peak Unit. This is significant in an area where much of the USFS land is inaccessible since it is surrounded by private land. This proposed are also includes one of the only designated OHV routes on the entire forest.
* Primary winter recreation emphasis should be on snowmobiling as snowmobiles are the vast majority of winter users and make up 13% of all yearly forest visitors with 382,000 visitor days. Further restrictions on snowmobile use and areas will have a negative impact on surrounding communities. Snowmobiling contributes $31.2 million dollars in annual traveler spending to surrounding counties (14% of all yearly travel spending), supports 813 jobs with $8.7 million in labor earnings and generates $2 million in tax revenue. The Forest Service should manage the forest to benefit the majority of users. The forest service should full utilize the 2000-2001 Wyoming Snowmobile Survey in its analysis to support the management of winter resources for the primary enjoyment of snowmobilers. The Preferred Alternative should be amended to place it primary winter emphasis on snowmobiling followed by downhill skiing (the second most popular use of the forest in winter).
* Snowmobile use, especially off-trail riding, is a proper and responsible use of the forest. There is no social, economic or scientific reason to restrict snowmobiles only to designated routes on any area of the forest with the exception of big game winter range and current wilderness areas. The plan should be amended such that all Area 3.5 Limited Management Areas are changed to Area 3.31 or Area 5.4 that support off-trail snowmobiling. The Plan should also specifically state the off-trail riding is a proper and responsible use of the forest.
* The availability of summer opportunities for OHV users is virtually nonexistent and the Plan makes no attempt to improve recreation for these visitors. 273 miles of trails are currently available for non-motorized use and only a few miles of designated motorized trails exists. The number of acres of Area 3.31 that support motorized recreation are not nearly adequate to accommodate the growing number of summer OHV users. This need will only grow as the State of Wyoming's OHV program prospers. The Preferred Alternative should be amended to increase the acres of Area 3.31 available for motorized use. Additionally, the description of Area 3.31 should be changed to encourage trail building rather than just tolerate it. Enough roads have been eliminated already and no more roads should be closed without absolute proof that they are causing irreversible resource damage and are of no benefit to Recreationists on the Forest. Roads are essential to recreational access and access for the elderly and disabled.
* This Preferred Alternative contributes to the trend of converting multiple use lands to limited-use lands without need or justification. Therefore, 100% of the MBNF lands remaining outside of currently designated wilderness and big game range must be managed for multiple-use in order to avoid further contributing to the excessive allocation of resources and recreation opportunities for exclusive non-motorized use. Any "specific" non-motorized areas should be limited and be immediately adjacent to parking areas and trailheads.
* The allowable sale quantity (ASQ) of timber available on the forest should be maintained at current levels and the Plan should require that this much timber be sold from the forest during the duration of the Plan. The USFS should recognize that the timber available directly impacts the economies of surrounding communities and gives hundreds of people jobs.
* Monitoring and Evaluation guidelines and projects should be included in the Plan and conducted to determine the need for infrastructure improvements and site specific projects that will improve snowmobiling, OHV and mountain bike use on the MBNF, such as additional trails, parking areas, warming huts and sanitary facilities.
You must include your name, complete address and signature. You should mail your letter to the following address and it MUST BE POSTMARKED BY APRIL 4, 2003 TO BE CONSIDERED:
Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests
ATTN: Draft Forest Plan Revision Comments
2468 Jackson St.
Laramie, WY 82070
Fax: 307-745-2398
Email: [email protected]
Internet: www.fs.fed.us/r2/mbr
Thank you for your support of recreation. With your help, we can continue to see that the natural resources of the Medicine Bow National Forest are managed and protected FOR the public rather than being protected FROM the public.
A local pro-recreation and access group, "Recreationist of The Bow" (www.recreationist.org [email protected]), needs your help to support recreation and multiple use on the Medicine Bow National Forest. Comment letters are urgently needed.
In the draft documents, the Forest Service selected a Preferred Alternative (Alternative D) that will be detrimental to recreation on the Medicine Bow National Forest, especially to snowmobiling, mountain biking and OHV use. Additionally, this Preferred Alternative places a major emphasis on restoring natural processes, threatened and endangered species and their habitats. Multiple Use management will take a back seat to the "Green" management method of locking the gate and keeping everybody out.
Here are some notable items in the Draft Plan:
* Doubles the acres Wilderness on the 1.1 million acre forest from ~80,000 (7%) to ~150,000 (14%)
* Primary emphasis is on non-motorized recreation winter and summer
* Eliminates 30% of all existing areas open to snowmobile recreation
* Restricts snowmobiles to designated routes on 10% of remaining areas open to snowmobile use
* An aggressive road closure schedule to closes tens of miles of road each year
* Allows "natural processes" to take precedence on almost oneself of forest lands
* Gives precedence to threatened and endangered species over game animal habitat and human use
* Reduces timber harvest by 30%
The local and national Green groups are hard at work with letter campaigns, rallies and door-to-door solicitation to get the Plan changed to reflect their ideas, which in short are a textbook implementation of the Wildlands project). We need to combat these environmental and anti-recreation interests and let the USFS know that we have a voice.
Support from all recreationists in all areas is needed to amend this biocentric Draft Plan to one that will support recreation and continue the Forest Service's mandate of multiple use. The USFS wants SPECIFIC comments on the draft plan. A comment letter is the proper way to make these comments. In you letter please let the USFS know that you recreate or wish to be able to recreate on the Medicine Bows in the future. If you have visited, please tell the USFS where you recreate and what types of recreation you participate in.
Your comment letter should also include the following speaking points:
* Additional wilderness is not needed on the MBNF. Currently 7% of the forest is Wilderness and 14% of all non-motorized trails are in wilderness areas. Current areas more than support the 2.5% of forest visitors desiring a wilderness experience. The Preferred Alternative should be changed such that all areas proposed as "recommended wilderness" with Management Area 1.2 must be managed as Area 3.31 which is a back country recreation area supporting snowmobiling, OHV and mountain bike use. The proposed Rock Creek Wilderness closes tens of miles of the most technical mountain bike trails on the forest, closes traditional OHV routes and eliminates snowmobile use. Additionally this area land locks thousands of acres open to motorized recreation as the only access would be through private lands. The proposed Laramie Peak/Ashenfelder Wilderness closes the largest contiguous block of USFS land in the Laramie Peak Unit. This is significant in an area where much of the USFS land is inaccessible since it is surrounded by private land. This proposed are also includes one of the only designated OHV routes on the entire forest.
* Primary winter recreation emphasis should be on snowmobiling as snowmobiles are the vast majority of winter users and make up 13% of all yearly forest visitors with 382,000 visitor days. Further restrictions on snowmobile use and areas will have a negative impact on surrounding communities. Snowmobiling contributes $31.2 million dollars in annual traveler spending to surrounding counties (14% of all yearly travel spending), supports 813 jobs with $8.7 million in labor earnings and generates $2 million in tax revenue. The Forest Service should manage the forest to benefit the majority of users. The forest service should full utilize the 2000-2001 Wyoming Snowmobile Survey in its analysis to support the management of winter resources for the primary enjoyment of snowmobilers. The Preferred Alternative should be amended to place it primary winter emphasis on snowmobiling followed by downhill skiing (the second most popular use of the forest in winter).
* Snowmobile use, especially off-trail riding, is a proper and responsible use of the forest. There is no social, economic or scientific reason to restrict snowmobiles only to designated routes on any area of the forest with the exception of big game winter range and current wilderness areas. The plan should be amended such that all Area 3.5 Limited Management Areas are changed to Area 3.31 or Area 5.4 that support off-trail snowmobiling. The Plan should also specifically state the off-trail riding is a proper and responsible use of the forest.
* The availability of summer opportunities for OHV users is virtually nonexistent and the Plan makes no attempt to improve recreation for these visitors. 273 miles of trails are currently available for non-motorized use and only a few miles of designated motorized trails exists. The number of acres of Area 3.31 that support motorized recreation are not nearly adequate to accommodate the growing number of summer OHV users. This need will only grow as the State of Wyoming's OHV program prospers. The Preferred Alternative should be amended to increase the acres of Area 3.31 available for motorized use. Additionally, the description of Area 3.31 should be changed to encourage trail building rather than just tolerate it. Enough roads have been eliminated already and no more roads should be closed without absolute proof that they are causing irreversible resource damage and are of no benefit to Recreationists on the Forest. Roads are essential to recreational access and access for the elderly and disabled.
* This Preferred Alternative contributes to the trend of converting multiple use lands to limited-use lands without need or justification. Therefore, 100% of the MBNF lands remaining outside of currently designated wilderness and big game range must be managed for multiple-use in order to avoid further contributing to the excessive allocation of resources and recreation opportunities for exclusive non-motorized use. Any "specific" non-motorized areas should be limited and be immediately adjacent to parking areas and trailheads.
* The allowable sale quantity (ASQ) of timber available on the forest should be maintained at current levels and the Plan should require that this much timber be sold from the forest during the duration of the Plan. The USFS should recognize that the timber available directly impacts the economies of surrounding communities and gives hundreds of people jobs.
* Monitoring and Evaluation guidelines and projects should be included in the Plan and conducted to determine the need for infrastructure improvements and site specific projects that will improve snowmobiling, OHV and mountain bike use on the MBNF, such as additional trails, parking areas, warming huts and sanitary facilities.
You must include your name, complete address and signature. You should mail your letter to the following address and it MUST BE POSTMARKED BY APRIL 4, 2003 TO BE CONSIDERED:
Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests
ATTN: Draft Forest Plan Revision Comments
2468 Jackson St.
Laramie, WY 82070
Fax: 307-745-2398
Email: [email protected]
Internet: www.fs.fed.us/r2/mbr
Thank you for your support of recreation. With your help, we can continue to see that the natural resources of the Medicine Bow National Forest are managed and protected FOR the public rather than being protected FROM the public.
