I sent this along earlier:
As a responsible outdoors enthusiast and public lands volunteer (primarily through the San Bernardino National Forest's Adopt-A-Trail program) I object to the expanded wilderness designation in these forests. The scope of this project would eliminate many OHV and camping trails, some of which are very popular, some of which see little activity but are still signifiant.
I do not feel the areas should be closed down as this eliminates legal OHV/Licensed vehicle recreation opportunities in the forests. By doing so this will directly cause the remaining legal routes to become over-saturated leading significantly more road erosion issues, camping/staging area issues, and potential traffic accidents leading to injuries or fatalities.. This will also cause an increase in illegal OHV usage in the forest; both from people who are not aware of the closures and those who chose to willfully disobey the law.
Through responsible management and volunteer outreach I feel that we can together responsibly manage our public lands, joining the knowledge of the USFS with the volunteer hours of the OHV community. I, personally, average over 100 volunteer hours per fiscal year in the San Bernardino National Forest working on litter cleanup, erosion control, tree removal, and many other tasks required to keep forest roads safe and healthy.
While I do live quite a distance from these forests I make it a point to recreate in them at least once a year, in fact I was recreating in the Sequoia National Forest just last week. While I am typically there in an unofficial capacity I do still make it a point to leave the backcountry roads in better shape than I found them by collecting any litter and correcting any safety issues such as fallen trees or unsafe erosion. I would gladly help with special volunteer projects.
Thank you,
Geoff Armstrong
