- Location
- Desert Beach So Cal
Forest plan would close trails (CO)
http://www.thedailycamera.com/bdc/mtn_towns_news/article/0,1713,BDC_2428_1808607,00.html
Forest plan would close trails
Aim is to define and maintain legitimate trails and roads
By Amy Hebert, Camera Staff Writer
March 13, 2003
Miles of roads and trails would be closed in the forests around
Nederland and Eldora under a
U.S. Forest Service plan to improve management of the Caribou and West
Magnolia areas.
The Boulder Ranger District of the Arapaho and Roosevelt national
forests presented updated
maps at an open house Wednesday to gather comment before officially
pitching a
travel-management plan.
Forest Ranger Christine Walsh said the number of roads in the area is
above standards and
many of them are illegally created by recreational users.
"We're trying to eliminate the roads and trails that don't really have a
lot of value," she said.
The plan aims to define legitimate trails and four-wheeling roads, mark
them clearly, then manage
them, Walsh said. The majority of existing trails and roads will remain
unchanged, but 10 miles
of four-wheeling roads will be closed to motor vehicles and about three
miles of trails will be
closed.
Most of the mountain bikers, hikers and four-wheelers who attended
Wednesday's open house
said they respected what the Forest Service is trying to do.
Dan Vardamis of the International Mountain Bike Association in Boulder
said he bikes through
West Magnolia several times a week between Nederland and his Eldora
home.
"There's miles and miles of trails, but there's not really any system,"
he said. "It's a mish-mash."
He said there were some connections between trails that he will hate to
see closed, but he would
be happy to see better maintenance and less litter in the area. He said
he has seen several
campfires in the area, even during last summer's dangerous fire season.
But Boulder resident Eric Butler, who used to work for the Forest
Service and has biked in the
area for more than a decade, said he doubts that the Forest Service can
do much to curb illegal
activities in the area.
"These are pie-in-the-sky proposals, given the resources they actually
have," said.
He said the better-marked trails and publicity will draw more people
into the area and even
more trails will pop up there and in surrounding forests.
"They're basically agreeing to legitimize trails that were built
illegally," he said. "That's the
take-home message for me."
Walsh acknowledged that the Forest Service could use more resources, but
she said staff size
has doubled in the last two years, thanks to volunteers.
She said seasonal employees and volunteer forest-watchers go a long way
in helping people
understand the rules of the forest and the reasons behind them.
"Ninety percent or more of the public want to do the right thing," she
said. "But it's confusing if
the trails aren't marked."
Contact Amy Hebert at [email protected] or (303) 473-1329.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, any copyrighted
material herein is distributed without profit or payment to those who
have
expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for
non-profit
research and educational purposes only. For more information go to:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
--
http://www.thedailycamera.com/bdc/mtn_towns_news/article/0,1713,BDC_2428_1808607,00.html
Forest plan would close trails
Aim is to define and maintain legitimate trails and roads
By Amy Hebert, Camera Staff Writer
March 13, 2003
Miles of roads and trails would be closed in the forests around
Nederland and Eldora under a
U.S. Forest Service plan to improve management of the Caribou and West
Magnolia areas.
The Boulder Ranger District of the Arapaho and Roosevelt national
forests presented updated
maps at an open house Wednesday to gather comment before officially
pitching a
travel-management plan.
Forest Ranger Christine Walsh said the number of roads in the area is
above standards and
many of them are illegally created by recreational users.
"We're trying to eliminate the roads and trails that don't really have a
lot of value," she said.
The plan aims to define legitimate trails and four-wheeling roads, mark
them clearly, then manage
them, Walsh said. The majority of existing trails and roads will remain
unchanged, but 10 miles
of four-wheeling roads will be closed to motor vehicles and about three
miles of trails will be
closed.
Most of the mountain bikers, hikers and four-wheelers who attended
Wednesday's open house
said they respected what the Forest Service is trying to do.
Dan Vardamis of the International Mountain Bike Association in Boulder
said he bikes through
West Magnolia several times a week between Nederland and his Eldora
home.
"There's miles and miles of trails, but there's not really any system,"
he said. "It's a mish-mash."
He said there were some connections between trails that he will hate to
see closed, but he would
be happy to see better maintenance and less litter in the area. He said
he has seen several
campfires in the area, even during last summer's dangerous fire season.
But Boulder resident Eric Butler, who used to work for the Forest
Service and has biked in the
area for more than a decade, said he doubts that the Forest Service can
do much to curb illegal
activities in the area.
"These are pie-in-the-sky proposals, given the resources they actually
have," said.
He said the better-marked trails and publicity will draw more people
into the area and even
more trails will pop up there and in surrounding forests.
"They're basically agreeing to legitimize trails that were built
illegally," he said. "That's the
take-home message for me."
Walsh acknowledged that the Forest Service could use more resources, but
she said staff size
has doubled in the last two years, thanks to volunteers.
She said seasonal employees and volunteer forest-watchers go a long way
in helping people
understand the rules of the forest and the reasons behind them.
"Ninety percent or more of the public want to do the right thing," she
said. "But it's confusing if
the trails aren't marked."
Contact Amy Hebert at [email protected] or (303) 473-1329.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, any copyrighted
material herein is distributed without profit or payment to those who
have
expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for
non-profit
research and educational purposes only. For more information go to:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
--
