CA: Plumas National Forest

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Attention California Recreationists!

The Plumas National Forest is formulating a new travel plan that will limit ALL vehicle use to designated roads, trails and areas. As part of the continuing process, the Forest Service (FS) will host a series of information meetings and workshops that will further the process of designing a sustainable long-term off-highway vehicle (OHV) route system for licensed and unlicensed vehicles on the forest.

In response to requests from trail users, FS employees have created a "first cut" or starting point for the route map, using many of the routes identified by local OHV users. The map, understanding the rules or "sideboards" used to create it, and adding additional routes important to users, will be the focus of these meetings.

The information meetings are intended to answer as many questions as possible about the first cut of the map and to detail how interested members of the community can participate most effectively in the continuing process to add and eventually designate a system of routes. The follow-up workshops will focus on actually adding additional routes to the map and correcting existing information.

The map will be available on the internet at least one week prior to the first information meeting. At the same time, electronic copies (CDs) of the map will be sent to the project mailing list and are available by contacting personnel below.

Information Meetings:
Tuesday, April 17, 2007 6-8pm
Mineral Building
Plumas Sierra County Fairgrounds
204 Fairground Road
Quincy, CA

Wednesday, April 18, 2007 6-8pm
Portola Methodist Church Social Hall
396 2nd Avenue
Portola, CA

Thursday, April 19, 2007 6-8pm
Feather River Ranger District Office
875 Mitchell Avenue
Oroville, CA

Workshops
Wednesday, May 2, 2007 3-8pm
Beckwourth Ranger District Office
23 Mohawk Road
Blairsden, CA

Thursday, May 3, 2007 3-8pm
Mount Hough Ranger District Office
39693 Highway 70
Quincy, CA

Thursday, May 10, 2007 3-8pm
Feather River Ranger District Office
875 Mitchell Avenue
Oroville, CA

Effective December 31, 2006, the Plumas National Forest implemented a temporary forest order that continues to allow OHV use on existing OHV roads, trails, and areas while restricting cross-country use in the Forest. See OHV Route Designation - Forest Order Maps on there website at http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/plumas/projects/ohv/maps.shtml.

In the current phase (step 3) of the national process, once a sustainable OHV route system has been identified, including what types of OHVs are appropriate on what routes, an environmental analysis will be conducted and is scheduled to be competed by late 2007. A final forest route map will conclude the formal designation (step 4) with signage tentatively scheduled to be put in place (step 5) in 2008.

Please contact any of the following Plumas National Forest Recreation personnel with questions:

Tricia Christofferson, Feather River RD, Oroville, (530) 534-6500
Peggy Gustafson, Mt. Hough RD, Quincy, (530) 283-0555
Lynne Ingram, Beckwourth RD, Blairsden, (530) 836-2575
Fred J. Krueger, Supervisor's Office, Quincy, (530) 283-2050
PLEASE IF YOU RECREATE IN THE PLUMAS NATIONAL FOREST GET INVOLVED NOW!

Thanks in advance for your support,
Brian Hawthorne
BlueRibbon Coalition
208-237-1008 ext 102