| Sierra Forest holds OHV Inventory Workshop News release issued by Blue Ribbon Coalition
OROVILLE, CA (Nov. 18, 2004) - Federal land managers in the Sierra held a public workshop to discuss their off-highway vehicle (OHV) route designation process. Over 40 recreationists and other interested parties attended this event hosted by the Plumas National Forest.
The 19 National Forests in California have initiated a state-wide inventory to map all routes or trails used by wheeled-vehicles such as dirt-bikes, all-terrain vehicles, and mountain bikes. The goal is to eventually designate roads, trails, and areas for OHV use using project level planning guidelines outlined in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
Numerous leaders from various recreation groups were at the Oroville meeting to make sure that the Forest Service was proceeding with a fair and open process. Jim Pena, the Forest Supervisor for the Plumas National Forest, was in attendance and told the users their input was valued and needed in order to make the inventory a successful venture.
Tricia Humphreys, an OHV inventory team leader for the Plumas NF, made a strong commitment to the public that the agency would work with interested parties including development of a local stakeholders group to help guide the process.
Don Amador, western representative for the BlueRibbon Coalition, said, “I think the Forest has made a commitment to the recreation community that their voice would be heard. I also feel that the agency made a wise choice in delaying the issuance of interim Forest Orders until the public had a chance to fully review the route inventory.”
“Designating roads, trails, and areas is something the Forest Service should have been doing since the late 1970s. Recreationists support efforts to better manage our public lands, but I don’t think they will support a short circuited or truncated NEPA process that affects landscape level closures without due process,” Amador said.
# # # The BlueRibbon Coalition is a national recreation group that champions
responsible use of public and private lands, and encourages individual
environmental stewardship. It represents over 10,000 individual members
and 1,100 organization and business members, for a combined total
of over 600,000 recreationists nationwide. 1-800-258-3742 www.sharetrails.org
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