Letter to the Editor from Knoxville Paper

[Toddy]

Decision to close trails to OHVs draws support

I am writing in response to the story from the Dec. 20 edition, "Forest Service closes OHV trails," regarding the United States Forest Service's decision to close badly eroded off-highway vehicle trails in the Nantahala National Forest. I serve on the board of trustees of Trout Unlimited, and TU has been working for years to conserve populations of wild brook trout in the Nantahala National Forest.

There are almost 40 miles of designated trails in the Tellico OHV area - double the number of miles allowed by the Forest Service's management plan. Forest Service studies show that streams within the Tellico area receive 500 to 1,000 times more sediment than streams outside the trail system. The United States Forest Service made a good decision to curtail OHV use to help streams polluted by trail erosion.

The Forest Service's decision is good news for those who want to protect trout and for everyone who recreates in the Nantahala and Cherokee national forests. That includes responsible OHV users who have invested time, funds and energy into improving OHV trails.

We urge them to join us in developing a management plan to allow carefully managed OHV use with restoration of trails, streams and brook trout.

Rick Murphree

Knoxville

[Never Monday]

what a back pedal....

[InstaGator]

This is the press release from the TU site. Even has contacts.

http://www.tu.org/site/c.kkLRJ7MSKtH/b.3158879/apps/nl/content2.asp?content_id={FC67B829-F2C1-4855-AC01-4050ADDED6E3}&notoc=1


Personaly, I think if they are trying to save the fish, maybe they should ban fishing there as well?

[Wes in TN]

I still think the way to fight this is to do an independent water quality study, that 500-1,000 times the sediment load seem like a load of trout crap to me. I have been to Tellico more time than I can count and I've never seen anything that would lead me to believe that. I still think they are comparing the worst case scenario and comparing it to the best case scenario and selling it as the norm. Where is this study, is it part of the public record?

Also, 40+ miles of trails???? Is that accurate? Are they counting the trails on the TN side that have been closed for years?

[uncc civilengineer]

I believe the water quality study is a load of crap also...

Look at the streams beds next time you're there... it's all boulders... not fines.. It's just not possible for fines to settle out where there's steep gradient and high velocities. Streams in the Foothills have a mixture... but it's just not possible in the mountains..

Having a water resources background... you can make something look any way you want to... I would like to see some hard facts as well as who actually did the study...


I say lets all buy fishing licenses and fish it dry...

[crawlrunner]

Sheesh Rick what a load of misinformed BS. You'll loose the battle for the brookies anyway due to overdevelopment, mismanagement (erosion from logging & over fishing), drought and global warming.

I bet one year's lost revenue of the local economies could pay for the construction of erosion control structures (retention/detention ponds/bridges) to reduce erosion to acceptable levels ... if the govt. & TU's lawyers wern't runnin' things.

So don't be so cheery if U are a OHVr, Tellico OHV, without it's Slick Rock & Rock Garden and with it's winter closures (and unpredictable inclement weather closures soon to follow) will slowly be gated up & shut down completely.

Did U know that the US Forestry Service operates the largest road system on earth & it belongs to us. You sure couldn't tell around here ... maybe the largest collection of gates though ...

[HighRisk]

The Forest Service's decision is good news for those who want to protect trout

So they protect trout by stabbing a barbed hook through their mouths and removing them from the water?

Seems if they were that interested in protecting trout, they'd give up fishing.

[Appalachian YJ]

I still don't understand the fuss from TU. I have lived here in Murphy for 44 years. I have been hunting and fishing in Tellico for 32+ years. The brook trout population is just as strong now as it was 30 years ago. There are several streams where I can take someone and they can catch 50 to 80+ trout in a day. The only problem I see with the brook trout population is that they may be overpopulated. The average size of the brook trout population is about 6 inches.:shaking: I know people who have mounted fish that were 11 to 12 inches long because they are considered to be of trophy size when they reach that size.