Hi Folks, Is anyone here involved in (either now or the past) with this proposed OHV Plan for the MT Hood National Forest? I want to get involved, but am having a tough time finding people from the 4x4 world involved.

http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/mthood/projects/nepa_project.shtml?project=15824

The final decision was delayed due to needing more studies. I'd like to better understand what the additional studies are, and if this brings us back to the table to review all the possible alternatives again. If anyone has any details please post them up here for all to share, or if you aren't comfortable with that PM me.

The final decision is now slated for August.

Thanks

Hey FJ Crusin,

Don here from BRC. I know a Rick Higgins from the Columbia Gorge Off Road Assn. and I worked with him on the Mt. Hood TMR process.
Rick Higgins at : cascadetrails@gorge.net

Also, you can find a copy of BRC's DEIS comments and other feedback on my blog for the Mt. Hood.
http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2009/10/buffers-filters-camels-and-travel.html

Let me know if this helps.

Don

Hey FJ Crusin,

Don here from BRC. I know a Rick Higgins from the Columbia Gorge Off Road Assn. and I worked with him on the Mt. Hood TMR process.
Rick Higgins at : cascadetrails@gorge.net

Also, you can find a copy of BRC's DEIS comments and other feedback on my blog for the Mt. Hood.
http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2009/10/buffers-filters-camels-and-travel.html

Let me know if this helps.

Don

Thanks Don! I'll do some reading. Thanks again for the info, and for all you and the BRC continue to do.

I am sure the PNW association has info also.
They have someone that stays up on most of the land use issues in the Washington, Oregon and Idaho areas.

Todd

I am sure the PNW association has info also.
They have someone that stays up on most of the land use issues in the Washington, Oregon and Idaho areas.

Todd

Thanks Todd, I'll continue to work with them to get more info and appreciate the advice. I am a member of the PNW and appreciate the work they do to keep our trails open here.

I did hear back from the USFS on what has caused the delay but it doesn't make much sense to me. Here is the response I received via email from the USFS. (I had a hard time getting a response to them until my third email, perhaps it was caught in my spam filters or something).


Jon, I have received your emails and have responded, but perhaps my emailsare not reaching you. Here again is my response and hopefully it will gothrough this time!

The Forest has directly communicated with the following OHV-user groups: Blue Ribbon Coalition, Mt. Hood Polaris, Mt. Hood Snowmobile Club, Mt. Scott Motorcycle Club, Northern Oregon Motorcycle & ATV Club, Oregon Parks &Recreation Department, Pacific Northwest 4-Wheel Drive Association, and Warren Industries. Also, a list of organizations that have been includedin our mailings regarding this project are listed in Chapter 6 of the DEIS(found on our website). Feel free to contact our Recreation Program Manager, Malcolm Hamilton, to discuss implementing this project once the decision has been signed. I would expect being involved with some of the local user groups/organizations is probably your best way to be involved with this project.

It was determined that additional wildlife surveys need to be conducted this field season (late spring and summer), however, we are still working through which species need to be surveyed for and at which locations. Until we have completed the required surveys, we are unsure as to how this information will affect the Forest Supervisor's decision. At this point in the process, we don't anticipate having another comment period, but once we have more information, the Forest Supervisor will make that decision. regards, Michelle


So, I am new to this and am perhaps misunderstanding all of this. I would appreciate some input on this from more of the seasoned land use veterans that haunt this board, but when I read this it seems as if they are saying that they had to delay the decision due to the need for additional studies, but they are not sure what needs to be studied or where they should do these studies. That seems very odd to me, but again am new. Is this traditionally how it goes? It also seems odd that while they dont seem sure what they are studying, they are quite sure that it wont cause the need for additional public comment.

Whats making me paranoid here, is that it looks like this group here is actually aware of what is causing the delay, and are in fact the ones needing to do additional studies.

http://www.bark-out.org/topic.php?id=mthoodohv


After almost two years of preparation, the Forest Service released the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Plan on August 28, 2009. The comment period has closed, but additional groundtruthing in the 8 proposed OHV areas is always welcome.

In a confusing move, the Forest Service chose two "preferred alternatives" in this Plan
-Alternative 3 sacrifices the largest area of Mt. Hood National Forest and includes the designation of 325 miles of OHV routes.
-Alternative 4 better protects clean drinking water, quiet recreation, and wildlife by limiting OHV routes to 99 miles.

Bark appreciates the Forest Service addressing the concerns raised by hundreds of Oregonians and including Alternative 4 in the DEIS. In the meantime some of the proposed areas have changed and Alternative 3 includes two entirely new OHV areas that we need to collect data on.

Please contact Bark at loriann(at)bark-out.org or (503) 331-0374, and let us know if you have any information on these areas or would be interested in helping us collect data on them.

If you would like to communicate with the Forest Service regarding the OHV Plan, write, email or call
Jennie O'Connor Card
Mt. Hood National Forest
6780 Highway 35
Parkdale, Oregon 97041
(541) 352-6002 ext. 634

You may submit comments to the above address or
comments-pacificnorthwest-mthood(at)fs.fed.us


Maybe this is a timing issue, maybe I am just paranoid, or maybe I am just not understanding things, but it don't smell right to me. I am desperately trying not to put my foot in my mouth here. I don't want to upset the USFS or anyone else for that matter, but I do want to get involved. For now I have reahed out to the USFS to see how I can organize a clean up. Theres unfortunately a few parts of the forest up there that are in dire need of a clean up (ironically its not 4WD caused trash, but thats another story).

Anyway, this is much longer than I had planned, but I would appreciate the insight of some of the veterans here on what they think when they read the above. I am concerned, but perhaps I am just paranoid....

Looks like I was just paranoid, so I apologize. The bark comments and link are from November so they must be from before the decision was delayed.

Thanks for keepin us updated on this ..

w:grinpimp:

Well, the "decision" has been made... and it don't look good to me. I'm trying not to put my foot in my mouth here and appreciate the input of others involved in land use. Here is the link to the decision.

http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/mthood/projects/nepa_project.shtml?project=15824

It's a whole mess of PDF Files that I haven't completely waded through, but basically instead of choosing one of the 4 options on the table, the forest service has decided to implement a modified version of one of the options, (option 3). It almost seems like instead of choosing one of the 4 options they created a new one, can they do that?


Option 3 would have allowed 326 total miles of OHV use.
The modified version they have chose now only allows for 146 total miles for OHV use.
Option 3 would have allowed allowed almost 73 miles of class II trails.
The modified version they have chose now only allows for 13.7 miles of class II trails.
Prior to this decision, OHV stickered rigs could travel on over 2400 miles of roads.
Now they can only travel on 38.5 miles of roads.


Has anyone else read this thing yet? Appreciate any input...

I would appreciate the input from some of the more seasoned land used advocates here.

I am curious on who can appeal a decision. In the OHV Legal Decision Notice (http://a123.g.akamai.net/7/123/11558/abc123/forestservic.download.akamai.com/11558/www/nepa/25167_FSPLT2_025464.pdf) it mentions that "only individuals or organizations who submitted comments or expressed an interest in the project during the comment period may appeal". But then later on it says portions may be appealable by anyone other than a forest service employee under the "Optional Appeals Procedures of the 2000 Planning Rule".

:confused:

Anyone familiar with filing an appeal?

Bump.... Any input here? Appreciate any thoughts on how to proceed.....

Sent from my EVO

I would appreciate the input from some of the more seasoned land used advocates here.

I am curious on who can appeal a decision. In the OHV Legal Decision Notice (http://a123.g.akamai.net/7/123/11558/abc123/forestservic.download.akamai.com/11558/www/nepa/25167_FSPLT2_025464.pdf) it mentions that "only individuals or organizations who submitted comments or expressed an interest in the project during the comment period may appeal". But then later on it says portions may be appealable by anyone other than a forest service employee under the "Optional Appeals Procedures of the 2000 Planning Rule".

:confused:

Anyone familiar with filing an appeal?

Did you make comments during the proccess?

You should have many of your questions answered in this tread...
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=684181&highlight=28+appeal

And the likely response to your appeal here...
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=697262&highlight=28+appeal

I would think that the appeals would be better left up to one of the Groups or clubs that are involved up there. I see Blue Ribbon Coalition listed, and they're big. Do you belong to any of these organizations? Those groups already have lawyer representation for these issues and receive donations from individuals & groups to get involved. Try contacting someone on their website.
That's really great you're getting involved.:p

Did you make comments during the proccess?

You should have many of your questions answered in this tread...
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=684181&highlight=28+appeal

And the likely response to your appeal here...
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=697262&highlight=28+appeal

Thank you, unfortunately I wasn't even aware of this when the original comment period in 2007 happened. :shaking: I won't let that happen again, but unfortunately no, I did not make a comment during the original comment period. I have been in contact with with the USFS for the last 6 months though, but unfortunately this was outside of the original comment period.

Thanks for the threads I will read up.

I would think that the appeals would be better left up to one of the Groups or clubs that are involved up there. I see Blue Ribbon Coalition listed, and they're big. Do you belong to any of these organizations? Those groups already have lawyer representation for these issues and receive donations from individuals & groups to get involved. Try contacting someone on their website.
That's really great you're getting involved.:p

And thank you too. Yes, I am a member of the BRC (and encourage everyone to be). They do a lot for OHV and I appreciate there support. I have sent off an email to Brian Hawthorne Public Lands Policy Director of the BRC and hope to hear back soon.

I am also a member of the Pacific North West Four Wheel Drive Association (PNW4WDA). They also provided comments during the initial comment period as well so I intend to bring this issue to the floor in our local region meeting next week. I have also been in contact with the Oregon Executive Director as well.

In addition to the groups I belong to I have also reached out to the Oregon Recreation Coalition as I believe they also had been involved in the initial comment period, and am waiting to hear back from them as well.

This is a very sad thing, OHV users are being shut out of 90+% of the forest. As a class II user, I go from being able to enjoy over 2400 miles of forest roads and trails to now only 38 miles of roads... Sure doesn't seem fair....