What has SFWDA been doing to keep the OHV Area open?

[Alabamatoy]

SFWDA has been silent for a long time. The leadership has not risen up to respond to the detractors who say that we are not doing anything, and we are taking $$$ and not producing any return. Well, now you are going to see the results of our efforts.

SFWDA used some of those funds to CONTRACT with an engineering firm to do REAL SCIENCE and determine the FACTS about the water quality in the Tellico watershed. This study was paid for by SFWDA. No, retract that....it was paid for by YOU if you are a member of SFWDA or supported the Rescue Tellico efforts, or attended an SFWDA event.

We believe that we have the science -- the FACTS -- to prove that the OHV Area is NOT damaging the watershed. We have the chemistry and the biology and the micro-organism counts and the turbidity and whole bunch of other cool geeky tech stuff that this writer doesnt fully understand. I pasted the executive summary of this study below.

We also obtained, through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) an internal report done by the Trails Unlimited group (a bunch of respected USFS employees who are the pre-emminent experts on OHV trail science and operation) which made extensive recommendations for keeping the OHV Area open, but which the USFS appears to have ignored.

Here's the link:
http://www.sfwda.org/trails/tellico/study09/

The files are large. The main body of the document will be the part of most interest to the general public. The Trails Unlimited report is in Appendix E.

Executive summary of the study:

A. Tellico is a valuable resource to the local community and to regional and national OHV users. Unique site obstacles that draw notoriety across the nation include Slickrock, Helicopter Pad, Guardrail, Schoolbus and Rock Garden. Historically, trail users have contributed significantly to the local economy including lodging (hotels, campgrounds and cabins), restaurants, grocery stores, repair facilities, and other businesses. Users also support trail operations though payment of daily and yearly user fees.

B. Streams are healthy and have excellent water quality per North Carolina standards and are capable of sustaining viable, reproducing native trout populations. Degradation of water quality and aquatic habitat in Upper Tellico is non-existent. Stream channels are very stable and aptly convey stream flows without streambed erosion. Historic clear-cutting of land in Upper Tellico has contributed more to the off-site sediment transport than the trail system.

C. The current deteriorated trail conditions are largely the result of too many years of neglected maintenance by the USFS due to budget constraints. However, the trails and site obstacles are repairable and very much maintainable/sustainable after repair. We concur with the USFS Trails Unlimited conclusion that closure of any of the trails is neither warranted nor recommended. Costs of needed repairs total approximately $2.2 million. Annual cost of Operation and Maintenance (O&M) after repairs totals approximately $100,000 per year.

Kudos to Heather, Jay Bird, Roger, Gary, Gunnar, and all the others who have been working quietly and effectively on this project for months.

This Friday we will know what the FS wants to do with the OHV Area. As soon as we know, yall will know, and the process of commenting back to the FS will begin.

[rredalty]

THANKS to everyone who is making this possible.

[indulf]

yes, many thanks to the leadership of SFWDA and my old friend jay bird.

i've been to tellico many times but not since about a year before i had my first child. i just got another jeep and am looking forward to making some great memories with my kids at tellico.

keep fighting!

[DRM]

Boys and girls - take your time and read the full report. It's a great way to get yourself up to speed on the specifics of what on the table at this point.

[s10er8]

Cookout on the side of Lower 2 !!

Awesome news, well done

[Albin]

This is exactly what we need from four wheel drive associations like SFWDA: engineering and science studies that refute the liberal environazi bullshit. Kudos to the SFWDA leadership for supplying exactly that.

[Southeast Offroad]

Excellent!

[krawler00]

We all need to educate ourselves on this matter so we all can be good reps for our sport. It is alot to read but all of it is important. We all need to be able to defend what we do with facts and truth. Awesome job to those on the frontlines of this battle!

[Eventhough]

Everyone - please read this report and educate yourselves, then read the EA when it becomes available, and then make your comments to the FS. There is a lot of work still to be done to save Tellico.

[y2knole]

I have read over this report, and a good bit of the forest service's report and something doesnt seem to jive between the two.

From reading these two reports, it seems that they could be written about completely different river systems. Their finding are exactly opposite, and dont seem to have much of anything in common. "ours" makes it seem like there is no problem, rivers are healthy, sediment levels are fine, etc etc.

"theirs" indicate that the rivers streams and creeks are all completely full of mud and muck...

can someone help me understand how the findings of science are so vastly different?

thanks

[Never Monday]

In this time of massivly cut federal budgets. They are willing to give up a 100K/yr revenue stream.

[weedwacker]

That report brought a tear to my eye, great work!

Makes me feel guilty I have not sent more money, that will change.