Great Burn on Montana/Idaho border--STILL TIME TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PROCESS!!!

[Scott]

Latest from Stan.

You can still voice your opinion.

Stan Spencer <stanspencer@montana.com> wrote:

Just a quick note or two.
I was gratified to see two recent letters to the Editor in the Missoulian lamenting the fact that snowmobilers are far outnumbering wilderness advocates at the Flathead collaborative Forest Plan meetings. This is a vast turnaround from previous Forest Plan participation. I think the Wilderness advocates are wondering what happened! I also think that they may now recognize that snowmobilers are not going to roll over on land closures.

The Clearwater Collabotative meetings are starting up again on Feb 8/14 at Orofino Id.. They are also going to hold a remote video conference session in Missoula at the Ft. Missoula complex. 24 Ft. Missoula Rd. Turn west on Ft. Missoula Rd. off Reserve, go to the end to a 'T', turn left, second building on the left. Phone# 329 3750. I'm assuming the session will start in Missoula at 9:00AM as the start time in Orofino is 8:00 Pacific time. Meeting will run all day. This first meeting will be pretty dry but is a good warm up for the next one in March which will include Wilderness designation. Anyone wanting the prework information for the meeting can email me, stanspencer@montana.com ,and I'll forward the information the FS has put out.

There has been quite a bit of recent activity behind the scenes re: the Clearwater Collaborative Forest Plan and also the Clearwater Basin Collaborative NRA. Based on the information I have been asked to provide I feel both plans are moving in a positive direction to preserve our riding areas in the Gt. Burn. But....we all know "the proof of the pudding is in the eating". Time will tell.

I have been working with the Wise River Snowmobile Club (Jackpine Savages) to ammend Senator Testers FJRA that encompasses the West and East Pioneers.
I'll update you as the proposal is reviewed and the response we receive. Two adjacent area snowmobile clubs and the Beaverhead County Commissioners are supporting our initiative.

Stan Spencer

 

[Scott]

We lost all of this area as of TODAY.

We need to keep fighting for it. Don't give up.

 

[Scott]

Some pictures of my last legal ride into Williams yesterday.

Just Mike and I has the WHOLE thing to ourselves on a Sunday. Was pretty cool.

Our first tracks on the east face of Williams Peak.

Mike make a WFO throttle climb from the left side on his 2014 m8000 162. Bone stock. Mike weighs 250.

I made a 3/4 throttle climb from right to left on my 13 Pro bone stock except for 156 3" track. I weigh 145. I'm still breaking in my engine.

Mike had to try again.

You can see my track was still higher.



So I volunteered to make a pull on his so we compared apples to apples on right weight.

This was me on his kitty at WFO. I'll almost equaled my 3/4 throttle climb. LOL.

 

[Scott]

And so Mike spent some time trying to catch my 3/4 throttle mark with his kitty. It's useless, I say!!!!

 

[Scott]

I did enjoy the show...LOL

 

[Scott]

After a while I said to him...."You know Mike, my climbs were just 3/4 throttle, right?"

He laughed, and said "yeah right".


So I showed him.....

No carving at the top of the climb...just plain ole straight up past the rock.
HAHAHAHA

THEN he believed me.

I think I could have made it 20 yds higher if I had worked it a little bit at the top of the climb. LOL

That X3 track is something else!!!

 

[Scott]

And we went over to Goat Lake for a spell.

Was windy over there and there was a LOT of more recent slide activity so we didn't stay.

 

[rmscustom]

We lost all of this area as of TODAY.

We need to keep fighting for it. Don't give up.

Scott,
Any links, phone #s or addresses to where we can make some racket?
The email I got from Stan yesterday mentioned commenting on the Collaborative Forest Plan but not sure where to do this.

 

[Scott]

Some links here.

Here's the ALERT that SAWS published to it's membership in August 2009. This one has been in the works for along time now.

Keeping land open for use, of all kinds, is a job for everyone -- your "watchdog" organizations (BRC,SAWS, State Assoc) cannot do it without your help.

This ruling is likely to have far reaching impacts to how the USFS manages RWA in all other Western forests. Specifically since the Colville/Okanagon/Wenatchee Forests (COW) and the Blue Mountain Forests are both in their Forest Revision Planning processes....which you can be assured will include thousands of acres being proposed as Recommended Wilderness Areas.

Here is the SAWS Alert on the Blues. And on the COW.

Our fight for snowmobile access rights is getting hot, fast. Sadly, there is a large population of snowmobilers that pay no attention to these fights until the battle is already lost. Honestly, getting land open to access AFTER it's been closed is an uphill battle.

 

[Scott]

More links here....

Check this out http://backcountryrebels.com/showthread.php?t=19708 It has some links in it!

Dear Clearwater National Forest Travel Planning Participant:

Thank you for your earlier comments on and interest in the Clearwater National Forest Travel Planning effort. I have prepared a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and Record of Decision (ROD) for the Travel Planning project. The FEIS and ROD are now available online at http://www.fs.fed.us/nepa/nepa_project_exp.php?project=17992 . Paper copies of the FEIS and ROD are available at Clearwater National Forest offices and many local libraries, including those at Orofino, Deary, Elk River, Grangeville, Kamiah, Kooskia, Lewiston, Moscow, Pierce, Potlatch, and Weippe in Idaho, as well as Superior and Missoula, Montana. An Executive Summary of the FEIS is included with this message.

The Clearwater National Forest is making every effort to minimize our use of paper, as well as the consumption of other resources that are needed to produce, transport, and store paper documents. Your willingness to access environmental documents online is greatly appreciated, and will allow us to significantly reduce costs.

The ROD was signed November 10, 2011. The project area boundary is the Clearwater National Forest boundary. The analysis area includes portions of Idaho, Clearwater, Latah, Benewah, and Shoshone counties in the state of Idaho. The primary purpose of the Forest’s Travel Planning project is to meet the requirements of the 2005 Travel Planning Rule. The Rule requires each National Forest to complete a local analysis designating those roads, trails, and areas where motorized travel will be permitted, and to display them on a Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM). Once the MVUM is published, public summer motor vehicle use on the Clearwater National Forest will be allowed only on the designated routes displayed on the map. The responsible official has elected to include mechanized travel and over-snow vehicles in this analysis so that suitable areas, routes, and seasons for their operation can be provided as envisioned in the 1987 Clearwater Forest Plan.

The Forest Supervisor has made the decision to implement Alternative C Modified. Alternative C Modified was added to the alternative array for the FEIS in response to comments received for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). Alternative C Modified was based on Alternative C, so many features of the two alternatives are the same. However, Alternative C Modified would respond to issues and concerns about opportunities for motorcycle loop trips to a greater degree than Alternative C.

Under Alternative C Modified, 0 acres will be open to cross-country motorized travel off of designated routes; 2,961 miles of motorized road routes will be open either year-round or seasonally; 496 miles of motorized trail routes will be open either year-round or seasonally; 253 miles of motorized trail routes in Inventoried Roadless Areas will be open either year-round or seasonally; 4,354 road miles will be open to bicycles and mechanized vehicles either year-round or seasonally; 988 trail miles will be open to bicycles and mechanized vehicles either year-round or seasonally; 1,319,623 acres will be open to over-snow motorized vehicle travel; and 0 trail miles will be open to bicycle travel in Recommended Wilderness Areas. Motorized travel to dispersed campsites within 300 feet of a designated motorized route will be permitted as long as conditions for that travel are met. Some route-based restrictions for over-snow motorized vehicles will be simplified, compared to the existing condition, to make the restrictions and the Winter Use Map clearer. These changes will have an insignificant effect on motorized over-snow recreational opportunities. Over-snow motorized vehicle use will be restricted yearlong in Recommended Wilderness Areas and on Fish Lake Trail 419.

This decision is subject to appeal pursuant to 36 CFR 215. A legal notice advertising the start of the appeal period for this decision will appear in the Lewiston Tribune, Lewiston, Idaho on January 10, 2012. A written Notice of Appeal must be postmarked or received within 45 days following the publication date of this legal notice in the Lewiston Tribune. It is the responsibility of the appellant to ensure that their appeal is received in a timely manner. The publication date of the legal notice for the decision in the Lewiston Tribune is the exclusive means for calculating the time to file an appeal. Appellants should not rely on date or time information provided by any other source.

Paper appeals must be submitted to:

USDA Forest Service, Northern Region

Federal Building, 200 Broadway

ATTN: Appeal Deciding Officer

P.O. Box 7669

Missoula, MT 59807

FAX: (406) 329-3411

Business Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (Mountain Time)

In electronic appeals, the subject line should contain the name of the project being appealed (Clearwater National Forest Travel Planning). An automated response will confirm that your electronic appeal has been received. Electronic appeals must be submitted in MS Word, Word Perfect, or Rich Text format (RTF).

The appellant must have submitted comments during the 45-day comment period for the DEIS, and it is the appellant’s responsibility to provide sufficient project- or activity-specific evidence and rationale, focusing on the decision, to show why the decision should be reversed. The appeal must be filed with the Appeal Deciding Officer in writing. At a minimum, the appeal must meet the content requirements of 36 CFR 215.14.

If an appeal is received for this project, informal resolution meetings and/or conference calls may be scheduled between the Responsible Official and the appellant. These discussions would take place within 15 days after the closing date for filing an appeal. All such meetings are open to the public. If you are interested in attending any informal resolution discussions, please contact the Responsible Official or monitor the following website for postings about current appeals in the Northern Region of the Forest Service: http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/projects/appeal_index.shtml .

If no appeal is received, implementation of the decision may occur on, but not before, five business days from the close of the appeal filing period. If an appeal is received, implementation may not occur for 15 days following the date of appeal disposition.

For further information or to request a copy of the FEIS and ROD, contact Lois Hill, Interdisciplinary Team Leader, at the Kamiah Ranger Station, 903 3rd Street, Kamiah, Idaho 83536, telephone (208) 935-4258. Office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. PST. The FEIS and ROD are also available on CD’s or in hard copy format.



Sincerely,





/s/ Rick Brazell








RICK BRAZELL

Forest Supervisor




Sent by:



>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Lois Hill

NEPA Coordinator/IDT Leader

Kamiah Ranger Station

208-935-4258

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

The appeal process is as follows:

This decision is subject to appeal pursuant to 36 CFR 215.11. Only individuals or organizations that submitted substantive comments during the comment period may appeal under this rule. A written appeal must be submitted within 45 days following the publication date of the legal notice of this decision in the Lewiston Morning Tribune. It is the responsibility of the appellant to ensure that their appeal is received in a timely manner. The publication date of the legal notice of the decision in the newspaper of record is the exclusive means for calculating the time to file an appeal. Appellants should not rely on date or timeframe information provided by any other source.
Paper appeals must be submitted to:
• USDA Forest Service, Northern Region, Attn: Appeal Deciding Officer, P.O. Box 7669, Missoula, MT 59807; or
• USDA Forest Service, Northern Region, Attn: Appeal Deciding Officer, 200 East Broadway, Missoula, MT 59802.
Office hours are 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., MST; Fax (406)-329-3411.
Electronic appeals must be submitted to appeals-northern-regional-office@fs.fed.us. For electronic appeals, the subject line should contain the name of the project being appealed. An automated response will confirm that your electronic appeal has been received. Electronic appeals must be submitted in Microsoft Word, Word Perfect, or Rich Text Format (RTF).
It is the appellant’s responsibility to provide sufficient project- or activity- specific evidence and rationale, focusing on the decision, to show why the decision should be reversed. The appeal must be filed with the Appeal Deciding Officer in writing. At a minimum, the appeal must meet the content requirements of c6 CFR 215.14, and include the following information:
• The appellant’s name and address, with a telephone number, if available;
• A signature, or other verification of authorship upon request (a scanned signature
for electronic mail may be filed with the appeal):
• When multiple names are on an appeal, identification of the lead appellant and verification of the identity of the lead appellant upon request;
• The name of the project or activity for which the decision was made, the name and title of the Responsible Official, and the date of the decision;
• The regulation under which the appeal is being filed, when there is an option to appeal under either 36 CFR 215 or 36 CFR 251, subpart C;
ROD - 60
Clearwater National Forest Travel Planning Record of Decision
• Any specific change(s) in the decision that the appellant seeks and rationale for those changes;
• Any portion of the decision with which the appellant disagrees, and explanation for the disagreement;
• Why the appellant believes the Responsible Official’s decision failed to consider the substantive comments; and
• How the appellant believes the decision specifically violates law, regulation, or policy.
If no appeal is received, implementation of this decision may occur on, but not before, five business days from the close of the appeal filing period. If an appeal is received, implementation may not occur for 15 days following the date of appeal disposition.
Offer to meet: When an appeal is received under the rule, the Responsible Official (me), or my designee, must contact the appellant and offer to meet and discuss resolution of the issues raised in the appeal (36 CFR 215.17). If the appellant accepts the offer, the meeting must take place within 15 days after the closing date for filing an appeal (i.e., 45 to 60 days from the publication date of the legal notice of this decision in the Lewiston Morning Tribune). These meetings, if they take place, will be open to the public. For information about if, when, and where such a meeting is scheduled, please visit the following web site:
http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/r1/appeal-meetings
My decision to amend the Clearwater Forest Plan is also appealable under 36 CFR 217. Written appeals under this rule must also be submitted within 45 days following the publication date of the legal notice of this decision in the Lewiston Morning Tribune, Lewiston, Idaho, and should be sent to the same addresses indicated above for appeals under 36 CFR 215. Under the 36 CFR 217 rule there is no requirement that I make an offer to meet with the appellant. Appeals cannot be filed under both 36 CFR 215 and 36 CFR 217.
CONTACT PERSON
For additional information concerning this decision or the Forest Service appeal process, contact
• Kathy Rodriguez, North Fork District Ranger, Clearwater National Forest Supervisor’s Office, 12730 Highway 12, Orofino, Idaho 83544; 208-476-8223; or
• Lois Hill, Interdisciplinary Team Leader, Kamiah Ranger Station, 903 3rd Street, Kamiah, Idaho 83536; 208-935-4258.


Okay ,
the lawsuit hs been filed and is headed to the courts

We need to collect at least $10,000 dollars for our help in the effort

the Missoula Snowgoers Snowmobile Association (MSSA) has set up an account for this.

MSSA
Po Box 2441
Missoula, 59801

Please make checks payable to MSSA

We will take anything you can give every penny counts

This is a huge area that is affected from Lolo Pass to StRegis Montana
and all idaho play areas in between.
If you have ridden this you know why we dont want to loose it.
If you never have ridden it lets fight to keep the greenies from taking one more riding area away.
This closure affects many others as well, all of those that rely on our gas , food , lodging , spare parts etc will loose as well.

If you read the closure you will see not just sleds are out but mountain bikes as well ,, Yet they reopened some Motor Cycle trails. The way this closure was done makes it one we can win, and get reversed.
But we need your help.

below is some information on the lawsuit


http://www.snowest.com/snowmobile-n...n=News+Suit+To+Stop+Illegal+Wilderness+090712


I know money is tight these days but lets show how well we can come together and fight for our cause ..
PM me if you have any questions
Thank You

Scott,
Any links, phone #s or addresses to where we can make some racket?
The email I got from Stan yesterday mentioned commenting on the Collaborative Forest Plan but not sure where to do this.