From the IF Post-Register
Mt. Jefferson may stay open to snowmobiles
- Thread starter Sled Idaho
- Start date
There's more at stake
There are areas that will be closed to snowmobiles and general road and trail closures for vehicle acces including mountain bikes, ATV's, UTV's, motorcycles. Many of these areas are currently places many of us in Southwest Montana ride into whether in Summer or Winter. Anyone who visits this area knows what great versatile riding areas are available---but won't be any longer if the plan in current form is approved.
Yes, the BDNF plan does allow a portion of Mt. Jefferson to continue to be accessed but many other areas will now be off limits.
Check out the maps that are on the BDNF sight-The maps are listed in the plan link as Alt 6 Summer Travel and Alt 6 Winter travel.
Here are just a few of the flags going up about this plan so far including some that are printed in various news releases.
The area mentioned in the Pioneers (G H from Dillon) is an area that many recreationists snowmobile in.
RWA's and Areas newly designated as RWA's of the Anaconda Pintler and the West Big Hole are areas that many of us currently snowmobile in.
I suspect this true in some of the other newly designated RWA's.
All Recommended Wilderness Areas's will be closed to snowmobiles-ie motorized and mountain bikes (mechanized) according to the BDNF office.Mountain Goats and Elk have been designated MIS species.
a 1/3 mile buffer is being created for various considerations...
Please proceed cautiously in preparing comments or with any level of support of this revision. The BDNF DID NOT take into consideration "total acreage" for recommended wilderness by snowmobilers, mechanized or motorized recreationists.
BDNF is designating MORE wilderness than was either in the Alternative 2 (initial preferred alternative and public comment period) and Alternative 5 (last preferred alternative and public comment period). With the release of Alternative 6, there are 80,000 additional acres added over and above the FS Alt 5---WE GAINED NOTHING with regard to acreage and again are being asked to support giving up acreage only-No acreage in existing RWA's or in an existing wilderness have been removed-
This decision will have a huge impact on snowmobile recreation as well as other mechanized and motorized access.
In speaking with the BDNF office staff today, I was told they hope to have the DEIS and plan info in the Federal Register by Feb 15th which is when the official 45-day comment period will officially open;
Take your time in researching this and-make sure you look at the maps either on the website or at the BDNF office, otherwise you will need to request a copy of the plan and take the CD's to a professional copy shop to have the detailed 36" by 48" Summer and Winter travel maps printed.
http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/b-d/forest-plan/
http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/b-d/forest-plan/
from a BDNF news release:
http://montanastandard.com/articles/...jhjejiibjf.txt
"Beaverhead County Commissioner Garth Haugland said he would work to get portions of the Pioneer Mountains that are recommended for wilderness removed as well. He said in meetings near Wise River, the opposition from local residents was nearly unanimous.
Tim Baker, MWA executive director, said his organization had just received the proposal and was still reviewing it. But he said regardless of what the plan recommends, the partnership would continue to push for federal legislation that would designate the 529,000 acres, as well as institute larger stewardship projects that would enhance habitat and provide for more logging.
The plan also puts an emphasis on stewardship contracting to improve habitat in many areas, including areas near developments where the risk of wildfire to homes is high."
All told, we are recommending 329,000 acres of the Beaverhead-Deerlodge for wilderness designation by Congress. This is a net increase of 81,000 acres of recommended wilderness over what we proposed in 2005,he said.
We are adding three areas and taking two others from the list of wilderness recommendations made in the 2005 draft,Ramsey said.
The three additions are Stony (in the Sapphire Mountains of Granite County), Table Mountain (in Silver Bow and Madison counties), and Garfield Mountain (near the Lima Peaks in Beaverhead County),Ramsey said.
Stony has limited ATV use now and the other two have no current ATV or motorcycle use allowed, Ramsey said.
Changes were made to the wilderness recommendations for Quigg, Torrey Mountain, Snowcrest, Anaconda-Pintler Additions, and Lee Metcalf Additions since the 2005 draft.
It closes 104 miles of roads and 200 miles of trails to motorized use.
Within the areas set up for motorized recreation there are backcountry motorized areas where recreationists would find more primitive roads and trails open to vehicles.
This backcountry designation came about because of lots of comments on the 2005 draft," Ramsey said.
There are areas that will be closed to snowmobiles and general road and trail closures for vehicle acces including mountain bikes, ATV's, UTV's, motorcycles. Many of these areas are currently places many of us in Southwest Montana ride into whether in Summer or Winter. Anyone who visits this area knows what great versatile riding areas are available---but won't be any longer if the plan in current form is approved.
Yes, the BDNF plan does allow a portion of Mt. Jefferson to continue to be accessed but many other areas will now be off limits.
Check out the maps that are on the BDNF sight-The maps are listed in the plan link as Alt 6 Summer Travel and Alt 6 Winter travel.
Here are just a few of the flags going up about this plan so far including some that are printed in various news releases.
The area mentioned in the Pioneers (G H from Dillon) is an area that many recreationists snowmobile in.
RWA's and Areas newly designated as RWA's of the Anaconda Pintler and the West Big Hole are areas that many of us currently snowmobile in.
I suspect this true in some of the other newly designated RWA's.
All Recommended Wilderness Areas's will be closed to snowmobiles-ie motorized and mountain bikes (mechanized) according to the BDNF office.Mountain Goats and Elk have been designated MIS species.
a 1/3 mile buffer is being created for various considerations...
Please proceed cautiously in preparing comments or with any level of support of this revision. The BDNF DID NOT take into consideration "total acreage" for recommended wilderness by snowmobilers, mechanized or motorized recreationists.
BDNF is designating MORE wilderness than was either in the Alternative 2 (initial preferred alternative and public comment period) and Alternative 5 (last preferred alternative and public comment period). With the release of Alternative 6, there are 80,000 additional acres added over and above the FS Alt 5---WE GAINED NOTHING with regard to acreage and again are being asked to support giving up acreage only-No acreage in existing RWA's or in an existing wilderness have been removed-
This decision will have a huge impact on snowmobile recreation as well as other mechanized and motorized access.
In speaking with the BDNF office staff today, I was told they hope to have the DEIS and plan info in the Federal Register by Feb 15th which is when the official 45-day comment period will officially open;
Take your time in researching this and-make sure you look at the maps either on the website or at the BDNF office, otherwise you will need to request a copy of the plan and take the CD's to a professional copy shop to have the detailed 36" by 48" Summer and Winter travel maps printed.
http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/b-d/forest-plan/
http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/b-d/forest-plan/
from a BDNF news release:
http://montanastandard.com/articles/...jhjejiibjf.txt
"Beaverhead County Commissioner Garth Haugland said he would work to get portions of the Pioneer Mountains that are recommended for wilderness removed as well. He said in meetings near Wise River, the opposition from local residents was nearly unanimous.
Tim Baker, MWA executive director, said his organization had just received the proposal and was still reviewing it. But he said regardless of what the plan recommends, the partnership would continue to push for federal legislation that would designate the 529,000 acres, as well as institute larger stewardship projects that would enhance habitat and provide for more logging.
The plan also puts an emphasis on stewardship contracting to improve habitat in many areas, including areas near developments where the risk of wildfire to homes is high."
All told, we are recommending 329,000 acres of the Beaverhead-Deerlodge for wilderness designation by Congress. This is a net increase of 81,000 acres of recommended wilderness over what we proposed in 2005,he said.
We are adding three areas and taking two others from the list of wilderness recommendations made in the 2005 draft,Ramsey said.
The three additions are Stony (in the Sapphire Mountains of Granite County), Table Mountain (in Silver Bow and Madison counties), and Garfield Mountain (near the Lima Peaks in Beaverhead County),Ramsey said.
Stony has limited ATV use now and the other two have no current ATV or motorcycle use allowed, Ramsey said.
Changes were made to the wilderness recommendations for Quigg, Torrey Mountain, Snowcrest, Anaconda-Pintler Additions, and Lee Metcalf Additions since the 2005 draft.
It closes 104 miles of roads and 200 miles of trails to motorized use.
Within the areas set up for motorized recreation there are backcountry motorized areas where recreationists would find more primitive roads and trails open to vehicles.
This backcountry designation came about because of lots of comments on the 2005 draft," Ramsey said.
land
just got the bulletin....wilderness recommendations for, Lee Metcalf Additions, Torrey Mtn, Italian Peak, Quigg, Snowcrest, Anaconda-Pintler Additions, north part of Mt Jefferson, Garfield Mtn,Table Mtn and Stony........any good ridin at these spots?......USFS is also taking phone calls for questions regarding the plan and FEIS at 10 am Mountain Time on Feb 11,15 and19th call 888-820-8951 use passcode PLAN...they claim to have 50 phone lines....I'm reading that there are 6 plans and which ever they choose goes into effect spring 2008.
just got the bulletin....wilderness recommendations for, Lee Metcalf Additions, Torrey Mtn, Italian Peak, Quigg, Snowcrest, Anaconda-Pintler Additions, north part of Mt Jefferson, Garfield Mtn,Table Mtn and Stony........any good ridin at these spots?......USFS is also taking phone calls for questions regarding the plan and FEIS at 10 am Mountain Time on Feb 11,15 and19th call 888-820-8951 use passcode PLAN...they claim to have 50 phone lines....I'm reading that there are 6 plans and which ever they choose goes into effect spring 2008.
i cant say about sledding in the areas other than jefferson, but i motorbike in the italian peaks, and losing that would be devastating to me... there is NEVER any hikers in there (way to remote), and i have only seen horses 1 time in 15 years...
this is gay... we write and write and write and we get a little part of jefferson kept open and everything else shut down... screw that...
There is great riding to be lost in the Tobacco Roots, Gravelly range, Pioneers and possibly the Snowcrest range (haven't ridden the Snowcrest range yet but they always looks good from Black Butte). These are some of my favorite places to ride with few people. Granted they have seen decreased use in the past few years due to low snow, but when we get it, such as now, they're great! Go to the BDNF site and read the answers to comments to see what we are up against! Please call or e-mail your opposition to closures that ban motorized vehicles, specifically snowmobiles. NO FORM LETTERS/EMAILS!!!!! These only count as one! (See intro to answers to comments document)Those forms HOSED us on the GNF travel planning and we have payed a HUGE price in terms of acres of quality riding terrain lost. I already have to drive much further from Bozo for quality riding, if proposed alternative 6 becomes the final decision it will be the bullet in the back of the head for snowmobiling in SW MT.
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