Need your help

[snowrodeo]

i am forwarding an email that was sent to myself and others in regard to an effort to have the area above silver lake flats re-opened to sleds. if you ride this area, or even if you dont, and have some time a week from frida, we could use your help in creating a positive show of support

As you know, I have been working with the PG Forest Service to get the Silver Lake Flat-Twin Peaks area reopened to sleds. I have a meeting set up with Sylvia Clark, the new District Ranger at the PG office and Melissa Dunlevy, the Developed Recreation Manager. This is our chance to be heard on the Silver Lake Flat closure. The meeting is next Friday, July 31st at 9:00. Please be there!

Melissa has openly admitted that the reason for the closure was to keep riders out of the Lone Peak Wilderness area. They designated the area as watershed which seems to contradict their apparent real purpose of keeping riders out of wilderness. If enough of us show up and express both an interest in riding above Silver Lake Flat and also a willingness to help keep other riders out of the wilderness area, I think we have a good shot at getting it reopened. We may also want to talk about better boundary markers so riders know where the wilderness boundary is.

It is possible that this closure, which happened in 2003, was an illegal closure because it was done without public input. I am anxious to hear their explanation of the closure. Was it watershed or wilderness? Without being adversarial, we should point out that we were not aware of the closure until the end of the 2008 riding season when they put a NO SNOWMOBILES sign up on the road that goes north of Silver Lake Flat. That road, up to the point where the road ends and we cross the creek to the east, is open to motorcycles, ATVs and even regular VEHICLES in the summer. So, another obvious question is why is that same road closed to snowmobiles in the winter? A watershed closure would require it being closed to all summer vehicles, too, right?

PLEASE COME AND INVITE EVERYBODY YOU RIDE WITH WHO IS NOT ON THIS EMAIL!!!!!

Friday, July 31st 9:00 a.m.
Pleasant Grove Ranger Office
400 S 100 E

Please send me any ideas you have and thanks for your help!

 

[Skidoox]

Andy

Call or email Curt Kennedy he the Public land director for the Utah snowmobile association (801-582-3882) ccklpk@gmail.com
He would be a good guy to have at the meeting.

Bill

 

[sled_guy]

Andy

Call or email Curt Kennedy he the Public land director for the Utah snowmobile association (801-582-3882) ccklpk@msn.com
He would be a good guy to have at the meeting.

Bill

Yup, do as Bill says... Curt has been involved in these sorts of things for years and would be invaluable to have along.

sled_guy

 

[snowrodeo]

thnx guys. will let curt know.

 

[phatty]

My boss is out of town and i have to be at my office to cover, which means i cannot attend...

Is there anyway i can sign my name to something or show some support? I have always thought the Closure to sleds was bunk, because you can take your motorbike all the way up that road in the summer. Plus the wilderness line isnt even close to where we cut up and over... I will send out the email!

 

[snowrodeo]

phatty, matt down at powerhouse has a petition going that will be delivered to the rangers office. dont know if you can delegate someone as legal representative to sign for you?? anyone know how that could work, save someone a drive to pleasant grove just to sign? i would think he could make it available online or something...

 

[Rmk756]

Silver lake

I will be there and will spread the word.

MS

 

[snowrodeo]

ttt

 

[snowrodeo]

trouble posting on this thread.
keep getting "forbidden" message.....
whats up?

 

[snowrodeo]

here are the latest emails i have received regarding the friday meeting at the pleasant grove ranger station...

1st
There are two people in the Forest Service trying to get the Twin Peaks area re-opened. They want us to keep the meeting small, so I will represent the riders and we'll have a guy representing Tibble Fork cabin owners, plus Dustin and Matt. We need to send them letters or emails. They have suggested that we explain why the area is important to us and why it is not practical to go around. Send letters or emails to Melissa Dunlevy <mdunlevy@fs.fed.us> or to the Pleasant Grove Ranger Station at 390 N 100 E (84062). Get everyone you can to email or write letters. The letters can be addressed to the District Ranger, Sylvia Clark or to Melissa Dunlevy. Melissa is one of the two trying to get the area reopened. Thanks!!

 

[snowrodeo]

Dave,

Randy filled me in on your discussion. He had some questions for you, so I felt is was okay for him to call you. This whole procedure of addressing a change in the Forest Plan is something new for me. My job is developed recreation management, although I supervise the Forest Protection Officers, like Randy. I do a lot of asking our Public Information Officer, and District Ranger, as to what is the course of action we take next, how to better involve folks like you, and keep the ball rolling. All too often, these kinds of things get put on the back burner, and never get addressed. I'm trying to keep it going.

As in our previous discussion through email, It is important that the snowmobilers write their opinion in a letter to the District Ranger. The more letters, the better, as this demonstrates the numbers of people that are interested in a change to the Forest Plan regarding this issue. I know there are folks that tried to find alternative routes, and damaged their sleds in the process. That is important to document in a letter. It shows to the extent the snowmobilers are trying to find an alternative route, and that there is no other SAFE route to the higher reaches of Major Evans Gulch where you guys want to ride.

In the meeting next week with you, Sylvia will be able to further explain the process of a Forest Plan revision, which can take several different paths, from a full blown environmental analysis on one end of the spectrum, to an errata, on the other end. I have no idea which way this will go. And unfortunately, it takes time. The meeting the District Ranger and I have with the Forest Supervisor and others involved with NEPA and the Forest Plan to present this issue is scheduled for January, 2010. That is why I am pushing to get as much information from the snowmobilers as I can in place before that meeting.

Thank you for being patient with me in all this. I am learning a lot. We are looking forward to meeting with you and the others you bring next week.

Melissa Y. Dunlevy
Developed Recreation Manager
Pleasant Grove Ranger District
Uinta National Forest
801-342-5242

 

[snowrodeo]

This is the message I got last Thursday from Melissa Dunlevy at the PG Ranger District office. She and Randy who works for her have been trying to get the Silver Lake Flat drainage reopened. Unfortunately, they can't accommodate all of us in a meeting. She DOES want all the letters and emails you can send. You can email her or send a letter to her or Sylvia Clark, the District Ranger at 390 N 100 W, Pleasant Grove, UT 84062.

1. DON'T COME TO THE MEETING ON FRIDAY.
2. DO!!!! WRITE LETTERS AND EMAILS.

My list of sledders is growing, but there are still some I don't have email addresses for. If you ride with anyone who is not on this list, please send me their email addresses. The sheer number of us interested in getting the Silver Lake Flat drainage reopened has got their attention. Let's bombard them with emails and letters!

Dave

 

[snowrodeo]

sorry for the confusion above ^^^

apparently, there is a "length limit" on posts, so i had to break it up into 3 segments.

as stated above, lets all help bombard the ranger district with letters/emails in support of re-opening this area!!

 

[zebiraross]

I Didn't see the email address...

 

[Skidoox]

mdunlevy@fs.fed.us

 

[snengineer]

Will do, good work peeps!

 

[snowrodeo]

mdunlevy@fs.fed.us

or to the Ranger Station at:
390 N 100 E
Pleasant Grove, UT. 84062

thanks for all your help guys!

 

[WFO]

My email I sent this morning:

Melissa,

Thanks you for your help trying to remove the snowmobile closure of Silver Lake Flats. I have ridden snowmobiles since 1977 and many times my family, friends and I have enjoyed this area. I believe the “closure” of this area is wrong, and quite frankly should not have happened. I realize there are some “bad apples” that have ventured past Wilderness boundaries. I DO NOT condone those actions in any way. However, I believe every “group” has “bad apples” and we could fight and bicker with each other until the day we die. The closure of Silver Lake Flats has affected my family, friends, and me negatively. There is a road all the way to the top of Major Evans Gulch, which is gated once it enters private property. I can go there in the summer and ride my motorcycle or ATV to the south ridge of Major Evans but yet the Forest Service has closed this to snowmobiles because someone might go into the Wilderness area. Expanding the “boundary” to the Wilderness Areas is NOT the answer. The government cannot stop everybody that decides to break the law, just as the highway patrol cannot stop every speeder. I don’t agree with the addition of any NEW Wilderness areas, or any closures whether they be directed to snowmobiles, ATV’s, motorcycles, vehicles, snowshoes, skis, etc. There is not another way to access the higher terrain in Major Evans Gulch and I have personally tried many times. I feel this has put me in unnecessary harm, and also caused damage to my machine. Again, thanks for your time on this matter. Please feel free to contact me at any of the numbers below, or by email if I can be of any assistance.

The reply I received a few hours later:

Jared,

Thank you for your letter. This will help immensely when it comes time for our District, in January 2010, to present our desire to the Forest Leadership Team to re-evaluate the designation of semi-primitive non-motorized in the drainage above Silver Lake Flat reservoir. I will do my best to keep all of the snowmobilers that are interested in this issue, informed of the events, time-line and any further needs that may arise to futher this agenda.

Again, thank you,

Melissa Y. Dunlevy
Developed Recreation Manager
Pleasant Grove Ranger District
Uinta National Forest
801-342-5242
mdunlevy@fs.fed.us

 

[phatty]

I call BS on just sending in letters... While i will still do it, how cool would it be to have hundreds of sledheads lining up on the streets outside. Let them see the support with their own eyes, instead of them just clicking delete on all the emails we send them...

 

[1MEX]

I call BS on just sending in letters... While i will still do it, how cool would it be to have hundreds of sledheads lining up on the streets outside. Let them see the support with their own eyes, instead of them just clicking delete on all the emails we send them...

X2! makes more sence.