US FOREST SERVICE snowmobile on cover page

[donbrown]

https://www.fs.fed.us/themes/delivering-benefits

 

[christopher]

What an unexpected surprise!

 

[boondocker97]

Also on their Facebook page.

 

[AdrenalineAddict]

That's good to see, it gives me hope. At the moment though I see it as propaganda, they recently locked me out of the only convenient riding area close to Elko, NV. and installed a permanent impassable gate on the only access to the Ruby Mountains. They are telling me it's for my own safety and must protect me from myself until they get some burned up guardrail repaired. Based on past performance I wouldn't be a bit surprised if we are locked out for the entire winter. I see it as an opportunity to show that they can really serve the public, but as of now it appears to be another public land taking. I have spent every spare moment of my last 32 years on that mountain. At the public meeting there wasn't much positive that came from the meeting, one forest service wilderness ranger mentioned he had hopes snowmobilers would never be allowed access again.

 

[donbrown]

That's good to see, it gives me hope. At the moment though I see it as propaganda, they recently locked me out of the only convenient riding area close to Elko, NV. and installed a permanent impassable gate on the only access to the Ruby Mountains. They are telling me it's for my own safety and must protect me from myself until they get some burned up guardrail repaired. Based on past performance I wouldn't be a bit surprised if we are locked out for the entire winter. I see it as an opportunity to show that they can really serve the public, but as of now it appears to be another public land taking. I have spent every spare moment of my last 32 years on that mountain. At the public meeting there wasn't much positive that came from the meeting, one forest service wilderness ranger mentioned he had hopes snowmobilers would never be allowed access again.

Wow I'm sorry you have to be away from the riding area.

Upon ending motorized recreation you should demand:
You should tell the ranger to end the motorized recreation officer job immediately.

Wilderness officers should become seasonal part time and allow no road access. Have park staff replaced with volunteers.

Request the entire area to be patrolled by satellite and local law enforcement removing excessive forestry personnel.

Have any government buildings be auctioned off to pay down the deficit.

 

[Dogmeat]

That's good to see, it gives me hope. At the moment though I see it as propaganda, they recently locked me out of the only convenient riding area close to Elko, NV. and installed a permanent impassable gate on the only access to the Ruby Mountains. They are telling me it's for my own safety and must protect me from myself until they get some burned up guardrail repaired. Based on past performance I wouldn't be a bit surprised if we are locked out for the entire winter. I see it as an opportunity to show that they can really serve the public, but as of now it appears to be another public land taking. I have spent every spare moment of my last 32 years on that mountain. At the public meeting there wasn't much positive that came from the meeting, one forest service wilderness ranger mentioned he had hopes snowmobilers would never be allowed access again.

Fight like hell. Keep on them to open it back up. Thats all you can do, but the good news is .... in situations like that, fighting and pressing seems to work.

 

[donbrown]

Fight like hell. Keep on them to open it back up. Thats all you can do, but the good news is .... in situations like that, fighting and pressing seems to work.

Have a group of your buddies email and call the people in charge of repairs EVERY WEEK.

Call their supervisors every 2 weeks.


This happened to my riding area for County Sherriff patrols to the snowmobile staging area. Low on funds so they closed the gate, them fed s open , county closes etc.


We called the county and feds and asked if you are gonna do this eliminate the fed and county jobs and close the whole thing. Now we have all the funding so those jobs are secure.

 

[kidwoo]

That's good to see, it gives me hope. At the moment though I see it as propaganda, they recently locked me out of the only convenient riding area close to Elko, NV. and installed a permanent impassable gate on the only access to the Ruby Mountains. They are telling me it's for my own safety and must protect me from myself until they get some burned up guardrail repaired. Based on past performance I wouldn't be a bit surprised if we are locked out for the entire winter. I see it as an opportunity to show that they can really serve the public, but as of now it appears to be another public land taking. I have spent every spare moment of my last 32 years on that mountain. At the public meeting there wasn't much positive that came from the meeting, one forest service wilderness ranger mentioned he had hopes snowmobilers would never be allowed access again.

Now that we've had some weather, have any of those slopes on Lamoille Canyon road slid? I do think you should be able to choose your own fate but the instability of those hillsides after the fire is a real thing.

At minimum, they should provide parking at the campground or somewhere else.

If there's an FS employee that said that, you need to get his name and report him to Region 4.

 

[AdrenalineAddict]

There may be additional instability, that concern is very real, but you simply place a sign at the bottom of the canyon that states "Travel at your own risk" you don't go about planning an agenda that will damage a local economy in the name of "Something could potentialy happen" you simply deal with it as it comes. Wildhorse Canyon also burned, it has all the same features, climate conditions, and dangers of Lamoille Canyon. The NDOT shoved the burned up rail to the side of the road, bladed the rocks falling from the unstable slopes to the shoulder, and placed a sign at the entrances, "Hazardous Conditions". The road was open in 3 days, we are going on day 70 in Lamoille Canyon (still closed) with limited progress. I keep hearing that there is a chance it may open in early 2019, it should have been open on weekends a week or two after the fire, trim the widowmaker trees, push the rocks over the edge and place a little temporary K-rail. The area that burned is not snowmobile terrain, they could at the very least let us pass through the burn to access the area that did not burn.

 

[kidwoo]

There may be additional instability, that concern is very real, but you simply place a sign at the bottom of the canyon that states "Travel at your own risk"

Agreed. I haven't seen the scars in person but have ridden up there a bunch. That hillside might be sitting on top of your car when you get back from riding. It's mostly the parking that's in the affected zone yeah?

But yeah, your risk, not the FS.

 

[AdrenalineAddict]

There is no designated parking, you just park at the snowline wherever it may be depending on the time of year. If my rig is covered with 100 million tons of mud and rock when I return, so be it. I don't feel it's there call to try to determine if and when it will ever happen. You can't make a call based on some scientific hypothesis that is simply an educated guess at best. Only a portion of the road ever had guardrail, there are some areas that have needed it badly for the last 40 years. I just see it as another taking at this point, USFS agenda. The permanent gate is really disturbing, someone decides the avy danger is to great CLOSE THE GATE, road is to icy for public travel CLOSE THE GATE, low elevation rain storm CLOSE THE GATE. I feel there will be endless opportunity to CLOSE THE GATE. We've dealt with all kinds of adversity in the canyon for half a century and all typically ends well. Winter is here we need to open the road and let the public enjoy their god given winter playground, not let some over regulated agency decide what's best for the public. The only reason I see to close the road is when nature closes the road for us. We're looking at Californication at its best.

 

[stinger 66]

need more guys like these too
https://www.facebook.com/AdventureStreamingGuys/videos/2332385533658644/