>
>ATVAM Mailing List
>
>FYI. If you have ever ridden in Utah, you already know this is a worth
>while cause.
>
>Dave Kryzer
>ATVAM 1st Vice President
>-------------------------------------
>-----Original Message-----
>From: brlist@sharetrails.org [mailto:brlist@sharetrails.org]
>Sent: Friday, March 23, 2001 6:22 PM
>To: atvam@aol.com
>Subject: OHV EVENT THREATENED!
>
>*** BLUERIBBON ALERT *** BLUERIBBON ALERT *** BLUERIBBON ALERT ***
>
>Dear Subscribers:
>
>In the last few weeks before the Rocky Mountain ATV Jamboree last year,
>extremist groups led by Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA), through
>threats of last minute legal action, reached an agreement with the Forest
>Service to have an Environmental Assessment for the coming year.
>
>The Forest Service has completed their Environmental Assessment regarding
>group use of OHV trails in south central Utah. That EA is now out for
>public comment. The permits for two major ATV events for this year and
>future years are at stake.
>
>The document is available at
>www.fs.fed.us/r4/fishlake/gis/gis_index.htm
>
>This document describes and analyzes two alternatives for organized OHV
>events proposed to be held on three national forests and two BLM districts
>in south central Utah. One alternative, of course, is "no events." The
>other is to permit such events and allow controlled use of public lands. In
>summary, the study indicates that neither alternative "would create
>significant impacts to the natural environment." Some sample comments are
>included below for your reference. You are welcome to make very similar
>comments or voice your other concerns.
>
>As we know from past experience, the opposition will undoubtedly mount a
>letter writing campaign from their constituents. It is critically important
>to OHV activities on public lands that you respond to express your views.
>If you don't, we could eventually loose another battle for equal access to
>public lands. Letters must be received by April 14, 2001, so don't wait.
>Please forward this message to everyone you know who has an interest in
>public lands issues.
>
>Letters work better than E-mail, but please do one or the other. Try to
>address a couple issues rather than just general support of Public Land
>use. In this case however along with addressing some of the issues you
>should
>also reference the "action" option over the "no-action" option (see page 10
>of ES).
>
>Address your letters or E-mail comments to:
>
>Max Reid, EA Team Leader
>Fishlake National Forest
>115 East 900 North
>Richfield, Utah 84701
>mreid@fs.fed.us
>
>Thanks to all who support us in our continued efforts to provide such an
>excellent ATV experience. Please, let's overwhelm Max with the number of
>comments and show the team how serious we are.
>
>
>******
>
>NOTES
>
>1. The study considered wear on existing roads and trails and adequately
>addressed that subject. I am satisfied that nature itself, through wind,
>rain, runoff and erosion, does more damage to existing roads and trails
>than normal OHV use. I appreciated an honest and realistic evaluation of
>the potential "wear" as a result of OHV activities.
>
>2. On page 4, under the main heading "Proposed Action," the last paragraph
>under that heading indicates OHV use on the Fishlake National Forest in the
>year 2000 included 56,421 riders. It also indicates that during the
>Jamboree last year, the same counters indicated 3,789 riders on those trail
>segments. This number may be a little misleading to outsiders who may not
>realize what the count actually represents. The number actually represents
>"hits" on the counters. If one rider goes through two or three counters on
>the same day, that is represented as 3 separate "riders." For fear that
>some will worry that the Jamboree actually involves 3,789 separate riders,
>maybe we should be more specific in indicating the actual nature of that
>count. Of course the same may be true for the seasonal count, but the
>extent of the discrepancy will be significantly greater during the
>"concentrated" Jamboree.
>
>3. On page 13, under the main heading "Water and Fisheries," the study
>indicates that "OHV use could generate offsite erosion from wind born dust,
>would expose in-channel and bank sediments, and may result in small amounts
>of organic contaminants being delivered to perennial streams." Those of us
>who have ridden these roads and trails so often know that natural wind,
>rain, snow and erosion normally do much more damage to mountain roads than
>could be anticipate from normal ATV event use. In addition, if water
>quality and fisheries can survive the usual spring runoff from snow melt in
>the high country, OHV use should be relatively unnoticeable. I also wonder
>about the use of "organic contaminants" in this paragraph. While I
>realize the soil specialist was obviously referring to 'soil' as the
>contaminant, in my business the term 'organic contaminants' may also refer
>to pesticides, herbicides and petroleum contaminants that might find their
>way into surface waters from any number of sources; which would be
>considerably more serious than natural soil in the water.
>
>4. I complement the agency representatives who have put significant effort
>into considering every possible likelihood of environmental harm that could
>result from the proposed use. I appreciate their willingness to indicate
>no significant results from the proposed use. It would appear that every
>possible aspect has been adequately evaluated and assessed, and every
>effected land management agency represented.
>
>*** END ALERT *** END ALERT *** END ALERT *** END ALERT ***
>
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