Colville Alert

[Tod]

The Northwest Ecosystem Alliance would like to get ORV use banned in the Colville NF!
Forest Supervisor Rick Brazell and the other folks at the Colville NF need to hear from you too.

BBBOM, do you know who the right people to contact and where to contact them?

++++++++++++++++++


#124 WILD NORTHWEST, May 17, 2005
A Message from Northwest Ecosystem Alliance
=====Keeping the Northwest Wild=====

Speak out for Wildlife and Quiet Recreation
New Off Highway Vehicle Route System underway on the Colville National Forest
In the next few weeks the Forest Service will decide where to allow off-road vehicle access on northeastern Washington's Colville National Forest (CNF), home to endangered wildlife including lynx and grizzly bear. The decision sets a precedent for other national forests as they implement a highly anticipated new rule for managing off-road vehicles in federal forests. Citizens throughout the Northwest are watching how the CNF implements this off-highway vehicle management plan with national significance for wildlife, non-motorized recreation, wild areas, clean water, and public safety.

We have a unique opportunity to make a difference as this off-road vehicle plan reaches its final phase. In the next few days, please comment using our action center, http://www.ecosystem.org/action/index.html?MessageTemplateID=3. Hand-delivered by Northwest Ecosystem Alliance staff, your site-specific comments will help Forest Supervisor Rick Brazell choose which roads to open and which to leave closed. Motorized vehicles and roads have a profound impact on wildlife, damaging habitat and disturbing natural cycles. Encourage the Forest Service to designate an off-road vehicle route system that is manageable and enforceable, that protects non-motorized recreation values, and that conserves forests and streams as habitat for bull trout, pine marten, and mountain caribou.

For more on this process, visit www.ecosystem.org/CNF_OHVbackground.html.

And thank you for sending your personalized comments to help keep the Colville National Forest wild!


Erin Moore
Communications Coordinator
Northwest Ecosystem Alliance
1208 Bay St., Ste. 201
Bellingham, WA 98225
360.671.9950 ext. 24

Keep the Northwest wild! For further information, please visit www.ecosystem.org.
Our strength lies in our membership. You can join Northwest Ecosystem Alliance for just $15 per year. Please go to https://commerce.realimpact.net/nwea/getinvolved_member.html.

 

[bbbom]

Yep,

Debbie Wilkins
USDA Forest Service
Colville National Forest
Newport Ranger District
317 North Warren
Newport, WA 99156
509-447-7300
dwilkins@fs.fed.us

We were at the Spokane meeting on the plan last night. The CNF is proposing opening up over 500 miles of Level II roads to ATV use. Another 50 miles or so of Level III roads that are proposed to be reclassified as Level II in order to reduce Level III maintenance may be included in the plan.

They are also looking at opening some Level I roads up to ATV use, in order to make loops. There was a strong showing of motorized folks last night along with the usual non-motorized crowd. Tom Crimmins was there and was passing out cards for the ATV'ers that were interested in getting themselves organized. As Debbie put it, the ATVer's are like herding cats. Hopefully they will get it together.

The meeting was pretty quiet, the facilitator explained how the earlier process had worked and what we were supposed to do then we went to work. They had maps of all the various areas all around the room with the proposed ATV routes drawn in. We were to write our comments on whichever areas we were concerned with. The only area we were personally concerned with was the Batey/LPO areas so we commented on the plan for those maps. We also commented in general that the disparity in miles was unacceptable and that we felt that the overall plan for opening the roads to ATV use was great but that they should also make provisions for expanding the motorized TRAIL opportunities where appropriate.

The CNF is asking for help from the ATVers to help document the "unclassified trails" (user created non system, non mapped trails) in order to add them to the inventory (so they say).

Debbie Wilkins who is putting this whole thing together is pretty good to work with and realizes that if they don't address the lack of legal ATV routes now, they won't stand a chance in controlling them. She was successful in obtaining the IAC Grant for the ATV routes so she has that to work with. District 6 of the NF has been very supportive of Debbie's project and is funding her meetings. The NWEA is correct though, everyone is watching what the Colville is doing. She also lives in the Newport area and knows the communities and many of the motorized people personally.

She gave us some info on the trail miles available on the Colville:

Motorcycle trails = 130 miles
Jeep trails = 21 miles
ATV trails = 10 miles
Snowmobile trails = 475 miles
Non Motorized trails = 306 miles

Everyone figured out that the inventory is out of whack and something has to be done or there will be more bigger problems.

Several of the local communities around the CNF are very interested in what the additional ATV tourism will do for them. Debbie also commented that in talking with the Idaho Panhandle NF and ATVers, it is obvious that most ATVers go to the IPNF because they have trails there.

Just as a side note, Debbie and her son are beginning dirtbikers. They joined us for a ride last year and will be joining us again this year hopefully. We offered to help her get their bikes ready for the season, she told us that her son's XR100 has a chain issue and her bike (TW200 or something like that dual sport) had an oil leak when she pulled them out of storage so she's bringing them to the next campout & we'll be bringing parts & tools. She likes to do many activities in the forest and joins a lot of different outings so her experience is pretty well rounded. Her son is the one mainly interested in bikes but she uses her bike to commute to work too, so we try to help them out.

I have to say, I trust that she is working for a fair solution on the Colville. We will remain closely involved though because even though she has good intentions and we have finally educated her and her staff on the differences between roads, dual track & singletrack, they still tend to slip once in awhile. We have walked many miles of trails with her trail guy in order to keep him from making mistakes (he's a hiker but is learning what dirtbikers want). We will be walking his latest project in the next couple weeks before he gets his crews going again - he's determined to make Batey Bould's trail 306 easier but we've saved most of it by reasoning with him.

Any letters of support for opening the roads up to OHV use will be very helpful!

Wonder when they'll file the first lawsuit though?