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OHV Designated Routes Working Group Meeting and Field Visit – Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area

Contacts:
Joni Quarnstrom 541-750-7075
Sharon Stewart 541-271-6071

January 14, 2010

Reedsport, OR – A field tour and meeting for the Off Highway Vehicle (OHV) Designated Routes Working Group for the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area (Oregon Dunes) will be held on Friday, January 22 and Saturday, January 23.

The January 22 field tour will focus on the “North Riding Area” of the NRA, located south of Florence. The field tour will begin at 12:30 p.m. at the South Jetty Staging Area, located on South Jetty Road, approximately one mile south of Florence on Highway 101, and conclude at 4:30 p.m. at the same location.

The following day, January 23, the Working Group will meet from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Group Meeting Hall at Honeyman State Park, located on Canary Road, approximately three miles south of Florence on Highway 101.

The meeting agenda will be focused on a review of evaluation criteria developed by the Group at their November meeting, a review of alternative designated route proposals for the middle riding area developed at the November meeting, and identification of potential designated route recommendations for the north riding area.

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Recreation Coalition Files Brief in Ongoing Roadless Lawsuit

Contacts
Brian Hawthorne, BRC Public Lands Policy Director
Phone: 208-237-1008 (x102) | Fax: 208-237-9424
Email: brbrian@sharetrails.org | Webpage: http://www.sharetrails.org/staff/#BrianH

Pocatello, ID (January 5) – A coalition of recreation advocacy groups filed an Amicus Curiae brief in the 10th District Court of Appeals related to the 2001 Roadless Rule this week, marking over a decade of involvement in the controversial issue. The recreation groups include the BlueRibbon Coalition (BRC), California Association of 4 Wheel Drive Clubs (“CA4WDC”), United Four Wheel Drive Associations (UFWDA) and the American Council of Snowmobile Associations (ACSA).

Environmental activists are appealing a 2008 decision by U.S. District Court of Wyoming Judge Clarence Brimmer declaring the Clinton era Roadless Rule illegal. That ruling came in a case brought by the State of Wyoming in 2007, which paralleled an earlier complaint filed by Wyoming in 2001. Brimmer’s 2008 decision minced few words, concluding the 2001 Rule “was driven by political haste and evidenced pro forma compliance with” environmental laws, using descriptors such as “flagrant” and “cavalier” in characterizing the “unequivocal” violations.

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DNR Invites The Public To Help Plan Trails And Restoration Projects In Reiter Foothills Forest (Washington)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 23, 2009

OLYMPIA, WA – The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will host a workshop in January to collect public input on restoration work and trail opportunities in Reiter Foothills Forest. The popular area is located in eastern Snohomish County near Gold Bar and Index.

When: 6 to 8 p.m., January 13
Where: The Commons, Monroe High School, 17001 Tester Rd., Monroe

The public workshop is in conjunction with the overall recreation planning process that DNR has been conducting over the past two years. As DNR prepares to implement the plan, the agency will be collecting information about site-specific restoration and trail projects. Public involvement will be critical to the success of the plan.

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Chelan Snowmobiling Trails Open (Washington)

USDA Forest Service – Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Contact: Joe Kastenholz, Chelan Ranger District Resource Assistant, 509-682-4900
Susan C Peterson, Okanogan-Wenatchee NF Central Zone Public Affairs, 509-548-2558
Website: www.fs.fed.us/r6/wenatchee
Twitter updates: http://twitter.com/okawennf

Chelan, WA- The Chelan Ranger District announced that all snowmobile trails in the Chelan area are officially open Friday, December 18th, 2009, which is good news for snowmobilers and other winter recreation enthusiasts.

Roads now closed to four-wheel vehicles and open to snowmobiles are:

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Video Explains How to License and Register Motorbikes, ATVs in Idaho

Do you need a registration sticker and a license plate for your motorbike and ATV to ride legally in Idaho? Or do you just need a sticker? Or just a plate? What’s the deal?

There has been some confusion about those questions, so the Idaho Off-Highway Vehicle Public Outreach Campaign produced a step-by-step video that explains the process for registering and licensing OHVs in Idaho.

Read more at New Video Explains How to License and Register Motorbikes, ATVs in Idaho

DNR Reopens More Trails on the Olympic Peninsula (Washington)

Portions of the popular Sadie Creek ORV trail system on state trust land in Clallam County are open again. DNR closed trails in area because of damage caused in last month’s wind storm. We’ve cleared the fallen trees and limbs blocking trail access but don’t forget that another portion of Sadie Creek that we closed before the storm due to timber sale activity remains off-limits….

Read more at DNR Reopens More Trails on the Olympic Peninsula

Lolo Pass Visitor Center Opens for Winter Season (Idaho)

United States – Department of Agriculture – Forest Service
Clearwater National Forest
Contact: Molly Puchlerz
(208) 942-3113

Powell, ID- The Lolo Pass Visitor Center, located on the Idaho-Montana state line along U.S. Highway 12, is open for the winter season. Winter hours of operation are Thursday through Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Pacific Standard Time.

Snowmobile trail grooming will begin on Tuesday, December 15, and cross-country ski trail grooming will begin on Saturday, December 19. There is approximately two feet of snow at the pass. Dogs are not allowed on the groomed trails. For updates on current snow conditions at Lolo Pass and trail grooming, call the visitor information line at (208) 942-1234 or visit http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/snotel/ and http://www.snowtana.com/.
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