Posts Tagged ‘crooked river national grassland’

Proposal for Motorized Trail System on the Ochoco National Forest (Oregon)

For Immediate Release:
November 18, 2009
Contact: Virginia Gibbons 541/416-6647
Bill Queen 541/416-6500

Prineville, OR – A proposal for a designated motorized trail system on the Ochoco National Forest is currently available for public review. The “Ochoco Summit OHV Trail” would be located east of Highway 26 on Forest Service-administered lands in the general vicinity of Big Summit Prairie on the Lookout Mountain and Paulina Ranger Districts. The project includes 124 miles of motorized trails that would be used, in a varying capacity, for ATV, motorcycle, jeep, small truck and buggy recreational riding. The trail system includes a number of staging areas, trailheads, camping opportunities, riding areas and interconnected trail loops.

Prior to this proposal, the McKay Creek area was considered for a designated motorized trail system. Ochoco National Forest Supervisor Jeff Walter felt it made good sense to conduct an analysis for a designated motorized trail system in McKay watershed that could be managed and enforced. The McKay watershed has sustained significant resource damage from illegal OHV use for a number of years and more recently, the reintroduction of steelhead into the McKay Creek system has created additional concerns. However, upon review by local citizen groups and cooperating agencies affiliated with the Deschutes Provincial Advisory Committee and the Crook County Natural Resource Planning Committee, the proposal for a motorized trail system in McKay was not well supported.

The Forest recognizes that not all of the issues have been resolved with the Ochoco Summit OHV Trail Proposed Action and that many people have yet to provide input. It is important to note that the proposal is just the starting point in this planning process. Issues that are unresolved, or that emerge as a result of public input will be addressed through a modification of the “Proposed Action” and/or through the development of alternatives that will be analyzed and compared in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS).

We anticipate the public comment period for this Proposed Action will begin on November 20, 2009 and end on December 21, 2009, pending publication in the Federal Register. The Proposed Action, maps, and additional information is posted on the forest website at www.fs.fed.us/r6/centraloregon/travel-mgmt/och_summit/index.shtml

Comment forms and a comment inbox are also available on the website. Those who wish to view printed paper maps or receive an electronic copy of maps on CD may go to thefollowing locations:

Ochoco National Forest Supervisor’s Office
3160 NE 3rd Street, Prineville, OR 97754
Rager Ranger Station (Paulina Ranger District)
171500 Beaver Creek Road
Paulina, OR 97751

Crooked River National Grassland
813 SW Hwy 97
Madras, OR 97741

A CD may also be requested by contacting the Ochoco National Forest at (541) 416-6500. Hard copy comments may be mailed or delivered to:

Ochoco Summit OHV Trail Planning Team
Ochoco National Forest
3160 NE 3rd Street
Prineville, OR 97754

The Ochoco Summit OHV Trail DEIS is tentatively scheduled to be available for public review and comment in the spring of 2010. Public meetings and a 45-day public comment period will be scheduled and announced at that time. A Final Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision is tentatively scheduled for completion in the summer of 2010.

The Ochoco Summit OHV Trail Proposed Action is not to be confused with the “Travel Management DEIS” for the Ochoco & Deschutes National Forests. The Ochoco Summit OHV Trail is a separate analysis from the Travel Management DEIS, and it is consistent with the direction stated in the “Forest Service 2005 Travel Management Rule”.

For more information on the Travel Management DEIS, which is currently available for review and public comment, please visit our website at www.fs.fed.us/r6/centraloregon/travel-mgmt

For specific project information regarding the Ochoco Summit OHV Trail Proposed Action, contact Dede Steele, Project Lead, at (541) 416-6500. For general concerns and questions regarding the Ochoco Summit OHV Trail proposal, contact Bill Queen, Lookout Mountain District Ranger (541) 416-6500; Slater Turner, Acting Paulina District Ranger (541) 416-6900; or Virginia Gibbons, Public Affairs Officer, (541) 416-6647.

http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/centraloregon/news/2009/11/20091118-ochsum-propmotor_trail_ochoco_nf.pdf

Travel Management DEIS Released for Central Oregon Forest

BLUERIBBON COALITION LANDUSE UPDATE!

The Deschutes and Ochoco National Forests and the Crooked River National Grassland, located in central and northeastern Oregon, have released their Travel Management Project Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for public review. The Forest Service (FS) will be accepting comments on the DEIS during a 45-day comment period.

Copies of the DElS are available upon request at FS offices, or may be viewed in PDF format on the Forest’s website at http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/centraloregon/travel-mgmt/index.shtml.

To give the public a better understanding of the project and its alternatives, the Forest Service will hold several public meetings. These meetings will be “open house” settings where guests are encouraged to ask questions and give feedback on the project. Listed below are the dates for this round of open houses.

Public Open House Locations (All events are scheduled from 3:00 – 7:00pm)

Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Jefferson County District # 1 Fire Hall
765 South Adams Drive
Madras, OR 97741

Thursday, October 22, 2009
Crescent Ranger District Office
136471 Hwy 97 N
Crescent, OR 97733

Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Ochoco Headquarters Office
3160 N.B. 3rd Street
Prineville, OR 97754

Thursday, October 29, 2009
Deschutes Headquarters Office
1001 SW Emkay Drive
Bend, OR 97702

Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Sisters Ranger District Office
Pine St. & Hwy. 20
Sisters, OR 97759

Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Paulina Community Hall
Paulina, OR 97751

Written, facsimile, hand-delivered, oral, and electronic comments concerning this action will be accepted until November 23, 2009.

Send written comments to:
Deschutes and Ochoco National Travel Management Project
172 E 500 S
Bountiful UT 84010

Hand-delivered or oral comments may be submitted to:

John P. Allen, Forest Supervisor
Deschutes National Forest
1001 SW Emkay Drive
Bend, OR 97702

or

Jeff P.Walter, Forest Supervisor
Ochoco National Forest
3160 NE Third St.
Prineville, OR 97754

via telephone (541-383-5300) or in person during regular office business hours from 7:45 A.M. to 4:30 P.M, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.

Email comments to:
donf@contentaJJ.alysisgroup.com

Electronic comments must be submitted in a format such as an email message, plain text (.txt), rich text format (.rtf), or Word (.doc). If no identifiable name is attached to a comment, a verification of identity will be required for appeal eligibility. In cases using an electronic message, a scanned signature is one way to provide verification. Emails submitted to email addresses other than the one listed above, in other formats than those listed, or containing viruses will be rejected.

Fax Comments To
801-397-1605

COMMENT DEADLINE IS NOVEMBER 23, 2009

For additional information concerning the specific activities authorized with the decision, you may contact Mollie Chaudet or Peggy Fisher at (541) 383- 5300.

JUST REMEMBER, PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT IS CRUCIAL TO KEEP RECREATION AREAS OPEN; PLEASE GET INVOLVED!

Thanks in advance for your support,
Ric Foster
Public Lands Department Manager
BlueRibbon Coalition
208-237-1008 ext 107

The BlueRibbon Coalition is a national (non-profit) trail-saving group that represents over 600,000 recreationists nationwide The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) season is beginning. Federal employees, please mark BlueRibbon Coalition and Check #11402 on your CFC pledge form to support our efforts to protect your access. Join us at 1-800-258-3742 http://www.sharetrails.org