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
Categories: Access Tags: blueribbon coalition, crooked river national grassland, forest, land use, national forest, northwest, ochoco national forest, oregon, pacific northwest, press release
Clearwater Forest Releases Travel Planning Draft Environmental Impact Statement
BLUERIBBON COALITION LAND USE UPDATE
The Clearwater National Forest, located in northeastern Idaho, announced the release of their Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for managing motorized uses on the Forest’s roads and trails system. The Forest Service (FS) is asking for your input during a 45-day public review and comment period, which will end on August 31, 2009.
All travel management documents and maps can be downloaded from the Forest’s website at http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/clearwater/. Copies of the DEIS are also available at Clearwater National Forest offices and many local libraries, including those at Orofino, Deary, Elk River, Grangeville, Kamiah, Kooskia, Lewiston, Moscow, Pierce, Potlatch, and Weippe in Idaho, as well as Superior and Missoula, Montana.
The DEIS consists of four alternatives, a No Action Alternative along with three Action Alternatives. The alternatives purport to address the nearly 4500 public comments that were received from November 2007-February 2008 in response to the Clearwater National Forest’s travel planning proposed action.
BRC and Idaho’s Panhandle Trail Riding Association submitted substantial input. It will be interesting to read how our input has been incorporated into the Alternatives. Stay tuned for a full review and a BRC Action Alert.
If you enjoy the Clearwater, we encourage you to look over the maps and send comments to the Forest. Comments should be as specific as possible. It is also helpful if comments refer to specific pages or chapters of the DEIS.
Send Written Comments To:
Kamiah Ranger Station, Attn: Lois Foster, Travel Planning Team Leader, Rt. 2, Box 191, Kamiah, ID 83536.
Send Electronic Comments To: comments-northern-clearwater@fs.fed.us (Please put “Travel Planning” in the subject line of e-mail comments)
For more information, contact Lois Foster, Team Leader, at 208-935-4258.
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 recreation group that champions responsible recreation, and encourages individual environmental stewardship. It represents over 10,000 individual members and 1,200 organization and business members, for a combined total of over 600,000 recreationists nationwide. 1-800-258-3742. http://www.sharetrails.org
Categories: Access Tags: blueribbon coalition, brc, clearwater national forest, deary, deis, draft environmental impact statement, elk river, environmental, forest, forest service, grangeville, idaho, kamiah, kooskia, lewiston, missoula, montana, moscow, motorized, orofino, panhandle trail riding association, potlatch, recreation, roads, sharetrails, stewardship, superior, trails, weippe
Exploring the Washington Okanogan – 07.09.2009
Day Three – Thursday, July 9, 2009
After breakfast, my cousin Frank and I decided a little road trip was in order. So we loaded up the Land Cruiser with our two dogs headed out to do a little exploring in the Okanogan area. Using Tour 12 in the book Washington Byways as guide, we took off for Lone Frank Pass.
From the town of Conconully, Washington we drove up the North Fork Salmon Creek Road (FS-38) to Salmon Meadows and FS-3820. FS-3820 climbs steadily from the valley, through forest, aspen groves and open grassland and clear cuts. On this section of FS-3820, there are great views of dry steppe lands to the East.
Eventually, FS-3820 enters the Loomis State Forest and passes over Lone Frank Pass (elevation +6300 feet). Near Lone Frank Pass, you enter into a vast area that I believe burned in the Tiffany Springs Fire in 2006 (if anybody can confirm this, I will update this post). From Lone Frank Pass, it’s a short descent to FS-39 where we stopped and were eaten alive by mosquitos in a just a few minutes time.
Once we were on FS-39, we followed it North towards Long Swamp. Most of this section of FS-39 is within area burned in the Tiffany Springs fire. Along the way, we passed by a expansive views of the Washington Cascades, Thunder Mountain, and overlook of the Twentymile Meadows below. A little further up FS-39, the road goes right through the middle of Thirtymile Meadows where there is a shelter along the side of the road built and maintained by one of the local snowmobile groups.
After Thirtymile Meadows, FS-39 passes by Corral Butte and descends to Long Swamp. From Long Swamp (which looks like a mosquito haven), FS-39 becomes a paved road descends in an Easterly direction and turns into the Toats Coulee Road as it follows Toats Coulee down into the Sinlahekin Valley just South of Palmer Lake, near Loomis, Washington.
After quick stop for a snack at the store in Loomis, we headed South on the Sinlahekin Road – County Road 4015 (Tour 16 in the book Washington Byways) for the approximately 22 mile trip back to Conconully.
The Sinlahekin Valley is a deep, approximately 17 mile North-South glacial valley that extends from Loomis on the North to Fish Lake on the South. The Sinlahekin Road is a well maintained gravel road that passes through the Sinlahekin Wildlife Area passing farmlands and multiple lakes (including Stadium Lake, Conners lake, Forde Lake and Blue Lake). At Fish Lake, we continued South on Road 4015 as it climbed to Sugarloaf Lake and then to Conconully Lake and the town of Conconully.
After a day on the road, the spaghetti dinner we had sure tasted good. After dinner, it was a time for relaxation and a little fishing. Again, all I caught were small bass, but at least I was catching fish. Small fish on a light action pole is fun any day.
Note: This is the third installment of a five part series on our family trip to Conconully, Washington in July 2009.
Part 1: Exploring the Washington Okanogan – 07.07.2009
Part 2: Exploring the Washington Okanogan – 07.08.2009
Part 3: Exploring the Washington Okanogan – 07.09.2009
Part 4: Exploring the Washington Okanogan – 07.10.2009
Part 5: Exploring the Washington Okanogan – 07.11.2009
Categories: Adventures Tags: aspen, bass, blue lake, conconully, conners lake, corral butte, dry steppe, farmlands, fire, fish lake, forde lake, forest, grassland, lakes, land cruiser, landcruiser, lands, lone frank pass, long swamp, loomis, loomis state forest, meadows, mosquitos, okanogan, palmer lake, salmon meadows, shelter, sinlahekin, sinlahekin valley, sinlahekin wildlife area, snowmobile, stadium lake, sugarloaf lake, thirtymile meadows, thunder mountain, tiffany springs, toats coulee, twentymile meadows, washington, washington cascades, wildland fire
Exploring the Washington Okanogan – 07.08.2009
Day Two – Wednesday, July 8, 2009
After a relaxing and leisurely morning in Conconully, Washington, we followed my cousin Frank and his wife Diane on their quad up to the Buck Mountain Lookout.
From the Shady Pines Resort, the Buck Mountain Lookout (48° 26′11N 119° 49′15W) is approximately a 15 mile drive (give or take a few miles) on mostly well maintained gravel road. From the West Fork Salmon Creek Road (County Rd. 2017), the road becomes NF-42 (Okanogan National Forest).
Somewhere in the vicinity of 48° 26′33N 119° 50′17W ( give or take a mile or so – I did not record the location with my GPS) there is a road to the left that leads to a gravel pit (I can’t remember if it’s marked or not – it’s not on the forest service map or my GPS). This road winds through the forest, passes a seasonal pond, then begins to climb and eventually meets up with Buck Mountain Road (that leads to the 6135 foot elevation summit and lookout tower. The last section of the road requires a high clearance vehicle (preferably four wheel drive to prevent causing damage to the loose road surface).
From the summit of Buck Mountain, you have a 360 degree view of the the surrounding countryside. From the forested mountains to the drier lands to the East and South. The lookout tower at the summit (maintained by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources) is a 20 foot tall wooded structure that is used for emergency use only. From the information I could find, the existing tower was built in 1961 and is listed on National Register of Historic places. Unfortunately (but probably a good thing), access to tower is restricted to DNR personnel.
Note: You can also drive to the Buck Mountain Lookout from SR-20. Its about 15 miles West of Okanogan, Washington just before Loup Loup Summit. The Buck Mountain Lookout trip is listed as Tour 30 in the book Washington Byways: Backcountry Drives For The Whole Family available HERE.
On the way back to Conconully, my wife experienced here first ride on a quad (as a passenger). from the smile on her face, I think she had a great time.
The rest of the day was spent relaxing. We did a little fishing where my daughter caught here first trout – one of the few caught from shore. Since the trout fishing was slow, I played around with an old Mepps spinner I had and caught quite a few small bass.
Note: This is the second installment of a five part series on our family trip to Conconully, Washington in July 2009.
Part 1: Exploring the Washington Okanogan – 07.07.2009
Part 2: Exploring the Washington Okanogan – 07.08.2009
Part 3: Exploring the Washington Okanogan – 07.09.2009
Part 4: Exploring the Washington Okanogan – 07.10.2009
Part 5: Exploring the Washington Okanogan – 07.11.2009
Categories: Adventures Tags: 4wd, 4x4, backcountry, bass, buck mountain, buck mountain lookout, conconully, dnr, fishing, forest, forest service, four wheel drive, gps, lookout, lookout tower, loup loup summit, map, mepps spinner, mountains, national forest, national register of historic places, okanogan, okanogan lookout, okanogan national forest, quad, seasonal pond, shady pines resort, summit, trout, washington, washington lookout
Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest Travel Management Plan
The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (OWNF) is proposing changes to motor vehicle use on specific roads, trails and areas within the non-wilderness portion of the Forest.
Details of the proposed action, maps as well as a calendar of public meeting dates are available at http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/okawen/travel-management/
Comments will be acceptrd until May 7, 2009. See the above site for details.
Categories: Access Tags: Access, forest, forest service, land use, national forest, ohv, okanogan, recreation, travel management plan, usfs, washington, washington state, wenatchee
Colville National Forest Wants Input on Motorized Routes
Colville National Forest
Public Affairs Office
765 South Main Street
Colville, WA 99114
Contact:
Franklin Pemberton (509) 684-7177
Elsha Kirby (509) 684-7174
For Immediate Release: March 11, 2009
The Forest Service will be holding the first in a series of public meetings to develop a motorized recreation management plan for the “South End” portion of the Colville National Forest. The “South End” area includes the Chewelah, Calispell, and Tacoma Creek drainages, roughly between Chewelah and Cusick, Washington. The first brief meeting will be setting the stage for continued collaboration. Forest Service staff will provide information about the project and how the rest of the meetings will be conducted, and will be held at the Chewelah Peak Learning Center, located at 3215 Flowery Trail Road, near the 49 Degrees North Mountain Resort ski area. The meeting will be from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 19, 2009.
Categories: Access Tags: calispell, chewelah, colville, colville national forest, cusick, forest, forest service, land use, motor vehicle, national forest, off-highway, recreation, tacoma creek, travel management rule, vehicle, washington, washington state
Deschutes National Forest Proposes Three Trails OHV Project
February 25, 2009 – The Deschutes National Forest in Oregon has published a notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Three Trails OHV Project located on the Crescent Ranger District as part of the Travel Management Plan for the Forest.
Read more at the ARRA web site at Deschutes National Forest Proposes Three Trails OHV Project
Categories: Access Tags: Access, deschutes, deschutes national forest, forest, land use, national forest, ohv, orv, travel management plan













