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
