Posts Tagged ‘us forest service’

Where in the Heck is New Princeton, Oregon?

BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT OR-09-19
Contact: Michael Campbell (503) 808-6031

Portland, OR. – Folding a map may not be the easiest thing for some people, but finding the right map of Federal public lands in the Northwest – and finding New Princeton – has just become a whole lot easier for everyone! Hint: It’s in southeast Oregon.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has recently produced wall-size maps showcasing the vast array of both Oregon and Washington public lands. The Oregon and Washington maps are a significant update to versions that were created in 1994.

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Stevens Pass Proposes Mountain Bike Park (Washington)

US Forest Service – Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
Contact: Renee Bodine
Office: 425-783-6015

Stevens Pass may build a new mountain bike park and replace an old water treatment system next year, and the public is being asked to comment on it. The Forest Service will make a decision about the proposed plan based on what the public says about the environmental assessment. “We want people to participate in this process,” said Sean Wetterberg, team lead for the plan. The public has 30 days from when the plan was published, Dec. 17, 2009, to comment.

The plan proposes a mountain bike park that includes seven miles of downhill-mountain biking trails just south of the Granite Peaks ski lodge. The pass will build trails between five and eight feet wide with natural berms and jumps, two miles of single-track trails and develop three areas to teach technical skills and safe riding techniques.

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Forest Service Opens Middle Fork Snoqualmie River Road (Washington)

US Forest Service – Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

Everett, WA – The Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest has opened the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River Road, road 56, to vehicular traffic. Last winter’s floods closed the road, blocking access to the Middle Fork and Snoqualmie Lake Trailheads. The Upper Middle Fork Road remains closed until next summer for repairs just beyond the Middle Fork Campground and Taylor River Bridge, from mile post 12.5 to its end at Dingford Creek Trailhead.

http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/mbs/news/2009/nr-mksnoq-river-road-open-20091209.shtml

Hard Creek Bridge Repaired

Everett, Wash. Nov. 5, 2009 – The Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest opened Hard Creek Bridge the end of October after two years of restricted availability. The bridge is on Cascade River Road, accessing the Mineral Park Campground on the forest and the Cascade Pass area of the North Cascades National Park. “In December of 2007, an avalanche came crashing down, damaging the bridge railing, decking and footings,” said Jim Mitchell, roads manager with US Forest Service. The bridge has since been under weight limit restrictions.

The Forest Service awarded the bridge design and repair to Federal Highways Administration. Contractors began work in September and completed the project for $240,000. For more information about roads and trail closures, go to alerts and conditions on http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/mbs/.

NOHVCC Helps Riders Protect Trails with Web-Based Workshops and Videos

Catch All Four Sessions in November and December

With help from Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A., the National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council (NOHVCC) has been conducting interactive web based workshops, or webinars, for OHV riders and anyone interested in OHV land use since mid-June. The workshops are designed to give riders the skills they’ll need to keep trails open in their areas. The sessions are 2 -3 hours long and are conducted by the same OHV management experts who conduct the on-site NOHVCC workshops. The four modules have been presented three times each for the past four months. Beginning November 9th and continuing through December, each module will be presented twice so the people who may have missed a session or would like to participate in any or all of the session will have another opportunity.

There are four separate modules that are being presented at various times to accommodate people’s busy schedules:

• Module 1 Route Designation: How Did We Get Here? – This module will help people understand the process required for land planning, it focuses on the US Forest Service Process, but the basics can be applied to any government agency. The course also discusses the US Forest Service Travel Management Rule, its implementation so far, and how to apply it going forward; as well as the US Forest Service structure.
• Module 2 Trail System Planning Part 1 – This module will help riders’ and land managers understand how to plan, design, manage, and maintain trail systems that meet the riders’ needs by providing high quality and adequate quantities of trails. The module will start with an introduction to OHV recreationists as it is hard to plan a trail to fit their needs if you don’t know what their needs are. It will then talk about the basic principles of OHV trail system planning before going into details on what is required to plan a sustainable trail system.
• Module 3 Trail System Planning Part 2 – This module starts with an overview of what was learned in module 2. It then goes into detail regarding trail maintenance, monitoring, and signing requirements. The details will instruct the land manager in various techniques to meet their needs and give the recreationists information regarding how they can assist the land managers with these trail requirements.
• Module 4 Making It Work: Where Do We Go From Here? – This module will help riders understand how to be effective in their efforts to influence the decisions that will determine where they can ride. It will give concrete examples of how to work effectively with land managers and make comments during the agency process. This module will also spend time looking at 4 areas where the design, planning, and implementation of the principles conveyed in earlier modules have worked to create successful trail systems. This module closes with ideas for both the enthusiasts and the land managers to move forward to creating the sustainable OHV trail systems.

In addition to the interactive webinars, NOHVCC will be offering 14 video workshop sessions as podcasts in late November. The videos cover the same topics as the webinars without the interactive elements. Riders or groups who can’t participate in the webinars or workshops now have access to the knowledge they need to protect their riding opportunities. The videos can be watched as streaming videos at www.nohvcc.org or contact NOHVCC and we will be able to mail you a DVD with all sessions on one disc free of charge in December courtesy of Yamaha OHV Access Initiative.

Russ Ehnes, Executive Director of the NOHVCC said “In these tight economic times we need to take advantage of technology to help riders get the information they need. Last year we began developing the webinar and video programs with financial support from the Motorcycle Industry Council and Specialty Vehicle Institute of America. This year, we are delivering the webinars and videos with funding from the Yamaha OHV Access Initiative. This program is helping us reach thousands of OHV activists who otherwise wouldn’t have a chance to take part in a NOHVCC workshop.”

The workshop modules were developed in cooperation with the American Motorcyclist Association, BlueRibbon Coalition, Motorcycle industry Council, Off-Road Business Association, Specialty Vehicle Institute of America, and United Four Wheel Drive Associations

For more information about signing up for the webinar sessions, viewing the video sessions, or to order a DVD, check out www.nohvcc.org or call 800-348-6487.

Creating a Positive Future of Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation
427 Central Ave W, Great Falls, MT 59404
Phone: 800-348-6487 Fax: 406-454-9142 e-mail: trailhead@nohvcc.org