Contacts

href="mailto:pat@msbtlaw.com">pat@msbtlaw.com

Russ Ehnes, VP-Montana Trail Vehicle Riders Association
- Phone: 406-899-0898
- Webpage: href="http://www.mtvra.com/">http://www.mtvra.com/

Date: 03/11/2010


GREAT FALLS, MT (March 11)--A coalition of recreational groups has prevailed on the merits of their lawsuit challenging the Travel Management Plan for a portion of the Lewis and Clark National Forest in north central Montana.

The order was issued on March 10th from the Great Falls Division of the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana. The Court ruled in favor of the recreational group plaintiffs, finding that the Travel Plan violated the procedural requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) as well as the Montana Wilderness Study Act (MWSA).

On the NEPA claim, the Court found that the Travel Plan "reduced total motorized routes by nearly thirty percent from the most restrictive [alternative]" present for public comment, and summarized, "the public was not allowed to comment on major portions of the [final decision] because the original [analysis] was not supplemented. Transparency required by law was missing." Other changes between the draft and final decision noted by the Court included restrictions on the off-trail travel allowed for camping and a change in the deadline for winter motorized recreation.

On the MWSA claim, the Court found that the final decision "eliminated roughly two-thirds of previously available motorized routes from the Middle Fork [Judith] WSA." The Court agreed with prior analysis by the Court's Missoula Division that the MWSA requires the Forest Service to maintain the "wilderness character" existing in 1977 when the statute was passed. The Court thus ruled "[t]he Forest's attempt at enhancement or creation of wilderness character in the Middle Fork WSA by adoption of the 2007 Travel Plan exceeded its authority under MWSA."

The remedy for the violations will be determined through additional proceedings. The order directs the parties to submit further materials on or before March 19th, and sets a hearing on the remedy issue for March 29, 2010.

The suit was filed by the Russell Country Sportsmen, Montana Trail Vehicle Riders Association, Great Falls Trail Bike Riders Association, Great Falls Snowmobile Club, Meagher County Little Belters, Treasure State Alliance, Motorcycle Industry Council, Specialty Vehicle Institute of America, and BlueRibbon Coalition. Representing the plaintiffs are Paul Turcke of Boise, Idaho, Bill Horn of Washington, D.C., and Rob Cameron of Helena, Montana.

A copy of the Court's decision may be viewed at:
http://www.sharetrails.org/uploads/LCNF_...-10-10.pdf

# # #

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

Posted at http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BlueRibbo...jtDg/media

Date: 03/11/2010

BLUERIBBON COALITION PARTNER ACTION ALERT!

Dear BRC Action Alert Subscriber,

Mark Werkmeister, President of the New Mexico Off Highway Vehicle Alliance (NMOHVA), just sent us a their latest Access Alert on the Bureau of Land Management, Farmington Field Office, Proposed Action for the Management of the Glade Run Recreation Area just outside of Farmington, New Mexico.

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

PS. Forgot to mention, NMOHVA's website is an excellent source for anything recreation related in New Mexico. BOOKMARK THIS SITE!! http://www.nmohva.org/

________________________________________________________________________________​_

Access Alert
________________________________________________________________________________​_

OHV Use Threatened
by Farmington BLM Proposal

Last week we let you know about the Mountainair Ranger District Travel Management.  This week, the alert takes us to the Four Corners area.  The Farmington BLM Field Office has released a Proposed Action for the Management of the Glade Run Recreation Area just outside of Farmington, New Mexico.   The public has until March 31 to comment during the BLM's official public 'Scoping' period.  The BLM has presented three options, two of which would dramatically change the way OHV recreation is managed in the Glade.

'The Glade' is directly adjacent to the City of Farmington.  It includes a rare 3,811 acre area designated as 'open' for cross country use and an additional 15,134 acres currently 'limited to designated roads and trails'.  The entire area is a Special Recreation Management Area that is managed to provide for a variety of outdoor recreation opportunities, including OHV recreation.  The Glade is most famous for its truly world-class extreme rock crawling terrain and the many national-level 4WD competitions held there.  It is also heavily used and enjoyed for a variety of other off road motorized recreation including both ATV's and motorcycles.

The BLM is proposing dramatic changes in how the area would be managed.  They have presented two 'action' alternatives for the public to consider.  In one alternative, approximately 8,000 acres would be managed specifically for motorized and non-motorized single-track.  In the other alternative, the same 8,000 acres would be managed specifically for non-motorized recreation.  In both of these alternatives, the 'open' area would continue as it is managed today and the rest of the Glade Run would continue to be managed for 'dispersed' motorized recreation limited to designated roads and trails only.  In another interesting twist, until recently the Farmington BLM was planning a 60 miles ATV trail that would cross the area now being considered for single-track use only.
 
There will be a public meeting hosted on March 16th by the Bureau of Land Management Farmington Field Office at San Juan College (4601 College Blvd, Farmington, NM), Henderson Fine Arts building room 9008 from 6 PM to 8:30 PM to review the alternatives.

Please visit the BLM website for full details on how you can comment on this proposal and keep watching the NMOHVA website as this situation develops.
 
Mark
President

BLM Plans and Maps

       New Mexico Off Highway Vehicle Alliance | 13170-B Central Ave. SE | PMB #322 | Albuquerque | NM | 87123

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
_______________________________________________________

As a non-profit, grassroots organization funded primarily by membership dues and donations, we greatly appreciate your support. Visit http://www.sharetrails.org/make-a-difference-now to help fund our efforts to protect your trails!

Date: 03/11/2010

BLUERIBBON COALITION LAND USE UPDATE!

Dear BRC Action Alert Subscriber,

The Fairfield Ranger District of the Sawtooth National Forest, located in central Idaho, is considering changes to their Winter Travel Plan in response to concerns that have been expressed concerning access to the winter backcountry travel areas in the Upper South Fork Boise River area.

Currently, an area buffering, and including, the road corridor from Couch Summit to Fleck Summit (FR 227 and 012) is closed to motorized use from December 1 to April 30. The primary reason for this closure has been to minimize disturbance of wintering wildlife that use the areas adjacent to the Big Smoky feed site and nearby riparian habitats (see map).

Due to recent changes in how elk are using the area and the requests to consider allowing motorized access through the closure area, the District is reviewing their winter travel plan in this area and are considering the following options:

1. No change in the current situation.

2. Keep the existing motorized closure in effect, but close the headwaters of the Upper South Fork Boise River to motorized winter use.

3. Open a motorized corridor through the closure area from Couch Summit to Fleck Summit, and impose some new motorized restrictions in the headwaters area to minimize disturbance of wintering mountain goats and wolverine denning. Both the wildlife closure along FR 227 from Bowns Creek to the Sawtooth Forest Boundary, east of Featherville, and the wildlife closure at the Big Smoky elk feeding station, would remain in effect.

A complete breakdown of the proposed changes are contained in the Scoping Letter which can be found on the Forest's website at http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/sawtooth/projects/.

Your questions and comments regarding this proposal are an integral part of the planning process. Initial comments will be most helpful if they are received by March 22, 2010. All comments received in response to this solicitation, including names and addresses of those who comment, will be considered part of the public record on this proposed action and will be available for public inspection.

Send Comments To:
          Fairfield Ranger District
          Attn: Winter Travel Plan Revisions
          PO Box 189
          Fairfield, ID 83327

You may also hand-deliver your comments to the Fairfield Ranger District Office in Fairfield, 102 1st Street East, during normal business hours from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday, excluding federal holidays. Please remember that your comments must include your name and address

Email Comments To: 
          commentsintermtn-sawtooth-fairfield@fs.fed.us

Put "Winter Travel Plan Revisions" in the subject line of e-mail comments. Acceptable formats are email message, MS Word (.doc), plain text (.txt), rich text format (.rtf) or Portable Document Format (pdf). (Please note, in order to continue to be included in this process, e-mail submissions must contain a deliverable mailing address).

Fax Comments To:
          (208) 764-3211

For additional information, contact Ann Frost, Recreation Program Manager, at (208) 764-3478.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact BRC.

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
_______________________________________________________

As a non-profit, grassroots organization funded primarily by membership dues and donations, we greatly appreciate your support. Visit http://www.sharetrails.org/make-a-difference-now to help fund our efforts to protect your trails!

Date: 03/11/2010

BLUERIBBON COALITION LAND USE UPDATE!

Dear BRC Action Alert Subscriber,

The community of Lone Pine and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Bishop Field Office, will hold a public meeting on Thursday, March 18, 2010, regarding the future management of the Alabama Hills.

The meeting will begin at 5:00 p.m. at the Lone Pine Paiute Shoshone Reservation Community Center, 975 Teya Street.  Coming from the north on U.S. 395, take a left on to Teya just before the Best Western Motel...from the south take a right just beyond the Best Western Motel.

At this meeting, the Alabama Hills Stewardship Group "will provide updates on the ongoing management policies in the Alabama Hills" said Chris Langley, Inyo County film commissioner and chair of the Alabama Hills Stewardship Group.

The Designations Study Sub-Committee will then provide an overview of their recent recommendation (made at January's meeting and to the Inyo County Board of Supervisors) to pursue a legislative designation for the Alabama Hills. They will also present a concept map of potential boundaries for the designated area and gather input from all in attendance.

In November 2006, the BLM Central California Resource Advisory Council met in Lone Pine and expressed its support for the BLM to build upon the grassroots effort of local leaders to frame a community strategy to maintain the character of the Alabama Hills.

For more information, please contact Langley at (760) 937-1189 or Jim Jennings of the BLM at (760) 872- 5027.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact BRC.

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
_______________________________________________________

As a non-profit, grassroots organization funded primarily by membership dues and donations, we greatly appreciate your support. Visit http://www.sharetrails.org/make-a-difference-now to help fund our efforts to protect your trails!

Date: 03/10/2010

BLUERIBBON COALITION LANDUSE UPDATE!

Dear BRC Action Alert Subscriber,

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Uncompahgre Field Office, has released a proposed Decision Record to change Off-Highway Vehicle designations on public lands in the Uncompahgre Field Office. The BLM proposes to amend the Uncompahgre Basin Resource Management Plan and San Juan/San Miguel Resource Management Plan (RMPs). The new plan will limit motorized and mechanized use to existing roads and trails.

This is the final step in the decision-making process for revising travel management designations and the public has until March 26, 2010, to protest the changes.

Starting in the spring of 2007, BLM worked with the public and interested user groups to develop updated travel designations. Comments were gathered and considered as the proposed changes were developed. In addition, another public comment period was held in 2008 to ensure public input. More comments were gathered during that period that helped shape the final plan.

The Uncompahgre Field Office Travel Management Plan Amendment is available for review at the Montrose Public Lands Center, 2465 S. Townsend Ave., Montrose, CO, as well as online at http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/ufo/trave...wide0.html.

For complete protest procedures, please contact the BLM Uncompahgre Field Office, 2465 S. Townsend Ave., Montrose, CO: phone (970)240-5300, email at cotmpufo@blm.gov, or go online at http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/ufo.html.

For further information or to request a copy of the plan, contact the Montrose Public Lands Center front desk or Julie Jackson, Outdoor Recreation Planner at (970) 240-5300; or send an email to cotmpufo@blm.gov.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact BRC.

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
_______________________________________________________

As a non-profit, grassroots organization funded primarily by membership dues and donations, we greatly appreciate your support. Visit http://www.sharetrails.org/make-a-difference-now to help fund our efforts to protect your trails!