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Word on the street has it that the draft Travel Management Plan (TMP) for the White River National Forest will be released any time now.
Yawn.
Summit County is smack dab in the middle of the White River National Forest, over two million acres of forest with a host of uses ranging from skiing to logging to recreation to wildlife preservation.
Management of the forest is governed by a 15-year plan, of which the TMP is a critical part, because that portion of the plan governs who can get into which parts of the forest and by what means. If you hike, ride a bike, ride a horse, drive an OHV, or plan to camp, hunt, or just visit the forest, you'll ultimately care a lot about what the TMP has to say about the White River National Forest.
Yawn.
Summit County is smack dab in the middle of the White River National Forest, over two million acres of forest with a host of uses ranging from skiing to logging to recreation to wildlife preservation.
Management of the forest is governed by a 15-year plan, of which the TMP is a critical part, because that portion of the plan governs who can get into which parts of the forest and by what means. If you hike, ride a bike, ride a horse, drive an OHV, or plan to camp, hunt, or just visit the forest, you'll ultimately care a lot about what the TMP has to say about the White River National Forest.
But we've been waiting for the draft TMP for almost five years now, which is why the plan has become a yawner. In 1999 and 2000, a lot of people put in a lot of time writing hundreds of letters after reading hundreds of pages of draft plan language. Hundreds of miles of trails were inventoried, ranging from existing "system" trails such as the Burro Trail and the Peaks Trail, to a variety of flume trails and "social" or "renegade" trails such as Blair Witch and assorted not-so-secret trails, to unsustainable routes ripped through the forest by motorcycles. Hundreds of pages of comments were submitted by paid commercial interests as well as comments from grassroots volunteer organizations.
One organization at the forefront was and is the Summit Fat Tire Society (SFTS), one of the largest volunteer organizations in the county. Mountain biking is one of the largest recreational activities in the forest, a favorite pastime of both residents and out-of-towners. The two-decade history of the SFTS is a success story because it brought together like-minded folks who wanted to ride as much sustainable single-track as possible while keeping those routes open for all non-motorized users. An equivalent organization for off-road motorcyclists and OHV users came and went early this decade, and no equivalent organization was ever organized for horseback riders.
Equestrians, alas, are represented by the commercial ride permit holders near Breckenridge, Keystone and Copper Mountain, who turn good trails into running sewers abuzz with flies feasting on the piles of horse turds and puddles of pee.
In theory, commercial horse operations are required by their permits from the Forest Service to clean up after themselves, and maintain the trails for everyone to use, but they never do, and the Forest Service has never enforced its own permits. That's important to remember, since the new TMP will require folks to voluntarily buy into the plan to make it work; otherwise, the TMP will be a paper tiger, like the commercial horse permits, a document to be ignored.
One organization at the forefront was and is the Summit Fat Tire Society (SFTS), one of the largest volunteer organizations in the county. Mountain biking is one of the largest recreational activities in the forest, a favorite pastime of both residents and out-of-towners. The two-decade history of the SFTS is a success story because it brought together like-minded folks who wanted to ride as much sustainable single-track as possible while keeping those routes open for all non-motorized users. An equivalent organization for off-road motorcyclists and OHV users came and went early this decade, and no equivalent organization was ever organized for horseback riders.
Equestrians, alas, are represented by the commercial ride permit holders near Breckenridge, Keystone and Copper Mountain, who turn good trails into running sewers abuzz with flies feasting on the piles of horse turds and puddles of pee.
In theory, commercial horse operations are required by their permits from the Forest Service to clean up after themselves, and maintain the trails for everyone to use, but they never do, and the Forest Service has never enforced its own permits. That's important to remember, since the new TMP will require folks to voluntarily buy into the plan to make it work; otherwise, the TMP will be a paper tiger, like the commercial horse permits, a document to be ignored.
For example, the draft TMP will be built on the idea that all trails are closed unless designated open. A "closed unless marked open" policy is silly because it's unenforceable, unless the users decide that the TMP is a good one and should be enforced by the users themselves.
It does, indeed, appear that a draft TMP will be on the streets before the end of the month, so that users can get out onto the trails and see firsthand what the plan advocates. You'll be able to comment on the plan in general as well as the trails inventory which will identify what trails are open, and what trails are, by extension, closed and subject to obliteration.
The SFTS will once again be at the front of the information and advocacy effort. The organization has been quiet of late, in part because of the success of past efforts that have helped create open space and trails departments in virtually every government jurisdiction, resulting in public ownership of hundreds of acres of open space and miles upon miles of trail easements. Many trails need work, but without a TMP, the SFTS could only work on recognized "system" trails, such as Bakers Tank and the Colorado Trail. A TMP will allow the SFTS and other trail maintenance organizations to do a lot of badly needed trail work.
Even if the TMP doesn't come out, you'll want to get involved once again with your favorite trail use organization as a separate plan is completed for the Golden Horseshoe area northeast of Breckenridge. Some routes will be closed there by a comprehensive use plan which will eliminate duplicate routes as well as trails hacked through wetlands.
It does, indeed, appear that a draft TMP will be on the streets before the end of the month, so that users can get out onto the trails and see firsthand what the plan advocates. You'll be able to comment on the plan in general as well as the trails inventory which will identify what trails are open, and what trails are, by extension, closed and subject to obliteration.
The SFTS will once again be at the front of the information and advocacy effort. The organization has been quiet of late, in part because of the success of past efforts that have helped create open space and trails departments in virtually every government jurisdiction, resulting in public ownership of hundreds of acres of open space and miles upon miles of trail easements. Many trails need work, but without a TMP, the SFTS could only work on recognized "system" trails, such as Bakers Tank and the Colorado Trail. A TMP will allow the SFTS and other trail maintenance organizations to do a lot of badly needed trail work.
Even if the TMP doesn't come out, you'll want to get involved once again with your favorite trail use organization as a separate plan is completed for the Golden Horseshoe area northeast of Breckenridge. Some routes will be closed there by a comprehensive use plan which will eliminate duplicate routes as well as trails hacked through wetlands.
A joint county/town plan for the use of the B&B parcel that winds around and through the Golden Horseshoe will also be on the table. Your participation will be decisive in helping create the sort of trails use plan that you want.
So get out on those trails today, but think about what life would be like if you couldn't; you may finally be asked by your government for a 600-word essay on that very subject.
Marc Carlisle writes a Thursday column. He can be reached at summitindie@yahoo.com.
So get out on those trails today, but think about what life would be like if you couldn't; you may finally be asked by your government for a 600-word essay on that very subject.
Marc Carlisle writes a Thursday column. He can be reached at summitindie@yahoo.com.
