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SUMMIT COUNTY - With all the recent debate about management of national forest roadless areas, the impending release of a draft travel management plan for the White River National Forest hasn't been getting much attention.
Now scheduled for release near the end of July, the travel plan aims to establish trail-by-trail use for thousands of miles of hiking and biking trails, as well as motorized routes. The plan has been in the works since 2002 when the White River released an updated forest-wide management plan.
"Everybody needs to be here," said Ellen Hollinshead, who started up a Summit Chapter of the Backcountry Snowsports Alliance to help work on winter travel plan issues. "This is the future of your trails, skiing, snowmobiling, everything. It's really important for everyone to provide input," Hollinshead said, urging local forest users to mark the date of the Aug. 8 open house on their calendars.
At issue in Summit County is which trails will be open to motorized use, and whether to include some of the many unauthorized user-created trails in the formal trail system. There has already been some collaboration and input from various factions, including motorized users, backcountry skiers and snowmobilers, but release of the draft plan is likely to rekindle debate about some areas, depending on the suggested uses.
Initially the Forest Service intended to combine travel management with the more general forest land use plan.
"We decided it was more complex than we thought," said White River National Forest spokesperson Kristi Ponozzo, explaining the four-year gap between the two documents. "We've really been hitting the dirt the last couple of years," she said.
The White River was prepared to release the draft plan last summer, then was instructed by the regional office to await a national travel rule aimed at managing motorized use on forest lands. Since then, the Glenwood Springs-based planners have been working to make sure the White River plan meshes with the national rule.
Forest planners have been working with local groups to identify both authorized and unauthorized trails, and to determine how they will be managed in the future. Some trails will likely be closed, or limited to non-motorized use, while other user-created trails may be incorporated into the formal trail system. "It's a comprehensive plan. It covers winter use, summer use, special areas. We've had an amazing increase in use on our forests in the last 10 years," Ponozzo said.
The draft travel management plan will offer four general alternatives for public comment:
1. No-action;
2. Optimizing forest travel with an emphasis on recreation;
3. Reducing conflicts among user groups;
4. Emphasizing natural resource and habitat values;
Ponozzo said the final product will likely represent a blend of those four options, following site-specific comments from the public on the draft.
The draft plan will be released late this month, with a general news conference tentatively set for July 27 in Glenwood Springs, followed by public open house sessions in the subsequent weeks. Ponozzo said a Summit County meeting is slated for Aug. 8.
"What we heard during the forest planning process was that people wanted more detailed information," Ponozzo said. As a result, the draft travel plan will be released on CDs, with detailed electronic quad-by-quad maps for each section of the forest. Altogether, the plan includes 1,400 maps for the forest. The CDs are being burned at the Government printing office right now, Ponozzo said.
"People will really be able to focus on what's important to them," Ponozzo said.
Bob Berwyn can be reached at (970) 331-5996, or at bberwyn@summitdaily.com.
Now scheduled for release near the end of July, the travel plan aims to establish trail-by-trail use for thousands of miles of hiking and biking trails, as well as motorized routes. The plan has been in the works since 2002 when the White River released an updated forest-wide management plan.
"Everybody needs to be here," said Ellen Hollinshead, who started up a Summit Chapter of the Backcountry Snowsports Alliance to help work on winter travel plan issues. "This is the future of your trails, skiing, snowmobiling, everything. It's really important for everyone to provide input," Hollinshead said, urging local forest users to mark the date of the Aug. 8 open house on their calendars.
At issue in Summit County is which trails will be open to motorized use, and whether to include some of the many unauthorized user-created trails in the formal trail system. There has already been some collaboration and input from various factions, including motorized users, backcountry skiers and snowmobilers, but release of the draft plan is likely to rekindle debate about some areas, depending on the suggested uses.
Initially the Forest Service intended to combine travel management with the more general forest land use plan.
"We decided it was more complex than we thought," said White River National Forest spokesperson Kristi Ponozzo, explaining the four-year gap between the two documents. "We've really been hitting the dirt the last couple of years," she said.
The White River was prepared to release the draft plan last summer, then was instructed by the regional office to await a national travel rule aimed at managing motorized use on forest lands. Since then, the Glenwood Springs-based planners have been working to make sure the White River plan meshes with the national rule.
Forest planners have been working with local groups to identify both authorized and unauthorized trails, and to determine how they will be managed in the future. Some trails will likely be closed, or limited to non-motorized use, while other user-created trails may be incorporated into the formal trail system. "It's a comprehensive plan. It covers winter use, summer use, special areas. We've had an amazing increase in use on our forests in the last 10 years," Ponozzo said.
The draft travel management plan will offer four general alternatives for public comment:
1. No-action;
2. Optimizing forest travel with an emphasis on recreation;
3. Reducing conflicts among user groups;
4. Emphasizing natural resource and habitat values;
Ponozzo said the final product will likely represent a blend of those four options, following site-specific comments from the public on the draft.
The draft plan will be released late this month, with a general news conference tentatively set for July 27 in Glenwood Springs, followed by public open house sessions in the subsequent weeks. Ponozzo said a Summit County meeting is slated for Aug. 8.
"What we heard during the forest planning process was that people wanted more detailed information," Ponozzo said. As a result, the draft travel plan will be released on CDs, with detailed electronic quad-by-quad maps for each section of the forest. Altogether, the plan includes 1,400 maps for the forest. The CDs are being burned at the Government printing office right now, Ponozzo said.
"People will really be able to focus on what's important to them," Ponozzo said.
Bob Berwyn can be reached at (970) 331-5996, or at bberwyn@summitdaily.com.
