Tahoe Travel Managemet - Greenhorn/Fordyce

Land Use, Trail Info, etc

Tahoe Travel Managemet - Greenhorn/Fordyce

Postby HummBebe » Wed Oct 01, 2008 4:12 am

Tahoe Travel Managment is brutal, all though it's wrapped up pretty.

Keep an eye out in the BRC/PBB Land use section for letter samples...and if you live in Nor Cal....GET TO A MEETING!!!!!!!

The Tahoe National Forest - Travel Management Plan has been released

Under the Tahoe USFS Travel Management Plan, the Tahoe National Forest is
proposing to close some trails to ALL wheeled motorized vehicles.

We are losing access to our Public Lands!!!!!

Access to MANY camping, fishing and hunting sites will be lost. Access to
hiking trail heads, kayak put-ins, and wildlife viewing areas will be lost too.

WHAT CAN YOU DO???
Get informed!!!!
Get involved!!!!
Get active!!!!

Attend the Tahoe National Forest Open House and DEIS Presentations

Oct. 1st
Open House 3-5 pm
DEIS presentation 6:30-8pm
Nevada City, CA
Elks Lodge
518 Highway 49 North

Oct. 3rd
Open House 3-5 pm
DEIS presentation 6:30-8pm
Sierraville, CA
Sierraville Ranger Station
317 South Lincoln Hwy(Hwy89N)

Oct. 7th
Open House 3-5 pm
DEIS presentation 6:30-8pm
Olympic Valley, CA
Resort @ Squaw Creek
400 Squaw Creek Rd.

Oct. 9th
Open House 3-5 pm
DEIS presentation 6:30-8pm
Auburn, CA
The Ridge Golf Course
2020 Golf Course Rd


-SPREAD THE WORD-

Get as many people involved as you can

It’s up to us to make sure every motorized forest user, motorcyclist
& 4WD owner, Hunter, Angler, Kayaker, Mountain Biker, Hiker and
Nature lover is aware

Remember to Tread Lightly – Pack out what you pack in. -Keep public lands open to the public.

Please do not litter, if you do not want this information, pass it along to someone who may.

Brought to you by Friends of Tahoe Forest Access http://www.fotfa.com


Please take and copy the flier attached and pass it out to as many OHV folks and non-OHV folks you can!

If you are from the Bay Area, please contact the Forest Circus ASAP!!! And request a Bay Area Meeting for Forest Users in the Bay Area.


Contact:
David Arrasmith darrasmith@fs.fed.us (530) 478-6220.
Attachments
TNF DEIS Flyer.JPG
(142.36 KiB) Downloaded 41 times
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Re: Tahoe Travel Managemet - Greenhorn/Fordyce

Postby Mark » Wed Oct 01, 2008 8:20 am

Thank you for posting this :yup:
Hummer X Club Florida Chapter
mailto:florida@hummerxclub.com
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Re: Tahoe Travel Managemet - Greenhorn/Fordyce

Postby Sewie » Wed Oct 01, 2008 12:58 pm

HummBebe wrote:If you are from the Bay Area, please contact the Forest Circus ASAP!!! And request a Bay Area Meeting for Forest Users in the Bay Area.

Contact:
David Arrasmith darrasmith@fs.fed.us (530) 478-6220.



Sending an email today. We need another turnout down here like we had for the Eldo meeting. :yup:
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Re: Tahoe Travel Managemet - Greenhorn/Fordyce

Postby HummBebe » Wed Oct 01, 2008 4:37 pm

Sent, please feel free to plagerize :lol:

Dear Mr. Arrasmith,

As you know, many of the most frequent OHV Trail users in the Tahoe National Forest live and work in the Bay Area.

Eldorado National forest realized this fairly late in the process, and were scrambling at the last minute to coordinate a meeting held in Concord, CA. However it was successful in drawing nearly 400 forest users.

Without connecting to the Bay Area users, implementing the final plan will be far more difficult. The need to educate the Bay Area users, which number in the hundreds, will be instrumental in gaining cooperation on the user level.

Large number of the Volunteer labor force which maintains many of the more popular trails like Fordyce and the Rubicon live in the Bay Area. I feel it is essential to allow clubs like Four Dice 4WD, Santa Cruz 4WD, Esprit De Four and many other large and avtive groups participate in the DEIS presentations.

Thank you for your time and consideration,

Jacquelyne “Bebe” Theisen

FRIENDS OF GREENHORN
Friends of Tahoe Forest Access
Friends of the Rubicon
Friends of Fordyce
Friends of Eldorado
Friends of Highlakes
Member CA4WD, BRC
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Re: Tahoe Travel Managemet - Greenhorn/Fordyce

Postby HummBebe » Mon Nov 10, 2008 3:21 pm

The Pirate Letter Generator is UP!!!!

http://www.pirate4x4.com/letters/

WHAT TO WRITE:
Forms letters do not have the same effect that individual, personal letters have. We are asking you to take 5 minutes to write a personal note to the Forest Service detailing something personal, a dispersed camp site, how you use certain trails and with whom.

To get you started, here is a suggestion on what to write:

1st Paragraph:
Introduce yourself, list any OHV organizations that you belong to and tell them that you are writing because you are concerned about the extensive closures to the user created routes and the winter closure.

2nd Paragraph:
Tell them how you use these routes. You travel Fordyce for the extreme action?for the camping under Old Man Mountain's shadow, for the creek fishing, to discover old mining sites, etc.

Give as many reasons as possible as to why your trail needs to stay open year round. Tell them how you prepare your vehicle for summer time travel and for winter travel (they don't really know what we put into this!)

Ask them to please leave your trail open year round, mention how it will affect local economies, your family, your history.

3rd Paragraph:
Thank them for their time, and once again ask them to keep your trail open (year round).

A SALUTATION AND A CLOSING ARE NOT NEEDED! The letter generator will do that for you. Just write the body of the letter!

While you may use this sample letter, I encourage you to WRITE YOUR OWN LETTER, as form letters do not have the impact that personal letters have!

Sample Paragraphs ? Greater Fordyce Area Specific (GFA):

GFA - Keep Fordyce open Year- Round:

Many 4 wheel drive vehicles traverse the trail during the summer months, however, year round access is very important to me. There are many people that use the trail year round.

Most only travel as far as we can get in half a day, leaving the remainder of the day for the return trip. Sometimes we organize weekend trips, in which we prepare for an overnight stay camping in the snow. This requires a fair amount of preparation and expenditure, which many of the local businesses in Nevada and Placer Counties depend on.

GFA - Dispersed Camping on Fordyce: describe as many of your favorite ROUTES to your favorite camping spot (off the trail)

This route to dispersed camping is my favorite. It is mostly hard surface until you reach the camp. What makes it special is the views of the river bend below. The clearing offers 360 degree panorama. It is a great place to get off the trail for quiet time and family time. Below is a fabulous swimming and fishing hole. There are a few trees and shade making it a perfect base camp for other forest activities.

GFA - Rattlesnake Road:

Currently the Highway Legal Vehicle only designation is not and has not been enforced. Therefore traffic use and knowledge have governed the use of this road for many years.

The property owner at Cisco Grove Campground will be adversely impacted financially, over 3500 OHV users will be adversely impacted by the enforcement of the current designation of Highway Legal Vehicles only.

It will eliminate the only secure entrance to the Fordyce Trail for Green-sticker vehicles. It is also the only secure parking area available. The Eagle Lakes OHV staging area has vehicle break in and vandalism EVERY weekend. This road is used everyday by OHV's. There is just no substitute for this road. It must be designated as multi-use.

GFA - Red Mountain Switchback

Keeping this trail would be crucial for OHV users and the Cisco Grove Campground. It provides a way in and out of the trail system without having to take the freeway. CGC calls this the ?Breakfast run? and is and has been a part of the successful operation of their business. This is a great trail, provides an intermediate challenge for all OHV users, and great vistas.



Sample Paragraphs ? Greenhorn Specific (GHOHV):

GHOHV - Who uses the area:

Greenhorn area has been used by all types of vehicles for nearly as long as vehicles have been around. Many families ride in the Greenhorn area. It provides a safe, contained, multi use day area for ATV's, 4 wheel drives, and the new utility vehicles.

GHOHV - Why do you use the area:

This makes an ideal setting for OHV use. Traditionally local residents have used it for teaching young or new enthusiasts how to ride, drive, and have fun. It is the ONLY open OHV area that includes 4 Wheel Drive use. The majority of creek bed users are 4 Wheel Drive enthusiasts. It has many different levels of challenging terrain, and obstacles. Real Estate Agents sell Greenhorn properties touting recreational OHV use.

GHOHV - Tell them about the area:

Because of the history of Greenhorn Creek and a Hydraulic mining area, much of the soils have been washed downstream leaving a very large wide open creek bed consisting mostly of river rock. Very little vegetation exists, and very little wildlife traverses the area.

GHOHV - Winter use:

We want Greenhorn to stay open year round. It is generally below the snow line. When most of the forest will be closed during the snow and wet season, when the deep snow makes many forest roads impassable, Greenhorn offers a safe, fun place to recreate on rainy weekends. It would be a great place to continue to offer use where little damage to trails and roadbeds can occur. It's all rock!

GHOHV - Part of the area is missing from the map:

The Draft Environmental Impact Statement only includes a portion of the traditional/original Greenhorn OHV use area, and again only a portion of the Tahoe National Forests portion of Greenhorn OHV.

The Greenhorn OHV area as described in the Draft, highlights the creek bed from Buckeye Road and South. Users also travel from the Buckeye Road entrance North, and continue until the canyon becomes too narrow to travel. This also should also be included in the Greenhorn OHV area, as another 40+ acres of exactly the same terrain, and rock creek bed exist there as well.

This area is completely owned by the Public and managed by the Tahoe National Forest. It would not produce any private ownership conflicts. This area needs to be designated in THIS process.

GHOHV - Winter Closure to protect Deer:

Closing Buckeye Road for the Winter Deer herd is not prudent. It is one of many roads available to the public in a condensed area, and has never been closed for this purpose before. There are several studies that prove the Deer are not affected by OHV's, and in fact their numbers are increasing and show no evidence of their habitat being degraded.

General Comments:

Closing too many Routes:

Tahoe National Forest is closing nearly ALL ?user created routes?, giving us back only 30-70 miles out of 2500. Many of these routes were built by the Forest Service, and have been being used by OHV's for as as many as 30 years. Some of these routes are old mining roads that OHV'ers have adopted and prescriptively used as destination trails. These mining routes, in many cases, predate the existence of the Forest Service, and we contend that the Forest Service has no right to close the original mining trails that have been used by the public, uninterrupted for 130 years (in some cases).

They lead to vistas, scenic byways, secluded lakes, creeks and primitive camping. We contend that all of these routes are valuable, as they are being used to access some type of needed or wanted resource. These trails have not been proven to affect water quality, habitats, or plants. What they are is a road that the forest service cannot afford to manage. Management is not closure. These roads all need to be analyzed individually for their value, and included into the Forest System until this has been accomplished.

Routes Crossing Private Property

The Tahoe National Forest has decided not to designate routes leading to private property, traversing private property, or exiting private property. Tahoe National Forest has also stated that the burden of permitted access to these types of trails will be on the user. We as users will not have the ability to gain permission to cross private property if there are no trails designated to private property. These trails need to be designated until access or easement has been denied by private property owners.

Description of Snow Wheeling:

There are 4 wheel drive enthusiasts that spend a great deal of time and money preparing their rigs for the winter. Bead-lock wheels are the most expensive equipment used. The wheels lock the bead of the tire to the wheel, so when the tire is aired down and left with 2-3 lbs of air, the tire will stay on the wheel. The purpose of this is to create a wide footprint which greatly enhances traction in the snow by allowing the vehicle to ?float? on top of the snow. It prevents the tires from ?digging? into the snow, and also helps prevent tread damage to roads that may have 24-36? of snow pack. The trick to staying on top of the snow is slow steady throttle, which much like the nature of rock crawling reduces the risk of resource damage. Many purchase wider tires as well to aid in deep snow travel.

Sample statements for dispersed camping: (discuss the route to the site)

This route to dispersed camping is my favorite spot on the trail.
I take my Dad camping there every Fathers Day.
It leaves the trail on the left side of the creek.
The trail to this site is well established. It is 300 feet from the trail.
What makes it special is the views of the river bend below.
There is no damage to resources.
The clearing offers 360 degree panorama.
It is a great place to get off the trail for quiet time and family time.
There is lots of trees for shade.
Below is a fabulous swimming and fishing hole.
It is a perfect base camp for other forest activities including OHV use.
Instructions:

1. Fill out your personal information.
2. Add a bit of personal information in the letter text box. A bit about how much you enjoy OHV recreation is always a good idea. Be polite.
3. Fill in the security code and click Preview & Send.


November 26th is the deadline

Sierra Club and Wilderness Society have already turned in over 2000 comments, we have 350 :cry: Please help us!
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Re: Tahoe Travel Managemet - Greenhorn/Fordyce

Postby Alec W » Wed Nov 12, 2008 11:15 am

I’ve sent a few of these letters in the past but I never know what to say since all the pirate letters are for campaigns in California and I don’t know the trails.

This one in particular is hard since the instructions are very clear and they want us to write specifics and not send a form letter.


Is something like “I am not from California but want you to keep the trails open in the winter just in case I ever visit” really going to help? Any suggestions for a letter that would help?
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Re: Tahoe Travel Managemet - Greenhorn/Fordyce

Postby H32NV » Wed Nov 12, 2008 12:50 pm

if something from CO will help then I'll write over my lunch break.
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Re: Tahoe Travel Managemet - Greenhorn/Fordyce

Postby HummBebe » Wed Nov 12, 2008 2:36 pm

The comments are set up specifically for those who are not from the area. They don't know if you wheel there or not. And, people from all over wheel here. They are used to that.

Thanks guys, just copy and paste, add a little customization, and you're golden.
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Re: Tahoe Travel Managemet - Greenhorn/Fordyce

Postby HummBebe » Wed Nov 12, 2008 2:38 pm

The most effective part, is MASSIVE public pressure from a MASSIVE amount of letter writers, form letters or no. Sierra Club and Wilderness Society are ALL form letters.
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Re: Tahoe Travel Managemet - Greenhorn/Fordyce

Postby Alec W » Thu Nov 13, 2008 11:44 am

This is what I came up with.



As you can see from my address, I am not a resident of California. I do however, have an interest in the alarming rate of trail closures in the area and have many friends who live in that part of the country. I also hope to bring my family and my Jeep up from Colorado and enjoy some of the trails in the Tahoe National Forest in the next year or so.

Tahoe National Forest is closing nearly ALL “user created routes”, giving back only 30-70 miles out of 2500. Many of these routes were built by the Forest Service, and have been being used by OHV's for as many as 30 years. Some of these routes are old mining roads that OHV'ers have adopted and prescriptively used as destination trails. They lead to vistas, scenic byways, secluded lakes, creeks and primitive camping. These trails have not been proven to affect water quality, habitats, or plants. What they are is a road that the forest service cannot afford to manage. Management is not closure. These roads all need to be analyzed individually for their value, and included into the Forest System until this has been accomplished.

In conclusion, I’d like to again mention my friends (and their families) that live in your area of the country. Those folks have joined me on wheeling trips in Colorado, where I’ve proudly showed them our amazing trails and scenery. I sincerely hope you do not close any more trails in the Tahoe National Forest so they can proudly do the same for me and my family.

Thank you for your time.
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Re: Tahoe Travel Managemet - Greenhorn/Fordyce

Postby Sewie » Thu Nov 13, 2008 1:09 pm

Great letter Alec. :yup:
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Re: Tahoe Travel Managemet - Greenhorn/Fordyce

Postby H32NV » Thu Nov 13, 2008 3:02 pm

My name is Robert Donley and I am writing on behalf of outdoor enthusiasts from the state of Colorado concerning the proposed limited access to popular trails in the GFA. As an Eagle Scout growing up in Colorado, I have had an active interest in outdoor activities for most of my life. Restrictions on access to public lands must not be put in place in order for others to share and experience the same joys that nature has brought me.

Some of the concern from an environmentalist viewpoint may be that wheeled vehicles present a threat to the ecology of the area through mechanisms of increased erosion, as well as trail wear and tear.

I would like to point out that of the few organizations that I am a part of, some of the most effective in the area of habitat preservation are those of my wheeled-vehicle clubs and biking friends.

People who show the most passion for wilderness access are also the same people who show the most passion for preservation.

The local economy of the area will see benefit from keeping trails open year round. Outdoor enthusiasts like myself travel to places just like the GFA every year to get away and enjoy the scenery. With that, comes the need to spend money, on gas, food, lodging, and all of that foreign money goes to support the local economy.

It is a terrible idea to enforce new trail closures from an environmental and
economic perspective. Many who have used these trails in the past will be forced t o go elsewhere, and overall traffic through the area will go down, which will hurt revenues. It is proposals like this that will lead to the demise of the nature experience, something I hope that my children someday will learn about and experience just as I did.
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Re: Tahoe Travel Managemet - Greenhorn/Fordyce

Postby HummBebe » Fri Nov 14, 2008 3:26 pm

You guys are doing a great job!!

Thank you!!!
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Re: Tahoe Travel Managemet - Greenhorn/Fordyce

Postby stjames151 » Fri Dec 19, 2008 3:18 pm

Please read this....just the first post is all it takes. Just make a phone call. Thats all we're asking. Its pretty fun to take part in this kind of stuff when you know you're making a difference and right now we have a supervisor's office in chaos, but it's not enough.
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