Why is Eldorado National Forest closing roads to OHV’s

This is my take on the subject. How do the Handicap people visit the back country if they close the roads to travel?

Recently I visited the Eldorado National Forest service Website to see if the forest was open for vehicle travel. Forest travel is generally closed to vehicle travel from Jan. 1 to April 1 or until they deem the roads drivable due to what the weather has been doing. So as I was looking through the Website I found this.

Release Date: Apr 4, 2012 Placerville, CA

Contact(s): Frank Mosbacher

 

Forty-two off-highway-vehicle routes that cross meadows in the Eldorado National Forest may be closed to motor vehicle travel this recreation season while the Forest Service completes an environmental analysis, announced Eldorado National Forest Supervisor Kathy Hardy.

The potential travel prohibitions are the result of a February 2012 court order by U.S. District Court Judge Lawrence Karlton. The order said the Forest Service failed to comply with the National Forest Management Act in 2008 when it designated “open for public motor vehicle use” portions of 42 routes that cross meadows. Judge Karlton ordered the Forest Service to “set aside” the decision that designated these segments as open and to reconsider the decision.

A final court order with further direction to the Forest Service is pending. In the interim, Karlton ordered the 42 routes remain closed to motorized public use. The final order will identify specifically where travel will be prohibited until a new environmental decision is made.

“I know that prohibiting travel on these routes will be a big disappointment to forest visitors, but we have to be responsive to the order.” said Hardy. “I have a team of people lined up to complete a supplemental environmental impact statement as quickly as possible.”

The SEIS is scheduled to begin in April or May 2012 and to be completed by April 2013.

Hardy says many popular high county routes may be affected by the closure. Some of these routes include: Barrett Lake Jeep Trail; Squaw Ridge Four Wheel Drive Trail; Clover Valley/ Deer Valley Trail; Strawberry Four Wheel Drive Trail; Carson Emigrant Trail; Allen’s Camp Motorcycle Trail and the Bucks Pasture Motorcycle Trail. The Rubicon 4wd Trail is not affected by this court order.

Maps and a complete list of the routes affected by the court order will be posted on the Eldorado National Forest website at: http://www.fs.usda.gov/eldorado. These maps will be modified to reflect the final court order once it is received. A free-of-charge motor vehicle use map that shows the routes that are open to wheeled motor vehicle use will be available at all Eldorado National Forest offices in June 2012 reflecting the final order.

“I intend to close the routes where it makes sense to do so if the final order prohibits travel on routes that cross meadows,” said Hardy. “A route may be closed near a meadow or some distance away depending on how difficult it is to turn a vehicle around.”

Some routes will also be closed indirectly because they branch off closed routes and will not be accessible.

Where the heck did this come from? As you can see there is nothing that says who or what group brought this to the Judge; or did the Judge read the National Forest Management Act of 2008 and then go out and drive these trails to see if they were compliant and then made this action on his own. I doubt it.  I know one thing, I ride these trails a lot and I don’t remember driving through any Meadows in the Silver Lake area; Which is the (Squaw Ridge Four Wheel Drive Trail, Carson Emigrant Trail, and the Mud Lake Area). There are several Meadows in that area but the road doesn’t run through them. One is at Mud Lake in which the road is a short distance from the meadow and parallels alongside it until you arrive at Mud Lake. Another is at Allen Camp which the road doesn’t run through the vast part of the meadow just to one side of it and maybe a couple of other small meadows which the road runs by one side of them. Anyway if a road runs through a meadow I guess that makes it two meadows: one meadow on each side. How about Hwy 88 through Hope Valley it runs through a meadow.

In my thinking this is the real reason why these roads are closed.  The area around Silver Lake is where horseback riders and hikers go. Plasse’s Resort and the Eldorado Forest Campgrounds don’t mention anywhere on their Web site about onsite or nearby 4 wheel driving even though the OHV roads are all around the area, but mention everything else i.e. ( hiking, biking, horseback riding etc.). At the entrance to the Mud Lake OHV Parking you drive by some cabins that have horse corrals. With this been said I wonder where the money came from to have some Lawyer read through the Forest Management Act of 2008 and figure an excuse to stop the riders in the area. I think that any Judge that puts an end to OHV being able to drive on these 4×4 trails are making it inaccessible for people with disabilities to visit the back country and enjoy what it has to offer should think again. The people that have brought this about are only thinking about themselves and making a profit. It’s all bought the money.  I see an even a bigger lawsuit coming. Title 3 Handicap Access Assures Handicap access for recreation. Why should a handicap person not be able to see the same thing a hiker or horseback rider sees? Why shouldn’t they have access?

Now for the Eldorado National Forest Service who thinks they need to close the roads and spend a lot of time and money and have a team of people to complete a supplemental environmental impact statement as quickly as possible.”   Here’s your answer right know and it won’t cost anything. Have a group of forest service workers go out before you open the area and make a marked detour with surveyors tape around the area you don’t want them to drive. The riders will drive through the marked trail and presto; they’ll make a new trail. I’m thinking of sending a copy of this forest service release to a Lawyer and see what he thinks. I ride a Quad through the forest because I can’t Hike any long distances because of a herniated disc in my back and my hips hurt if I walk too far but I can ride a quad all day. I don’t see why I can’t continue riding where I have been because of some selfish people.

Harvey

 

Send a complaint to:

U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Civil Rights Division
Disability Rights – NYAVE
Washington, D.C. 20530

California OHV Trails – ElDorado Natl Forest

I found information on OHV-ATV trails for Elkins Flat Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Route System in a PDF download-able format from the Dept. of Agriculture and the ElDorado Forestry. Click here for a Foresty Map of Elkins Area Eldorado Forest and additional information this bulletin contains.

Note: Roads are closed to motor vehicles between January and March 31st (sometimes later in the season depending on snow conditions). According to this  March 2010 bulletin there are approximately 600 miles of paved and gravel roads that are not affected by the closures. One of the areas is the Rock Creek area near Georgetown, CA where they have their own policy for closures.

You can also obtain free maps at the ElDorado National Forest offices. These maps – although available and supposedly updated – are not completely accurate as we have found out during our ATV trail rides. So do use a map but be ready to find additional routes as necessary. Join us in asking for up-to-date and clearly defined ATV Off Road maps and routes.

REMEMBER TO BE SAFE: Be aware of Age Restrictions – ATV safety certificates are required for riders under 18 years old. Children under 14 years of age must be supervised by a licensed parent, guardian, or authorized adult when operating an OHV. Wear helmets, don’t carry a passenger on your ATV unless designed for additional passengers. Have your vehicle registered.

For more information contact:
Placerville Ranger District, (530) 644-2324.

GEORGETOWN, CA: OHV Maps:  Xerox copy of the Rock Creek OHV Map is available at Georgetown District office.  The colored printed map is being updated and reprinted and is not available for sale currently.
A Green or Red sticker license is required for any non-highway-legal vehicle to ride on the Eldorado National Forest.  On the Eldorado National Forest, Red and green stickers may ride in the Mace Mill-Rock Creek OHV Area year around.  They may also ride on all other designated OHV roads of the Forest year-round.
7600 Wentworth Springs Road, Georgetown, CA (530)333-4312

For Current Conditions in the Eldorado National Forest click here.

Happy Quad Trails to you!

~ Nancy

Great News! Seasonal Closure Ends May 14th

Seasonal Closure of Designated Dirt Roads and Trails Ends May 14, 2010

Placerville, CA…. Designated dirt roads and trails in the Eldorado National Forest will reopen to motorized use on May 15, ending the wet weather seasonal closure that began on January 1, announced Forest Supervisor Ramiro Villalvazo.

“I am glad that we are lifting the seasonal closure and I appreciate the patience people have shown with the extended closure,” said Villalvazo. “I am sure there are many people who are anxious for the opportunity to get out into our beautiful great outdoors. It is important to me to remind all potential Forest visitors that with the freedom to visit the Forest on motorized vehicles, comes the responsibility to ensure that your activities do not cause resource damage.”

Forest visitors should contact the Ranger Station closest to where they want to visit for the latest road and trail information. Routes open to motorized travel are identified on free‐of‐charge motorized vehicle travel maps, now available at all Eldorado National Forest offices.

The western edge of the Eldorado National Forest has many routes that are located in clay soils that get muddy and easily develop ruts. Visitors who drive on routes that are too wet and cause resource damage may receive citations.

“In the future, decisions about allowing the seasonal closure to end, will be influenced by the evidence of how well the wet or soft soils have been recognized and respected,” said Villalvazo. “I ask that you be cautious about decisions to drive in areas that still have snow on or near the road.”

Higher elevations of the National Forest are still covered with snow and the roads won’t be passable until the snow melts. Villalvazo says that most of the designated routes in the higher elevations have soils that dry out faster than clay soils and are less susceptible to damage.

The decision to reopen designated motorized routes does not affect routes in the Rock Creek Area of the National Forest near Georgetown, which are managed under different closure criteria.

USDA Forest Service News Release
Date: May 13, 2010
Contact Frank Mosbacher  (530) 621-5268

~ Great News isn’t it – onewithquaders! ~

Happy Quading!

Forests Dirt Roads & Trails Closed to May 14

Eldorado National Forest Dirt Roads and Trails Remain Closed to Motorized Vehicles Until May 14

Due to the recent storms and wet conditions the Seasonal Roads and Trails closure is extended until May 14. If conditions dry out sufficiently before that date then the forest may lift the closure.

They keep extending the date because of the bad weather…ughhhhh!

See at ElDorado Forest Welcome page.

Why Eldorado not El Dorado?

Does anyone know why the forestry service prints “Eldorado Forest” on all the signs and pamphlets, etc., and not El Dorado?

BTW, El Dorado means “the golden one.”

El Dorado County and the Sierras

Coming Soon…

Taking Care of Our Eldorado National Forest

It is essential that everybody stay on the roads while driving your quad. The less impact we, as quaders, make on the forest, the better chance the Forest Service will help keep roads open to our travel. One of the problems is that the erosion from the dirt roads and the travelers driving off the designated dirt roads make for bare hillsides; the dirt is then filtering down the creeks and streams to the rivers. Logging is also a factor. Never-the-less, what it comes down to are groups like the Sierra Club and The Friends of the Sierra will use any means to keep everybody out of the forest but themselves. They are why the El Dorado National Forest is closed from January 1 – March 31 or later each year. As we know, the best time to quad is when the roads are wet and not dusty. The best thing we can do as ATV Quad Riders is to communicate with the Forest Service personnel we see, and let them know that we care about the forest, and would also like more access to more roads so we can take longer trips and explore more of OUR NATIONAL FOREST.

Rules of Travel in ANY Forest:
Simple:

• Stay on the roads. Even when the Forest Service signs are knocked down and it looks like other people have road up and down the hillsides. Stay off them.  (Do not tear up the natural ground cover of the forest; it helps with erosion control) We want to use the forest with minimal impact.
• If you pack it in – pack it out. (Keep the forest clean of trash)
• Try not to throw dirt by driving too fast around corners. This causes ruts and puddles and more erosion problems let alone tearing up the roads that the forest service needs to use. Remember the Eldorado National Forest is not a racetrack.
• If you see somebody, or a friend in your group doing something wrong (do everybody a favor), let them know.
• Use common sense and be courteous. Always slow down when passing other Parked Riders, Vehicles, Horses, Hikers,and Campsites. Help other riders in need. You might be the only help around. (Remember, what you do will come back to you)
• Ride Safely.  The roadways through the forest are used by many types of vehicles so you don’t know what you might meet around any corner. (Only drive as fast as it is safe – Remember, if you crash and get injured help is a long way away.)