Tellico Closed Forever!

J.C.

J.C.

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Apr 18, 2005
Location
Greensboro, NC
The Forest Service released their final decision on the Tellico OHV area today (http://www.cs.unca.edu/nfsnc/press/tellico_decision_news_release.pdf). They went with their preferred alternative, permanent closure!

The Forest Service is allocating $2.3 million to implement their final decision program. Trail 1 will be paved with asphalt from the paved portion in TN to the paved portion in NC. Trails 4, 5 & 6 will be graded, prepared and maintained as Forest Service Roads to provide hunting and fishing access. This will be 13 miles of road for park access. All other trails will be closed permanently!

SFWDA intends to fight this decision through the proper channels during the 45 day appeal process and into courts of law if necessary. Details will be forthcoming from the association on how you can participate in the fight to Save Tellico!
 
Would it be better to fight this decision, or fight to have another OHV opened up in a better location?
 
“After careful considering the 2,400 public comments we received and thoroughly reviewing all alternatives in the environmental assessment, I have selected Alternative C, which closes the OHV System,” said Marisue Hilliard, Forest Servie Supervisor for North Carolina.
 
JC said:
“After careful considering the 2,400 public comments we received and thoroughly reviewing all alternatives in the environmental assessment, I have selected Alternative C, which closes the OHV System,” said Marisue Hilliard, Forest Servie Supervisor for North Carolina.
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Wow.. Just read the decision. I only rode Tellico once before this closure a few years back. I really wanted to go back when the rig gets reassembled.
 
JC said:
“After careful considering the 2,400 public comments we received and thoroughly reviewing all alternatives in the environmental assessment, I have selected Alternative C, which closes the OHV System,” said Marisue Hilliard, Forest Servie Supervisor for North Carolina.
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yeah, i read that. From the start the forestry service has seemed pretty intent on shutting down the OHV. Is fighting it really going to do much?

i think the resources put into appealing the decision be better spent on moving to open a new OHV or expanding an existing one (brown mtn).

I posted a link a while ago, but under state (it could be federal, i dont remember) law they must give us use of the public lands to do as we wish with. If we can prove that the current 4WD use lands do not meet the needs of the public they would have to open a new OHV system some where.
 
I have spoken with 2 FS representatives in the last month with ideas about expanding Brown Mountain in anticipation of Tellico being closed. They are not planning and are not interested in improving or expanding Brown Mountain as an OHV destination.

"Other national forest OHV trail systems in North Carolina include:
Wayehutta, Nantahala NF, 21 miles (21 miles ATV and motorcycle),
Brown Mountain, Pisgah NF, 34 miles (6 miles 4WD, 27 miles ATV, 34 miles motorcycle)
Badin Lake, Uwharrie NF, 16 miles (16 miles 4WD, ATV and motorcycle)
Black Swamp, Croatan NF, 8 miles (8 miles 4WD, ATV and motorcycle)"

With the closure of 39 miles of OHV trails in Tellico that were previously open to 4wd vehicles, we now have 30 miles of 4wd trail available in NC. We now have 57% less 4wd trails in NC to recreate on than we had before!
 
JC said:
With the closure of 39 miles of OHV trails ib Tellico that were previously open to 4wd vehicles, we now have 30 miles of 4wd trail available in NC. We now have 57% less 4wd trails in NC to recreate on than we had before!
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exactly.

i would imagine that would lead to a failure of the state to meet the needs of the public....and cause undo wear and damage on the trails that are open.

in order to avoid the environmental impact of the loss of 57% of the OHV system on the current trials, it seems to me, that it is in their best intrest to explore the opening or explanding of future OHV areas.
 
That sucks. I am glad, however, that I got to make it there once. Even if there was a jeep jamboree going on.
 
JC said:
We now have 57% less 4wd trails in NC to recreate on than we had before!
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Wondering if this will equate to 57% fewer FS personnel?

Maybe this will directly impact those FS persons that bought into our opposers lopsided assessment from the beginning! :fuck-you:

This is not directed at any FS persons that kept an open mind during the proceedings! :beer:
 
I hate to say this but I saw this coming..

just be reading the FS responses to past discussions you could tell it was going down this road..

I am glad I got to use Tellico and it really really sucks that is it going away..

DAMN trout.. :)
 
Well at least I can tell my kids I went there.... ONCE! damnit! I want to go back there so bad. Yeah I don't see this changing either but I'm not gonna give up. I can't believe this happened with all the work we've put into this.
 
A place like Tellico simply does not work within the confines of a national park. Over half of the trails there were unusable by stock vehicles as it was, compared to Uwharrie, where a stock vehicle can run most of the trails. If Tellico had been a privately owned area, out of a state park, it'd probably still be open.

Basically, places that have such a high degree of trail difficulty really dont belong in a state park as it is. (IMO). However, Id say if the Forest Service would have done the work needed in 1986 when they originally looked at environmental conditions in Tellico, it may have been fixable then, and the park could have remained open.

On another note, I love how TVA was involved in the closure. Those guys are absolute morons. Google TVA Coal Ash Disaster....:shaking:

EDIT*

I can almost say this with 100% certainty, this will NOT change. No way, no how.
 
orangecherokee said:
name one.
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While I didn't follow it *that* closely, I'm sure there were FS "worker bees" (folks in the woods daily) that opposed the closings... instead of rolling over on us like they did and taking up the "queen bee"s view.

It was also an attempt to separate these specific (WNC) FS persons from those elsewhere. After years of putting up with "status quo" management at URE, it's obvious the only similarities with the current group (headed by Ranger Walker?) are their uniforms!

IOW, I wanted to segregate *OUR* URE folk from reading/mistaking my response was also directed at them.
 
Macdaddy4738 said:
A place like Tellico simply does not work within the confines of a national park. Over half of the trails there were unusable by stock vehicles as it was, compared to Uwharrie, where a stock vehicle can run most of the trails. If Tellico had been a privately owned area, out of a state park, it'd probably still be open.
Basically, places that have such a high degree of trail difficulty really dont belong in a state park as it is. (IMO). However, Id say if the Forest Service would have done the work needed in 1986 when they originally looked at environmental conditions in Tellico, it may have been fixable then, and the park could have remained open.
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Macdaddy, Tellico isn't in a National Park it's part of the National Forest which has completely different standards and regulations than a park or wilderness does. These terms are very confusing and the only reason I know about them is from my previous degree in Parks & Rec. Management.

National Parks - emphasize strict preservation of pristine areas. They focus on protecting natural and historic features plus light-on-the-land recreation. The ultimate goal is to preserve resources "unimpaired for future generations." Park rangers work for the National Park Service (NPS) under the Department of the Interior.

National Forests - emphasize not only resource preservation, but other kinds of use as well. Under this concept of "multiple use", national forests are managed to provide Americans with a wide variety of services and commodities, including lumber, cattle grazing, mineral products and recreation with and without vehicles. The national forests are managed by forest rangers with the US Forest Service (USFS) under the Department of Agriculture.

Wilderness Areas - are managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and are described as " A wilderness, in contrast with those areas where man and his own works dominate the landscape, is hereby recognized as an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain." Basically this area is strictly regulated and only limited numbers of registered visitors can enjoy the area at a time.

So you can think about them like this:
1. Forests - most use/most lenient (lumber/hunt/mining)
2. Parks - typical camping-hiking type stuff (no hunting)
3. Wilderness - least use/most regulated (no cars or trails/limited backpacking)

... anyway sorry to be a nerd but I thought it would help.
 
I would like to say thank you John for all the Hard work you have put into this!!! I personally saw how committed you were to fighting for the cause. We should all be honored to know someone that took the initiative and fought back. Please let us know what the next step is and what we can do to keep fighting

-Andrew
 
So, we have a good relationship with the rangers and forest personel ar URE. Could it not be expanded? There are shurly places in that forest that can be built for the hardcore rig that used to run at tellico?
 
this is just horrible i always loved being there, had some good times and met some good people, but sometimes bad things happen for good reasons like maybe a new tellico
 
Caver Dave said:
While I didn't follow it *that* closely, I'm sure there were FS "worker bees" (folks in the woods daily) that opposed the closings... instead of rolling over on us like they did and taking up the "queen bee"s view.
It was also an attempt to separate these specific (WNC) FS persons from those elsewhere. After years of putting up with "status quo" management at URE, it's obvious the only similarities with the current group (headed by Ranger Walker?) are their uniforms!
IOW, I wanted to segregate *OUR* URE folk from reading/mistaking my response was also directed at them.
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unfortunately, this isn't the case. most forest employees are tree huggers. it's a fact. I graduated in Wildlife and Fisheries mgmt and all they teach you is about protection of the forest for the future. I also worked and spoke with many of the individuals at the Ranger Station and none that I met were very fond of the trails. Bill Champion (Operations aka trail maintenance) and I sat and talked for a while one day and he gave me the distinct impression he did not think Tellico was worth keeping around.

This may not be the case in Uwharrie but I know for fact these jack asses at Tellico were huggers and I'm sure they're glad it's gone. They're all lazy, overpaid douchebags.
 
Being that Tellico is a "Forest" we have a right to use by law. I don't understand why the agencies that are supose to be protecting our rights to usage have not filed a suit. The only way to get anyting done or heard these days is through the courts. It is a sad fact but we have become a litigious society and litigation is what is needed. I am so glad I went to the NAXJA crawl every year since 02 there.
 
ghost said:
Being that Tellico is a "Forest" we have a right to use by law.
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well, it's like ive been saying. if we are going to use the "right to use" clause, lets not blow it on tellico where we will constantly and forever be fighting to keep it open.


If it goes to the courts, force them to give us "Right to Use" somewhere else. Prove that whats left of the existing trail system will not hold up to the traffic after the loss of the largest trail system inthe state.

If tellico was such a bad place, tell us where we can wheel and leave us the hell alone.
 
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