- Joined
- Apr 18, 2005
- Location
- Greensboro, NC
TO: All Southern Four Wheel Drive Members and Supporters.
FROM: Gary Parsons, President Southern Four Wheel Drive Association
Today the USDA Forest Service released the Environmental Assessment concerning the Upper Tellico Off-Highway Vehicle Area and are seeking comments on the actual Environmental Assessment and a temporary closure of the area effective April 1st, 2009 for resource protection.
The actual communication from the forest service is as follows:
An Environmental Assessment (EA) for the long-term management of the Upper Tellico OHV System. You may download a copy of the EA and related graphics at http://www.cs.unca.edu/nfsnc/tellico. If you would like to receive a paper copy of the EA, please e-mail your request to: comments-southern-north-carolina@fs.fed.us or call (828) 257-4817, and one will be mailed to you. For questions concerning the project or the EA contact Candace Wyman, Project Coordinator, at 828-257-4816.
2. A temporary closure of the Upper Tellico OHV System for resource protection, effective April 1, 2009. This closure would prohibit possession or use of a motorized vehicle on a road or trail within the Upper Tellico OHV System, with the exception of highway-legal vehicles on 420-1 and certain other exceptions described in the closure order until a final project decision is implemented.
As you know Southern Four Wheel Drive Association, United Four Wheel Drive Associations, and Blue Ribbon Coalition have spearheaded the Rescue Tellico effort and with your help as members have led the fight to keep the area open.
A joint announcement concerning the EA is in the process of being released for all three organizations, SFWDA, United and BRC but as president of Southern I wanted you to hear a message from me letting you know that while the news we received today is not want we wanted to hear, this is not the end. We are still in this fight!.
But we must do it with cool heads and not let our emotions take over.
Comments made to the forest service must be constructive in nature and relevant to the Environmental Assessment and the proposed April 1st temporary closure.
The contact information for the forest service for you to receive a copy of the EA is listed above but as taken from the forest service communication the alternatives being proposed are as follows:
The following is a brief description of the alternatives analyzed in detail in the EA. Please refer to the EA, Chapters 2 and 3, for more information about each alternative.
Alternative A is the “no action” alternative that reflects the existing trail system with 2007 management and funding levels.
Alternative B is the “proposed action” that was released in June 2008 for public comment. It was developed to address the problems initially identified in trail condition surveys conducted in 2007-2008.
Alternative C closes the OHV System, but maintains over 10 miles of existing Forest system roads in the area, open year-round or seasonally, to provide for public highway-legal vehicle access for hunting, fishing and other recreation uses. It was developed in response to public concerns that the proposed action (Alternative B) did not go far enough in eliminating trails on sensitive soils and trails near water.
Alternative D was developed in response to public concerns that the OHV Trail System should meet current trail density and challenge level standards, and not require a Forest Plan amendment.
Alternative E was developed in response to public concerns that the proposed action (Alternative B) would eliminate too many high challenge OHV experiences.
Alternative F was developed in response to public concerns that the proposed action (Alternative B) would eliminate too many OHV trail miles.
The forest service claims that the OHV area has extensive damage and contributes to unacceptable levels of sediment into the Tellico River. The Rescue Tellico's own independent scientific study reveals that these claims are not true and the OHV area is not, I repeat, not having adverse effect on the Tellico River. See www.sfwda.org for that study. So the fight is on. We are gearing up to resume the lawsuit, but we must get through the comment period first, then see what the Forest Service concerning the area is. In other words we have to do it the right way.
We have 30 days from today February to get our comments in.
I cannot stress enough the need for your commenting to the forest service on these issues. We have said all along that it would be a tough fight but the continuance of being to enjoy Upper Tellico is more at risk that ever.
The first quarter meeting is Saturday March 7th at Golden Mountain near Sparta, TN. Details are on the web site. Please make your plans to attend. We will have more information on how to comment at the meeting.
We are disappointed in the forest services actions. But as I have already said, we are still in this fight! We are not giving up, we are not going away! We need your support but again, we must leave the emotion out and do it in the right manner.
My boss always tell me "if it was easy anyone could do it". Well it is not easy but Southern Four Wheel Drive Association, United Four Wheel Drive Associations, and Blue Ribbon Coalition in this for the long haul!
Once again, I thank all of you for supporting Southern and the Rescue Tellico effort. SEE YOU AT GOLDEN MOUNTAIN
Gary
FROM: Gary Parsons, President Southern Four Wheel Drive Association
Today the USDA Forest Service released the Environmental Assessment concerning the Upper Tellico Off-Highway Vehicle Area and are seeking comments on the actual Environmental Assessment and a temporary closure of the area effective April 1st, 2009 for resource protection.
The actual communication from the forest service is as follows:
An Environmental Assessment (EA) for the long-term management of the Upper Tellico OHV System. You may download a copy of the EA and related graphics at http://www.cs.unca.edu/nfsnc/tellico. If you would like to receive a paper copy of the EA, please e-mail your request to: comments-southern-north-carolina@fs.fed.us or call (828) 257-4817, and one will be mailed to you. For questions concerning the project or the EA contact Candace Wyman, Project Coordinator, at 828-257-4816.
2. A temporary closure of the Upper Tellico OHV System for resource protection, effective April 1, 2009. This closure would prohibit possession or use of a motorized vehicle on a road or trail within the Upper Tellico OHV System, with the exception of highway-legal vehicles on 420-1 and certain other exceptions described in the closure order until a final project decision is implemented.
As you know Southern Four Wheel Drive Association, United Four Wheel Drive Associations, and Blue Ribbon Coalition have spearheaded the Rescue Tellico effort and with your help as members have led the fight to keep the area open.
A joint announcement concerning the EA is in the process of being released for all three organizations, SFWDA, United and BRC but as president of Southern I wanted you to hear a message from me letting you know that while the news we received today is not want we wanted to hear, this is not the end. We are still in this fight!.
But we must do it with cool heads and not let our emotions take over.
Comments made to the forest service must be constructive in nature and relevant to the Environmental Assessment and the proposed April 1st temporary closure.
The contact information for the forest service for you to receive a copy of the EA is listed above but as taken from the forest service communication the alternatives being proposed are as follows:
The following is a brief description of the alternatives analyzed in detail in the EA. Please refer to the EA, Chapters 2 and 3, for more information about each alternative.
Alternative A is the “no action” alternative that reflects the existing trail system with 2007 management and funding levels.
Alternative B is the “proposed action” that was released in June 2008 for public comment. It was developed to address the problems initially identified in trail condition surveys conducted in 2007-2008.
Alternative C closes the OHV System, but maintains over 10 miles of existing Forest system roads in the area, open year-round or seasonally, to provide for public highway-legal vehicle access for hunting, fishing and other recreation uses. It was developed in response to public concerns that the proposed action (Alternative B) did not go far enough in eliminating trails on sensitive soils and trails near water.
Alternative D was developed in response to public concerns that the OHV Trail System should meet current trail density and challenge level standards, and not require a Forest Plan amendment.
Alternative E was developed in response to public concerns that the proposed action (Alternative B) would eliminate too many high challenge OHV experiences.
Alternative F was developed in response to public concerns that the proposed action (Alternative B) would eliminate too many OHV trail miles.
The forest service claims that the OHV area has extensive damage and contributes to unacceptable levels of sediment into the Tellico River. The Rescue Tellico's own independent scientific study reveals that these claims are not true and the OHV area is not, I repeat, not having adverse effect on the Tellico River. See www.sfwda.org for that study. So the fight is on. We are gearing up to resume the lawsuit, but we must get through the comment period first, then see what the Forest Service concerning the area is. In other words we have to do it the right way.
We have 30 days from today February to get our comments in.
I cannot stress enough the need for your commenting to the forest service on these issues. We have said all along that it would be a tough fight but the continuance of being to enjoy Upper Tellico is more at risk that ever.
The first quarter meeting is Saturday March 7th at Golden Mountain near Sparta, TN. Details are on the web site. Please make your plans to attend. We will have more information on how to comment at the meeting.
We are disappointed in the forest services actions. But as I have already said, we are still in this fight! We are not giving up, we are not going away! We need your support but again, we must leave the emotion out and do it in the right manner.
My boss always tell me "if it was easy anyone could do it". Well it is not easy but Southern Four Wheel Drive Association, United Four Wheel Drive Associations, and Blue Ribbon Coalition in this for the long haul!
Once again, I thank all of you for supporting Southern and the Rescue Tellico effort. SEE YOU AT GOLDEN MOUNTAIN
Gary
