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I recieved this from a friend, thought Colorado riders should know and maybe try to stop. I hope we are not losing the war for our rights to use U.S. Forest land to ride snowmobiles on. I have copied and pasted the email below. Sorry if this has been posted already.:director:
Subject: Travel Management Plan release
Hello Summit County Snowmobilers,
I am interupting this awesome late season weather to bring you the latest update on the White River Forest Travel Management Plan.
As some of our early club members will remember, we got together and commented on the latest round of the TMP about 2 or 3 years ago. The Forest Service has just released their final version of the plan. Web version here: http://www.fs.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsinternet/!ut/p/c4/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gDfxMDT8MwRydLA1cj72DTUE8TAwjQL8h2VAQAMtzFUw!!/?ss=110215&navtype=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&cid=STELPRDB5297489&navid=091000000000000&position=SubFeature*&ttype=detailfull&pname=White
Highlights for snowmobilers? Well if you like driving to Spring Creek or Montezuma to ride powder, you are in luck. If you like riding the trails in the Swan drainage, you are in luck. Everyone else, you're not going to be very happy next winter.
The prefered alternative when we were commenting was Alt G, it closed several smaller open motorized areas but kept open some motorized areas to ride near the towns. Areas like McCoullough Gulch, below Porcupine Gulch on Tenderfoot, Pennsylvania Creek, and the valleys ofthe Swan off Tiger Road all had open motorized areas. Miners Creek was also open among several others. We commented to keep those areas open but they did not listen. The comments from the Town of Breckenridge and other various non motorized users seemed to carry more weight.
Effective in 45 days, the only open motorized areas for snowmobiles (areas where you can ride off a trail) are out of Montezuma, on Green Mountain Res. or up Spring Creek. The kick in the pants of this plan is the change of designation in Alt GM of several areas from open motorized to motorized restricted. The restricted label means you have to stay on designated winter trails. Why is this the best part of the plan? They did not desinate any winter trails!
Check it out on the Alt GM winter map, open motorized is green, restricted is purple, non-motorized is tan. Only the roads in red are the designated winter routes.
This means, Miners Creek is closed. Porcupine Gulch is closed. Pennsylvania Gulch is closed. Not just the Horseshoe Basin at the top, the entire jeep road from Coronet to Indiana Gulch, including all of Boreas Pass is closed. The entire Ten Mile Range is closed, (both sides, McCullough and Mayflower.)
Yea, sure, but they can't enforce it you say?
If it is not a designated trail, any forest service person or sheriff who catches you coming out of a trail can and will write you a ticket.
It seems Travel Management has done far more damage to our riding areas than the Hidden Gems could have ever hoped for. I will schedule a meeting with Ken Waugh of the Dillon Ranger District early next week. I have already alerted CSA of our disatisfaction, we'll see if there's anything they can do to help. There is an opportunity to apeal the plan, I'll have to ask CSA if that will do any good.
That's all I have for now. I'll keep you posted on any updates.
Rich Holcroft
President, High Country Snowmobile Club
Phone 970-547-0317
Fax 970-453-5834
Cell 970-389-3317
Hlcrft@aol.com
Subject: Travel Management Plan release
Hello Summit County Snowmobilers,
I am interupting this awesome late season weather to bring you the latest update on the White River Forest Travel Management Plan.
As some of our early club members will remember, we got together and commented on the latest round of the TMP about 2 or 3 years ago. The Forest Service has just released their final version of the plan. Web version here: http://www.fs.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsinternet/!ut/p/c4/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gDfxMDT8MwRydLA1cj72DTUE8TAwjQL8h2VAQAMtzFUw!!/?ss=110215&navtype=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&cid=STELPRDB5297489&navid=091000000000000&position=SubFeature*&ttype=detailfull&pname=White
Highlights for snowmobilers? Well if you like driving to Spring Creek or Montezuma to ride powder, you are in luck. If you like riding the trails in the Swan drainage, you are in luck. Everyone else, you're not going to be very happy next winter.
The prefered alternative when we were commenting was Alt G, it closed several smaller open motorized areas but kept open some motorized areas to ride near the towns. Areas like McCoullough Gulch, below Porcupine Gulch on Tenderfoot, Pennsylvania Creek, and the valleys ofthe Swan off Tiger Road all had open motorized areas. Miners Creek was also open among several others. We commented to keep those areas open but they did not listen. The comments from the Town of Breckenridge and other various non motorized users seemed to carry more weight.
Effective in 45 days, the only open motorized areas for snowmobiles (areas where you can ride off a trail) are out of Montezuma, on Green Mountain Res. or up Spring Creek. The kick in the pants of this plan is the change of designation in Alt GM of several areas from open motorized to motorized restricted. The restricted label means you have to stay on designated winter trails. Why is this the best part of the plan? They did not desinate any winter trails!
Check it out on the Alt GM winter map, open motorized is green, restricted is purple, non-motorized is tan. Only the roads in red are the designated winter routes.
This means, Miners Creek is closed. Porcupine Gulch is closed. Pennsylvania Gulch is closed. Not just the Horseshoe Basin at the top, the entire jeep road from Coronet to Indiana Gulch, including all of Boreas Pass is closed. The entire Ten Mile Range is closed, (both sides, McCullough and Mayflower.)
Yea, sure, but they can't enforce it you say?
If it is not a designated trail, any forest service person or sheriff who catches you coming out of a trail can and will write you a ticket.
It seems Travel Management has done far more damage to our riding areas than the Hidden Gems could have ever hoped for. I will schedule a meeting with Ken Waugh of the Dillon Ranger District early next week. I have already alerted CSA of our disatisfaction, we'll see if there's anything they can do to help. There is an opportunity to apeal the plan, I'll have to ask CSA if that will do any good.
That's all I have for now. I'll keep you posted on any updates.
Rich Holcroft
President, High Country Snowmobile Club
Phone 970-547-0317
Fax 970-453-5834
Cell 970-389-3317
Hlcrft@aol.com
