Shameless Self Promotion Department Del and Stacie Albright are hosting a unique and fun way to raise awareness and support for BRC's efforts. Check it out: JOIN US for the fun, the adventure and the landuse! http://blogs.4wheeloffroad.com/6757210/off-road-events/trail-access-part... More shameless promotion....This time we're shamelessly promoting the website update over at California Association of 4WD Clubs (a.k.a "Cal 4 wheel") http://www.cal4wheel.com/ First... the good news:
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Shameless Self Promotion Department More shameless promotion....This time we're shamelessly promoting the website update over at California Association of 4WD Clubs (a.k.a "Cal 4 wheel") First... the good news: Now, the bad news: In April of 2010 BRC, the Motorcycle Industry Council, the Specialty Vehicle Institute of America and Montana user groups were celebrating a landmark legal victory in a lawsuit challenging the Lewis and Clark National Forest (LCNF) 2007 Travel Management Plan. A federal court in Montana agreed with our claims that the LCNF violated federal law. The central theme of the decision was that the Plan was more restrictive than any of the alternatives vetted during the public review process. The Court found that the Forest's final decision "reduced total motorized routes by nearly thirty percent from the most restrictive Draft EIS alternative. It also closed several routes which were not identified for closure in any DEIS alternative." The Court also struck down the agency's treatment of off-route travel for dispersed camping. The Draft Environmental Impact Study (DEIS) portrayed as an element common to every alternative a 300-foot-wide allowance, which was already in place in the Forest since 2001. In the Final EIS, and thus without the opportunity for further public input, this was altered to a "vehicle-plus-trailer-length" allowance in every alternative. Sadly, a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals has reversed that ruling finding the U.S. Forest Service did not violate the law when it strayed beyond the range of alternatives proposed in a draft environmental impact statement, as long as the plan differed in only minor ways from one of the alternatives and was “somewhere within” the range of alternatives proposed. I don't want to say too much about this because BRC and the other recreational groups are evaluating our options. Needless to say... stay tuned! Read about the decision: Little Belt travel plan restricting vehicles ruling upheld More Montana newsclips Colorado BLM plan for Colorado balances oil-and-gas uses with conservation BLM land plan for NW Colorado displeases enviros, energy interests Settlement talks put Lenado snowmobile suit on hold Here's a letter to the editor from Ed Marston, from High Country News, about a land trade in W. Colorado Developers block Forest Service road near Edwards BLM issues final decision for Little Snake management plan Udall’s ski area summer-use bill passes the House Idaho BLM offering reward for info leading to arrest of those who vandalized old mercury milling site in Owyhee County Iowa Oregon From Eugene Oregon's registerguard.com Earlier this year, Interior Secretary Kenneth Salazar asked governors and congressional representatives across the nation to identify “crown jewels,” natural treasures on Bureau of Land Management lands in their states that should be considered for federal wilderness protection.
Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber took him at his word and recently fired off a wish list to Salazar. Kitzhaber’s requests should receive serious consideration for inclusion in wilderness legislation that the Interior chief plans to submit to Congress in its current session.
New Mexico Washington State Arizona Nevada Elko County officials seek hearing on Forest Service's travel management plan Bonus |
