Press Room

RECORD CROWD IN SF BAY AREA SAYS NATIONAL FOREST TRAIL PLAN IS FLAWED

Contacts:

• Don Amador, BRC Western Representative
  • Phone: (925) 625-6287
  • Fax: (925) 625-5309
  • Email: brdon@sharetrails.org
  • Webpage: http://www.sharetrails.org/staff/#DonA

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PLEASANT HILL, CA (August 2)—A record crowd of off-road recreationists and public land users objected to a federal trail plan that threatens to close 75% of off-highway vehicle (OHV) routes on forest lands in the Sierra Nevada. On August 2, over 350 concerned citizens attended a public meeting in Pleasant Hill, California, to review the newly released Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for motorized travel management on the Eldorado National Forest.

Members of the OHV community spoke up in strong protest to the Forest Service's proposed plan to close over 1,000 miles of popular jeep roads and dirt-bike trails.
Trail enthusiasts stated that many of their favorite routes in the remote backcountry would be closed if the Forest Service follows through with this draft plan.

Don Amador, Western Representative for the BlueRibbon Coalition, a national trail recreation advocacy group, stated, "This is certainly the largest OHV access-related meeting in California that I have attended since starting with the Coalition in the early 1990s. The record crowd was informed and highly motivated. It is clear they care deeply about their continued access to and active management of federal forest lands. They also understand that the Eldorado National Forest is just the tip of the route planning iceberg."

"For the last few years, the OHV community has shared concerns about the route inventory and designation process in California. We are particularly concerned, after seeing the Eldorado draft plan, with the value the public has received from more than 8 million dollars of state 'green-sticker' OHV trust funds supposedly applied to this effort," Amador concluded.

At present, public comments on the Eldorado DEIS are due on September 4, 2007. The BlueRibbon Coalition has submitted a formal request for the agency to issue a supplemental EIS to address certain errors in the plan. . A copy of the BRC request may be viewed online at: http://www.sharetrails.org/uploads/PL/FS/SEIS_request_FINAL_08.02.07.pdf

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The BlueRibbon Coalition is a national recreation group that champions responsible use of public and private lands, and encourages individual environmental stewardship. It represents over 10,000 individual members and 1,200 organization and business members, for a combined total of over 600,000 recreationists nationwide. 1-800-258-3742. www.sharetrails.org