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ONE BUSY SUMMER
Gary Wilkinson
 
  I hope this newsletter finds all of you looking back on a great summer and looking forward to the fall and winter riding seasons. Here in Colorado we have had our first real snowstorm and, along with the fall colors, it makes for some magnificent sights.  We apologize for not keeping in better touch with you this summer and want to bring you up to speed on what has been going on. As our membership closes in on 400, we are more committed than ever to continue working to support responsible OHV use.
For a little over a year, we have been working on our proposal to the USFS for the forest plan revision as it relates to OHV use. I am happy to say that the document, which was prepared with the help of about 25 dedicated volunteers who spent in excess of 1,200 hours is in final production. It will be the cornerstone of our efforts as we work with the public land managers, other user groups, and project planners. It is our goal to not only maintain our current riding areas but to increase the OHV opportunities on the San Juan National Forest.  We are working on a plan to unveil this document to the public land managers, and possibly to include a public unveiling as well. In addition, it is our intent to make it available to our membership on the website. Look for details at www.sanjuantrailriders.org. Please take the time to read it over and commit to being a part of the process to insure our right to ride.
The Hermosa Creek drainage sign grant program is well on its way to completion.  As conceived, the project will help all trail users to have a more satisfying experience no matter what mode of travel they choose. In addition, it should keep all trail users safer and hopefully eliminate conflict. The approximately $82,000 grant was to cover the design and installation of 34 signs in the Hermosa drainage, including a gateway sign located at the trailhead campground, two trailhead signs on either end of the Hermosa trail and over 30 signs at key intersections. The project is being spearheaded by San Juan Trail Riders past President Dale Hoover, along with the efforts of several SJTR members, the Back Country Horsemen and with the cooperation of the USFS. Most of the signs will be in the ground this fall with graphic panels and plaques installed. The remainder will be installed next spring.
We are also continuing to work with our neighbors and SJTR members to the south on BLM issues. As you will see by reading Bob Hormell’s update, we have GPS'd several hundred miles of trail and will continue to add miles to the trail inventory. The Saul’s Creek/HD Mountain area, which has over 100 miles of trail and is managed by USFS and BLM is also on our radar screen. Don Short’s article gives the update on that project. Thanks to all of the SJTR members who are involved on these issues.
San Juan Trail Rider members in the Telluride area did a great job of rallying support from our friends at COHVCO and Blue Ribbon Coalition. After an exhausting schedule of meetings and correspondence, both Imogene and Black Bear passes were reopened to OHV use. In addition, with the assistance of private landowner Glenn Pauls, Ophir pass was also reopened to OHV’s.
We have also fulfilled our obligation to the USFS as part of the Adopt-a-Trail program by clearing more than 100 miles of trail of last winters’ downfall. We appreciate and enjoy the opportunity to continue working with Don Kelley on the Columbine District, and Penny Wu on the Dolores District.
The one area that we fell short on was sponsoring fun events. We desperately need someone to manage the fun part of our organization. We actually lost one of our board members last year because he felt we weren’t spending enough time on the fun stuff. The bottom line is that there is more and more pressure every year to close public land to OHV’s and, with our limited manpower, we fell that we have no choice but to spend the bulk of our time on land issues. We would like nothing better than to have a full ride schedule next year. It is my hope that one or more of you members would take the lead in this area. I would, once again, like to thank all of the members for your support and remind you that for our club to continue to succeed, we all have to work together on every issue that confronts us. Now let’s go ride!

THE GOODS ON THE WOODS
Don Short

It has been a busy year for projects and keeping up with the various travel management issues through out the San Juan National Forest. I know that many SJTR members have spent a lot of time going to meetings, preparing documents and keeping an eye on what may be the next issue. We have worked with other organizations on their projects and they, in turn, are helping us with ours. Here’s an update on what I’ve been involved with lately:
I have been working with people from the San Juan Citizens Alliance, San Juan National Forest, the Backcountry Horsemen, and other SJTR members. We have met several times to discuss the Sauls Creek, HD Mountains, Spring Creek and the Fosset Gulch areas. A document that states our position of OHV use within the San Juan National Forest is being drafted. Part of this document concerns the areas mentioned above, which are currently under an environmental impact study. We have been inventorying both existing and proposed trails using a GPS unit to support our document, as well as to share with the Forest Service personnel. The Forest Service met with us regarding this information and has included our input on travel management of this area. A map was developed with these existing and proposed trails and has become a starting point for the area. Bill Shaw, Mike Lee and I met with the groups I mentioned above on two different occasions to discuss the issues in the area. This map showed the HD Mountains as road less, the lower end of Sauls Creek as motorized and the upper end non-motorized with a few designated trails. Spring Creek and Fosset Gulch would include the trails we have inventoried and would be classified as designated trails and roads only. Our response to this plan is that with the Pine/Piedra Stock Drive could be used as a connecting trail to Saul’s Creek, Spring Creek, Fosset Gulch and Beaver Meadows. In our opinion it could be used as a backbone to disburse the OHV use in one particular area. This trail would need work in some areas due to erosion and grade of the trail. There is also another trail that follows the fire line which is being heavily used by ATV’s and has similar grade and erosion problems. This particular trail starts in the Saul’s Creek area and climbs to the top of the HD Mountains and is an amateur-to-expert trail, as is the Pine/Piedra Stock Drive. Within the HD’s, these two trails are the only major trails that exist. However, the opposition feels that both trails were not intended for motorized use and the area should be classified as road less. The other concern is the lower part of Saul’s Creek is almost completely surrounded by private land and doesn’t offer much of a trail system. I was able to ride all the trails in the area that would be designated as OHV in about an hour. They were fun and a good place for beginners but the area could become overused and, due to the proximity to private land, the possibility of complaints would exist which could also result in closure. The upper end of Saul’s Creek butts up against the HD’s and the private land is mostly to the north, however the trail system isn’t as developed in this area.
So where does this leave you and me? In my last conversation with Forest Service personnel, the Saul’s Creek area is still in the comment stages and they want to include the Town of Bayfield and the local land owners in the process. So if you have any interest in the area, you need to show up to these meetings and make your voice heard. Concerning the other areas, we will have more opportunities to find out the proposed status and to persuade the Forest Service to keep the existing trails open to OHV use. Due to the pressure by the oil and gas industry, the Forest Service would like to finish up this EIS by the end of the year, so not much time is left. If you like these areas and want to be able to ride them in the future contact the Forest Service and make your opinion known. Remember, numbers do count and those opposed to OHV recreation and working hard to close all the areas they can. I can be reached at 884–3228 if you need more information. Thanks and keep riding!

Don Short and Kevin Short installing trail signs

The U.S. Forest Service's final rules governing off-highway vehicles in national forests rely heavily on shared planning of consistent regulations by forest officials, environmentalists, the public and off-highway vehicle users.

"Our goal is to improve opportunities for off-highway vehicles and assure the best care of the land," Forest Service chief Dale Bosworth told reporters Wednesday in a national telephone news conference. "We support this recreational use, but it needs to be carefully managed to benefit future generations."

Bosworth was joined in answering questions by Jack Troyer, the forester for the agency's intermountain region.

Under the new rules:

• Trails and areas available to motor vehicles in each national forest must be specifically designated.

• The class of vehicle and time of year for use must be specified.

• Each national forest must develop regulations for off-highway vehicles within four years. State, local and tribal governments will participate in setting these standards in the various national forests.

The proliferation of off-road vehicles has created hundreds of miles of unplanned paths, causing erosion and degradation of water quality and allowing the introduction of non-native plants. Bosworth has called "unmanaged recreation" one of the four biggest problems for his agency, along with the increase in invasive non-native species, urban encroachment on open space and overgrown forests that contribute to wildfires.

Bosworth said Wednesday that the number of off-highway vehicles in the country increased from 5 million in 1972 to 51 million in 2004. In Colorado, the Parks and Recreation Department registered 11,700 all-terrain vehicles and dirt bikes in 1990. In 2003-04 (the year runs from April 1 to March 31), the number had risen to 88,988. Snowmobiles aren't included in the count.

The final rules governing off-highway vehicles will become official 30 days after they are published in the Federal Register , which could occur this week.

Four assumptions, Bosworth said, underlie the planning process:

• Demand for outdoor recreation will increase.

• Off-highway vehicle use is a legitimate recreational use.

• Areas for off-highway vehicle recreation will be determined locally.

• Air and water quality will benefit from the work.

The Forest Service spends from $15 million to $35 million a year on "travel management." Officials anticipate they can tap funds from wildlife or soil and water sources once regulations for a national off-highway vehicle program are in place. Bosworth and Troyer said user-group participation in designating areas open to off-highway vehicles will foster self-policing, resulting in more compliance with rules than enforcement by authorities.

"Off-highway vehicle users want to do the right thing," Bosworth said. "A collaborative approach on the local level will dictate the outcome, and the new rules will make it easier."

Please take a minute and renew your membership with SJTR, if it is due. If you have any questions regarding your membership, give me a call at Handlebar Cycle: 970-247-0845.

A warm welcome to our newest members:

Michael Trumble, Norm Pope, Mark Crom Family,
Dan Henschel, Larry Kleinschmidt, Paul Smith,
Steve Vanatta, Bob Shepard, Greg Pope,
Jeff Slavens, Kayo Folsom, David Vanyo Family,
Kenny Irwin Family, Clarence Saint, Luke Mason
Brett Baughfman, Bob Schaefer.

OHV Recreation on Public Lands in SW Colorado
A commentary by Dale Hoover
 
Recently there has been much public outcry against OHV recreation on public land. Radically minded opponents to OHV recreation consistently cite the random, high profile, but nonetheless regrettable acts of illegal and senseless damage caused by OHVers as reason to eliminate OHVs from public land. Arguments for eliminating OHVs are often rife with personal bias and prejudice, which, by definition turns a blind eye toward the overarching issues and facts. The result is a series of highly emotional, often inaccurate or irrelevant sound bites that only serve to rile emotions and mislead the community as a whole, rather than solve the core problems. Here are a few facts worthy of consideration in this debate:
1) Public land such as National Forest and BLM land is to be managed for the public. The public is made up of a wide variety of individuals, each with unique expectations for their experience on public land, and preferences on how public land should be managed. The vision we individually hold for public land does not always coincide with those of our fellow citizens. Nor do our individual ideals necessarily coincide in other areas of our daily lives. Yet we all manage to generally live and work together in relative harmony. Why not on public land?

2) The San Juan National Forest is roughly 2 million acres. Approximately 500,000 acres (25%) are dedicated to wilderness or special management areas protected against development, extractive industries, mechanized recreation, etc. Another 35% of the San Juan National Forest is currently "zoned" as closed to motorized recreation, totaling approximately 1.2 million acres available to those individuals who wish to avoid coming in contact with OHV recreationists.

3) The San Juan National Forest contains approximately 1,250 miles of system trails. Roughly 1,000 miles are designated as closed to motorized recreation (including 400 miles in wilderness or special management areas); while 250 miles (20% of system trails) are designated as open to motorized recreation.

4) In Southwest Colorado, 49% of all trail users ride ATVs or trail motorcycles, which far exceed national and state percentages. By comparison, 18.6 percent of Americans over the age of 16 ride either ATVs or trail motorcycles. In Colorado as a whole, 26.7% of citizens over the age of 16 ride ATVs or trail motorcycles.

5) In Colorado, OHVers directly contribute $2 million annually to trail planning, management, repair and construction projects through State Parks grants funded through the OHV registration program. No other recreational user group is as financially self-sustaining. Resident and non-resident households participating in OHV recreation in Colorado (ATVs and trail motorcycles) contributed nearly $200 million to the state economy in 2000.

6) Every recreational user group contains individuals who inadvertently create resource damage. Personal experience shows that nearly every popular trail on the San Juan Public Lands — wilderness, motorized, or other — suffers from over use and lack of maintenance. Every area of the San Juan National Forest suffers from poor signage, inconsistent communication of travel management, and outdated recreation management, which leads to lack of control in the field, and the degradation of individual expectations.

7) Every recreational user group contains some individuals who willfully damage our precious natural resources by ignoring existing regulations and laws, and disregarding conventional trail etiquette and common sense. For example, some defiant hikers deface or destroy "motorized allowed" signs; some outfitters leave tons of trash; equipment and food stuffs in the wilderness; some jeepers drive off established roads and damage sensitive alpine areas; some hikers with unrestrained dogs menace wildlife and other recreationists; some hunters leave their campsites ravaged when the season is done; some OHVers see fit to tear off across a wet meadow; some mountain bikers terrorize hikers and horsemen; someone in every group cuts switchbacks, leaves litter, and more. There are countless examples of wanton disrespect for our unique Southwest Colorado environment by locals and visitors alike, for which we all bear the burden. No user group has a clean record on this front. We all have our bad apples.

What to take from all of this? Certainly it is time for everyone to take a fresh and objective look at managing recreation on public land as a whole, try to better understand the growth of recreation in general, and key-in on the dynamics between the various user groups. The new San Juan Public Lands Revised Plan, currently being developed, is intended to accomplish this.

But more importantly, the above facts and statistics show that in Southwest Colorado, where outdoor recreation is nearly a religion, insufficient resources have been applied to the management of recreation on the whole, but woefully so with respect to OHV recreation management. A conflict arises? Close the trail to OHVs…again, rather than addressing the root issues.

Current statistics prove OHV recreation is one of the largest sectors of the local recreational picture, but it has been distinctly underrepresented with respect to opportunities on local public lands. This leads to an over concentration of use in fewer areas, riding cross country rather than on trails, creating more and more damage and more conflicts between users.

How do we empower our public lands managers with this growing challenge? Their mandate to "manage public lands for the public" is clear, but they lack the resources to effectively carry out their mandate. Operating budgets are cut every year, which means less and less time and manpower available for developing sustainable plans that reflect the dynamic nature of our western public lands. It means less manpower with the specialized training required to design, build or reroute trails that are engineered specifically for today's needs and to minimize the need for constant maintenance. It means less time and manpower to educate the growing population of recreationists on recreational ethics and travel management regulations. And finally, it means less manpower to effectively enforce regulations and laws to bring offenders under control.

Who funds the management of our public lands? Congress. How do you change the status quo? First, make sure our public lands officials understand the importance of this issue; they must make it a priority and they must dedicate an appropriate level of resources to fixing the problems. Then, write to your congressman and get them to focus on this growing issue in western states, and insist they devote the funds to allow our local land managers to do their jobs. The need is clear. There is too much at stake. The public demands planful and equitable access to public lands. We must insist that congress provides the resources for the public lands managers to fulfill their obligation to the public.

Finally, just like other areas of our society, when it comes to recreation on public land, all of us must work together, respect each other's rights, and vigorously enforce laws that protect the natural resources we all enjoy. All of us need to be self-policing. We all need to be better stewards of our public lands. But there must be a place in our community for responsible OHV recreation.

Sources: San Juan Public Lands Center; "Profile of Tourism and the Outdoors," by Colorado State Parks, July 2004; "Economic Contribution of Off-Highway Vehicle Use in Colorado," by Colorado Off-Highway Vehicle Coalition, July 2001; "Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation in the United States, Regions and States," by USDA Forest Service, June 2005.

San Juan Trail Riders Director-at-large Mark Zink is shown below conducting field testing on Abu Dhabi’s newest entry into the OHV market!

San Juan Trail Riders Bring Spirit of Cooperation among all Trail Users to Hermosa Creek Education & Sign Project.

For those who are due for renewal, there will also be a renewal form included inside this newsletter. We have a lot of members who are past due to renew and we don’t want to lose track of you! Call me if you have any questions about your membership.