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Comment Today on the Bitterroot National Forest Travel Plan
Comment are due by February 29th
Montana's Bitterroot National Forest is proposing to officially designate off-road vehicle use in Wilderness Study Areas, and Roadless lands. Such action will threaten wildlife habitat and backcountry recreation, including hunting and fishing, hiking, camping, cross-country skiing and horseback riding. In addition, the Forest service once again proposes to authorize renegade routes in the Burnt Ridge Area where residents have continually fought to keep their neighborhood free the noise and dust caused by off-road vehicle use.
For years unmanaged motorized use has been allowed to run rampant displacing those of us who seek peace and solitude in the woods as well as harassing wildlife and muddying our streams. Rutted trails, erosion, weeds, and noise and dust are the lasting results from a legacy of mismanagement.
Now is the time, please lend your voice to end the spreading impacts from off-road vehicle abuse. The Forest Service is taking comments on their proposed action and will use them to develop a series of alternatives for their Environmental Impact Statement. The agency will then choose one as their preferred alternative.
Please write today and ask the Forest Service to develop and choose an alternative that:
- Secures our Roadless and Wilderness Study Areas for quiet recreation and wildlife habitat.
- Identifies the minimum road system necessary to meet forest resource needs and opportunities to decommission the excess roads.
- Properly evaluate the year-round impacts of motorized travel on existing roads, trails, and areas with the goal of minimizing conflicts among people and forest resources.
- Designates off-road vehicles use in a manner that can ensure adequate monitoring, enforcement and maintenance.
Comment Instructions and Sample Comments
Comment are due by February 29th and can be sent electronically to:
comments-northern-bitterroot@fs.fed.us
Subject: Travel Planning Comments
Or you can mail them to:
Travel Management Planning Team
Stevensville Ranger District
88 Main St.
Stevensville, MT 59870
For more information go to www.quietusecoalition.org or call the Sierra Club's Missoula field office at 406-549-1142
Dear Travel Management Team,
As someone who loves the peace and solitude provided by our National Forests, I look for quiet, undisturbed areas and avoid places frequented by off-road vehicles, as they kick-up clouds of dust, fill entire drainages with noise, damage wildlife habitat, and degrade water quality. That is why I am writing to urge the Bitterroot National Forest protect our Roadless and Wilderness Study Areas from off-road vehicles, and develop a travel plan that ensures traditional, quiet recreation opportunities. Please only designate motorized recreation in a manner that will protect watersheds, wildlife and not disturb local homeowners.
Non-motorized areas are sources of clean drinking water and wonderful backcountry recreation, including hiking, camping, hunting and horseback riding. They provide a chance to connect with nature and a welcome relief from the sights and sounds of motorized activities. These wild places offer safe harbor for vanishing and imperiled wildlife species and a source of tranquility for the
human spirit.
As motorized recreation increases, so do the negative impacts to our traditional recreation opportunities and wildlife habitat. That is why I am asking the Bitterroot National Forest to develop an official alternative in its upcoming Environmental Impact Statement that will protect our Roadless and Wilderness Study Areas from motorized use, and designate off-road vehicles only on roads where they do not damage our streams, disturb our neighbors or harm our wildlife. Motorized recreation should only be allowed on routes that can be adequately maintained, monitored and enforced.
By developing such an alternative and choosing it as the preferred action, the Bitterroot National Forest will save time and money in managing off-road vehicle use as well as ensure traditional recreation while securing much needed wildlife habitat.
Sincerely,
Your Name and Address
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