 |
|
|
NEWS & OPINION
Public Comments Wanted for Rabbit Ears Pass/Buffalo Pass Environmental Assessment in Colorado
Posted: 7/23/2004
DOWNLOAD A SAMPLE LETTER TO SEND TO THE FOREST SERVICE
The Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest is currently taking public comments on a Winter Recreation Management Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Rabbit Ears Pass and Buffalo Pass areas near Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The full document can be viewed at www.fs.fed.us/r2/mbr/projects/rec/.
The Forest Service is evaluating a total of five options in this EA. Alternative 3 has the fewest impacts to snowmobiling access, but it not totally acceptable since it would also close areas that are currently open to snowmobiles. The alternatives are as follows:
The "No Action" Alternative: maintains the winter "suggested use" boundaries established by a citizen task force. Snowmobile riders are requested to restrict their riding to designated trails within the designated snowcat operating area near Dry Lake and to not operate within the suggested boundaries of the non-motorized areas elsewhere. While not enforceable, 74,543 acres (67.1% of the project area) would be suggested as motorized use area and 31,582 acres would be suggested as non-motorized only use.
Alternative 1: This is the Forest Service's Proposed Action which would formalize (make enforceable) the current winter motorized and non-motorized "suggested use" boundaries that separate uses in selected areas. In the snowcat operating area near Dry Lake, snowmobiles would be required to remain on groomed and designated routes. Snowmobiles would be prohibited on Long Lake and Fish Creek Reservoir since they are a municipal water supply. A total of 74,543 acres (67.1% of the project area) would be designated as "mixed use" area where motorized use is allowed and 31,582 acres would be designated as non-motorized area.
Alternative 2: would expand the non-motorized area to include all of the snowcat operating area near Dry Lake, the Fish Creek drainage and north and east to the Mt. Zirkel Wilderness boundary. Snowmobiles would be restricted to the Buffalo Pass Road through the snowcat operating area and snowmobiling on Long Lake and Fish Creek Reservoir would be prohibited. 4,163 acres in the Muddy Pass Lake area would be closed to snowmobiling to provide a lynx/wildlife protection corridor. A total of 59,453 acres (53.5% of the project area) would be designated as "mixed use" area where motorized use is allowed and 42,517 acres would be designated as non-motorized area.
Alternative 3: would expand the motorized area to open more areas east of the Steamboat Downhill Ski Area to snowmobiles as well as the Soda Mountain area to the north. Snowmobiling on Long Lake and Fish Creek Reservoir would be prohibited. 391 acres in the Muddy Pass Lake area would be closed to snowmobiling to provide a lynx/wildlife protection corridor. A total of 78,857 acres (71% of the project area) would be designated as "mixed use" area where motorized use is allowed and 26,827 acres would be designated as non-motorized area.
Alternative 4: would reduce the amount of motorized area by 1%. The amount of non-motorized area east of the Steamboat Ski Area would be reduced and the amount adjacent to Highway 40 would be increased. Snowmobiles would be required to remain on groomed and designated routes inside the snowcat operating area. Snowmobiling on Long Lake and Fish Creek Reservoir would be prohibited. 1,649 acres in the Muddy Pass Lake area would be closed to snowmobiling to provide a lynx/wildlife protection corridor. A total of 73,824 acres (66.5% of the project area) would be designated as "mixed use" area where motorized use is allowed and 30,653 acres would be designated as non-motorized area.
YOUR HELP IS NEEDED
You may submit written comments to: Winter Recreation Management, Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest, Hahns Peak/Bears Ears Ranger District, 925 Weiss Drive, Steamboat Springs, CO 80847. You may also call the Forest Service at 970-879-1870 to comment or email them at:
comments-rocky-mountain-medicine-bow-routt-hahns-peak-bears-ears@fs.fed.us
The comment deadline is midnight August 30, 2004.
Please take time to contact the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest and let them know that in general you support Alternative 3, but with the following conditions:
- I support formalizing winter motorized and non-motorized boundaries to separate use in selected areas and to make these areas enforceable. However, the final boundaries should be drawn based upon logical, enforceable on-the-ground features rather from simply lines drawn on a map in your office. This will require some of the existing lines to be redrawn.
- The EA fails to properly substantiate why snowmobiles should be banned on Long Lake and Fish Creek Reservoir, so I am opposed to this proposal.
- The Hogan Park area should be designated as a mixed use area. Since it is so remote, it is utilized by a low number of skiers so, therefore, it should not be designated for their exclusive use. At the same time, the openness of this area provides a valuable, highly desirable recreational opportunity for snowmobilers.
- I believe the Green Creek area should be re-opened for snowmobile use.
- I support continuing to allow snowmobiles and the hybrid users to use the groomed sno-cat routes in the Dry Lake area. For the purposes of enforcement, "groomed routes" should be defined as a 100-feet wide corridor.
- I support designating and limiting overnight parking to the Old Columbine parking area or building a new lot for overnights, improving and expanding parking for snowmobilers at Muddy Creek and Dumont Lake, and designating Walton Creek for multi-use parking.
- I am opposed to the proposals that will prohibit snowmobiling unless there is at least 12" of snow on the ground or grooming unless there is at least 18" of snow. Given constantly changing weather and wind conditions and potential variability from one mountain to another, these restrictions are unrealistic, unreasonable and unenforceable.
- I recognize the need to protect the deer and elk winter range south of Steamboat Ski Area and encourage you to legally close this area to all human presence between November 15 and April 15 of each year.
- I support the need for a limited wildlife protection corridor, but only on a trial basis and only as defined by Alt. 3 since it retains snowmobile access to Baker Mountain and Middle Park If monitoring after 5 years does not prove the closure to be effective for wildlife protection, the area should be reopened for motorized recreation.
DOWNLOAD A SAMPLE LETTER TO SEND TO THE FOREST SERVICE
If the sample letter link does not open the document, please right-click on the link and select to save the file to your local computer.
|
|
|
