Clearwater Briefing Paper

Plan limits motorized use of trails

By ERIC BARKER of the Tribune | Posted: Thursday, January 5, 2012 12:00 am

About 200 miles of trails and more than 1 million acres of the Clearwater National Forest will close to motorized users under a new travel management plan released Wednesday.

Approved by Forest Supervisor Rick Brazell, the plan forbids cross-country travel by most motorized vehicles and requires all-terrain vehicles, motorcycles and full-sized cars and trucks to travel only on roads and trails that are designated for their use.

By Sandra Mitchell

The Winter Wildlands Alliance is at it again, hoping via a lawsuit to set the stage to eliminate motorized winter recreation from Idaho’s public lands.  Their suit alleges that the Forest Service erred in their 2005 Travel Management Rule by not making it mandatory to include over snow vehicles (snowmobiles) when designating routes and areas open to off-road vehicles.  Under this rule each Forest Supervisor decides, based on local use and conditions, whether he or she needs to include winter use in travel plans.  The Alliance says the rule violates an executive order signed in 1972 by Richard Nixon that established policies and procedures for control of off road vehicles on public lands to protect resources, promote safety, and to minimize conflicts among users.

Release Date: Dec 13, 2011

The Palisades Ranger District of the Caribou-Targhee National Forest completed the Caribou Range Mountains Subsection Summer Travel Management Plan Final Environmental Analysis (EA), which develops a clearly defined plan for a mix of trails designed and managed specifically for all—terrain vehicles (ATVs), motorcycles, mountain bikes, and non-motorized uses.  The goal is to create a balanced network of trails that are safe, environmentally sound, affordable to manage and maintain, and responsive to public needs.  The District plans to eliminate the existing designation of “Open for motorized use less than 50 inches wide but NOT RECOMMENDED FOR ATVs” and allow ATVs only on trails designed and designated for ATV use.  The District is also proposing to close all of the Caribou Range Mountains Subsection to off-trail use (cross-country use) by bicycles.  This proposed plan direction will be consistent with the recently completed Big Hole Mountains Subsection Summer Travel Management Plan, which is adjacent to this subsection.  The project area for this Environmental Analysis is located on the Palisades Ranger District in Bonneville County.