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La SalsCOMING THIS FALL TO THE LA SAL MOUNTAIN RANGE IN SE UTAH:TRAVEL PLANNING ON FOREST SERVICE OPEN AREAS
The Moab Ranger District of the Manti-La Sal National Forest will be conducting a public process to evaluate the status and need for designated travel routes in seven ‘open’ travel areas in the La Sal Mountain Range just outside of Moab, Utah.This process will determine the future of both quiet and motorized recreation in these areas. The La Sal Mountains are home to diverse wildlife communities, offering cool mountain refuges for many species during the grueling hot summers that are the norm here in red rock country. These mountains also provide Moab with its municipal water supply, and the watershed has been designated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as Moab’s Sole Source Aquifer, noting the high quality of the water that needs little treatment for human consumption. The seven ‘open’ areas are in need of a travel management plan that both prohibits cross country travel and controls the impacts of motorized recreation on the ecosystem. There will be several opportunities for the public to become involved in travel planning (for more information on getting involved in the NEPA process: see "A Citizen's Guide to the National Environmental Policy Act published by the Council on Environmental Quality, Office of the President, December 2007"). Although the Forest Service does not expect to release a Notice of Intent to Conduct Travel Planning until Fall of 2008 (expected September), we encourage you to become involved early in the process. Here’s how: 1. Review the map (downloadable .pdf). Have you ever recreated in any of the seven areas highlighted? 2. If you recall your experiences in any of these areas, consider writing a “pre-scoping” letter to the Forest Service (see details below on ideas to consider when writing your letter). 3. If you choose not to write a pre-scoping letter, contact the Moab Ranger District (125 West 200 South. Moab, Utah 84532, 435-259-7155) and ask that your name and address be added to the list of Interested Persons. You will receive a notice in the mail any time the District is seeking public input for this and other projects. 4. Attend public meetings, open houses and field tours of the area and voice your opinions to the District about your favorite of the seven areas, how and why you recreate there, and what you’d like to see in the future for managing travel there. 5. Write your thoughts down – be as specific as possible – during the public comment process. Pre-Scoping Comments. If you are interested in writing a letter before the formal public process begins, to assist the District in developing its proposal, here are some general guidelines for you to use: Introduction. Provide your name and contact information and affiliation, if any, with a group or business you may represent. Feel free to say that you are writing as a member of Red Rock Forests. Explain how you have an interest in these areas (the areas you visit and what you did there).Public Process. Remind the District that they should engage all stakeholders in the planning process, from those who live in the area to visitors to the Forest. The travel planning process will be better served if the District engages multiple constituencies, including but not limited to both those who enjoy quiet recreation, as well as motorized users. Issues to Cover in Your Letter. The main thing to remember when writing any letter to a public agency about management issues is to be as specific as possible about your experiences. List places by name or general location. State your experiences, good and bad. Describe any situations in which you might have had a positive and/or negative experience while recreating. And feel free to ask questions that you’d like the District to answer through their environmental analysis. Attaching photos and documentation. If you have photos of these areas that show recreational use damage, or you have any information you think might be useful to the District as they conduct their environmental analysis, we encourage you to include them in your letter (if a document is lengthy and published, you may want to consider just providing a reference). Conclusion. Please thank the District for the opportunity to provide public input. In fact, your entire letter should be courteous and factual – while emotion and passion about our public lands is important to us – the District generally does not take these comments into consideration as they would facts and experiences. Ask that your letter be included in the official record of this travel planning process. A more detailed pre-scoping template is available to download (Recommended Travel Planning Process). Thank you for your continuing interest in your public lands in Southeast Utah! Also, here are some additional sources you might want to look at: Fact Sheets: Growth in Utah OHV Registrations Trail and Recreation Preferences in Utah Motorized and Non-Motorized Trails on the Manti-La Sal National Forest User-Created Motorized Trails: Land Use by Default - Not Design Impact of Media on Public Lands ORV Impacts on Water Resources Snowmobiling on Utah's Forests Quiet Recreation on the Manti-La Sal National Forest Manti-La Sal National Forest's Watersheds Vegetation Types on the Manti-La Sal National Forest The Pros and Cons of Travel Management Plans Best Management Practices for Off-Road Vehicle Use on Forestlands - a Guide for Designating and Managing Off-Road Vehicle Routes. http://www.wildlandscpr.org/ORV-BMPs Environmental Effects of Off-Highway Vehicles on Bureau of Land Management Lands: A Literature Synthesis, Annotated Bibliographies, Extensive Bibliographies, and Internet Resources. U.S. Geological Survey. Open-File Report 2007-1353. Off Highway Vehicle Uses and Owner Preferences in Utah (Revised). January 18 2002. Prepared for the Utah Department of Natural Resources Division of Parks by the Institute for Outdoor Recreation and Tourism, Department of Forest Resources, Utah State University, Logan Utah. Professional Report IORT PR2001-02. Six Strategies for Success: Effective Enforcement of Off-Road Vehicle Use on Public Lands. http://www.wildlandscpr.org/six-strategies-effective-enforcement-publication.
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