Bishop - Next phase of forest route plan set to start

4-1-2008

After a busy winter analyzing public comments, the U.S. Forest Service is ready to embark on the next leg of the Inyo National Forest Route Designation-Travel Management program which may ultimately result in the closure of hundreds of miles of roads in the Inyo National Forest.

Concluding a 75-day “scoping” period in which the Forest Service accepted public comment regarding every road in the forest, personnel reviewed approximately 400 comments on forest roads that were received from October to December 2007. The next step for the Forest Service, which along with other national forests in California hopes to complete the Route Designation-Travel Management plan by the end of this year, is providing the public an overview of the submitted comments and the issues raised therein.
That overview will also include a summary of the status of the program and new developments, such as the efforts of a citizens’ group working independently to find agreement on contentious routes – of which there are plenty.
The Route Designation-Motorized Travel Management Plan calls for the inclusion of 2,800 miles of roads and track in the INF’s officially designated road system. So far, the plan has inspired division and public outcry regarding about 900 routes that will be left off the road-system list, rendering them off-limits to motorized use.

Advocates for Access to Public Lands members Greg Weirick, Dave Mattovich and Dick Noles (l-r) hand-deliver 3,600 written comments to the U.S. Forest Service. The Forest Service will be holding a public meeting later this month to discuss the comments received and how it plans to move forward. File photo

A public meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 16 from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Forest Service-Bureau of Land Management Interagency Building on Pacu Lane in Bishop.
“At the meeting the Forest Service will present an overview summary of the comments that were received, the issues raised by the public and alternatives currently being developed to address the issues,” a press release from Project Manager Marty Hornick states.
Those issues have arisen from a number of sources, including private citizens, the Inyo County Board of Supervisors, Bishop City Council and the nonprofit, grassroots organization, Advocates for Access to Public Lands.
Many have voiced concerns over losing roads and trails that have traditionally been used for off-highway vehicle recreation, to get to hunting grounds, or to reach remote locations popular among pine nut gatherers.
“While the Forest Service Inter-disciplinary team is working on developing alternatives that address the various issues raised through the scoping process, a diverse group of local citizens has been meeting independently to work on finding common ground, or areas of agreement, on some of the more contentious routes on the Inyo National Forest,” states the press release.
That group, the Desert Mountain Resource Conservation and Development District, plans to submit its own list of route-specific agreements to the Forest Service within the next few weeks.
The Forest Service plans “to use the group’s input in the formulation of a community based collaborative alternative,” which will be analyzed in the project’s Environmental Impact Statement.
That Environmental Impact Statement will be released some time this summer, at which time another public comment period will be held to gather input.
The Inyo County Board of Supervisors has ensured it has a seat at the table and the ability to work closely with the Forest Service on the Route Designation-Travel Management plan by invoking coordination with the federal agency.
The supervisors will be discussing the county’s next move for the Route Designation-Travel Management program at its meeting today, Tuesday, April 1.
The Forest Service will post a scoping report, including a summary of public comments and issues, on the INF Web site, www.fs.fed.us/r5/inyo/.
The Forest Service will also announce “drop-in dates” at INF ranger stations where Forest Service personnel will be available to discuss and answer questions from citizens regarding the project.
Once the Route Designation-Travel Management process is completed, the Forest Service will begin closing what it determines are excess roads in the INF.
The Route Designation-Travel Management process has been a controversial program throughout the United States.
All national forests across the U.S. are going through the travel management planning process, and in California, most national forests will finish this multi-year process by the end of 2008.