Kisatchie national forest Louisiana

[goodburbon]

There are several meetings on the fate of Kisatchie national forest in Louisiana. Attend if you can.


Meeting June 27, 28, 29, 2006

June 27
Holiday Inn Lafayette
6:00 - 8:00 PM
2032 NW Evangeline Thruway
Lafayette, LA

June 28, 2006
Best Western
6:00 - 8:00 PM
2720 West MacArthur Drive
Alexandria, LA

June 29
Minden Community Hous
6:00 - 8:00 PM
Interstection of Bridwell and Gladney Streets,
2 blocks behind Brookshires, on Homer highway
Minden, LA


Show up somewhere if you can, I'm tired of having to drive 6 hours for wheeling.

 

[goodburbon]

Just got back from the meeting. There were no proposed jeep trails in any of the louisiana national forest areas.

It seems that there is a definition issue with the forest service.

OHV Trails are only to be travelled by vehicles less than 50" wide.
Highway legal vehicles are to remain on roads.
therefore any "trail" a jeep is allowed on becomes a "road"
Louisiana state law prohibits the use of OHV's on "roads"
"roads" must be maintained as such, and any "roads" with ruts are "damaging" the soil.

So the forest service has provided lovely gravel roads for the Jeeping community thus far.

Motorcycle enthusiasts complained about the ATV trails being too wide and the ATV ruts being too close to trees, so they get their own trails. Horse riders complained about mountain bikes spooking horses so they get their own trails. Environmentalists and people who want "quiet outdoors" fell in with hunters, complained and they get 2 whole areas year round and one area with a great ATV trail during the most comfortable time of year to ride.

We need to complain, apparently to the right people......and offer up our time and effort to help support and maintain any trails afforded to us.

 

[CRASH]

Sounds like you guys got divided and conquered......that's why Blue Ribbon is good to have around on issues like this, they keep all the OHV users on the same page.

 

[goodburbon]

Sometime back in the late 90's or early 2000's Highway vehicles became prohibited on the land due to severe "damage" to the soil. About 10 miles north is a military bombing/firing range/ practice course for tanks and Humvees. How are jeeps doing more harm?

We're trying to convince the forestry service that a well managed and confined area for Highway vehicles wouldn't be a bad thing. I think their primary concern is sedimentation and runoff, which is why they close some of the ATV trails during the wet season, and during the dry season it is impossible to follow someone at a distance of less than 200 feet because of the dust.

I believe that a well engineered system of wiers could prevent the sedimentation that they are afraid of.

 

[CRASH]

I believe that a well engineered system of wiers could prevent the sedimentation that they are afraid of.

You should get the US Army Corps of Engineers to design that for you....................