San Bernardino NF Travel Plan Mtgs

[karstic]

The San Bernardino National Forest has an established, designated system for Off Highway Vehicles (OHV) and other motorized vehicle use. In compliance with the new Travel Management Rule, the Forest is proposing several changes to its motorized travel system. The Forest Service (FS) will be hosting a series of four open house meetings during the month of February.

Your comments will help refine the proposal and develop alternatives which will assist the Forest Supervisor in making an informed decision. You can provide written comments at the workshops or send them to the contact listed below. Your comments will be most effective in helping develop alternatives if they are received by February 23, 2007.

To hear more about this project, and see maps of the proposed routes, please attend one of the open house meetings listed below. If you need assistance with special needs for these meetings, please contact Richard Thornburgh at 909-382-2642 (voice), 800-877-8339 (TTY), or [email protected].

Schedule for the Open Houses:

Thursday, February 15, 2007 7:00 - 9:00 pm
San Bernardino National Forest Supervisor's Office
602 S. Tippecanoe
San Bernardino, CA.

Tuesday, February 20, 2007 7:00 - 9:00 pm
Holiday Inn
9750 Keystone Point
Hesperia, CA

Wednesday, February 21, 2007 7:00 - 9:00 pm
Idyllwild Fire Station
54160 Maranatha Drive
Idyllwild, CA

Thursday, February 22, 2007 7:00 - 9:00 pm
Hootman Center
2929 Running Springs School Road
Running Springs, CA

If you have additional questions about this project contact, Richard Thornburgh, Environmental Coordinator, at (909) 382-2642. A detailed proposed action with maps is available on the Forest's website at: http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/sanbernardino/projects/ohv.shtml.

Please send your written comments to: Richard Thornburgh, Supervisor's Office, 602 S. Tippecanoe, San Bernardino, CA 92408. You may also e-mail comments to: [email protected]th the words "Route Designation" in the subject line.

 

[rpraterxj]

I wished I lived close enough and had the time to go to all 4 of these. I plan on writing in and providing my "wisdom" LOL.

I truly enjoy the trails and want to keep them open.

Thanks for posting this!

 

[karstic]

http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/sanbernardino/projects/ohv_map.shtml

The above link has pdf files of each topo quad with the proposed changes. If you can, look at the maps and make comments that address specific changes.

After briefly looking at some of the maps I see changes to John Bull and Cleghorn.

 

[FishPOET]

The area around Pontiac Sluice and Heartbreak Ridge is proposed to be designated as "Wilderness". This means that motorized vehicles would not be allowed. I cannot attend any of the route designation public meetings, so here is a copy of a comment letter that I have sent in. If you would like to keep the route open to motorized vehicles, I would appreciate it if you would attend one of the public meetings or send in a comment. According to the SBNF website, comments can be submitted by mail or email and should be received by March 9. More information about the Route Designation Process can be found here and here
===============================

February 22, 2007

San Bernardino National Forest
ATTN: Richard Thornburgh – OHV Route Designation
602 S. Tippecanoe Avenue
San Bernardino, CA 92408

RE: Route Designation – Heartbreak Ridge (2N61Y)

Gentlemen:

Reference is made to the San Bernardino National Forest Route Designation Project Proposed Action map of Onyx Peak (ONYX_PEAK.PDF)

I recently discovered that the area known as Heartbreak Ridge and Pontiac Sluice (vicinity of 34º13’N 116º42’ W) lies within a zone designated as “RW- Recommended Wilderness” under the 2005 Forest Land Use Plan. The existing OHV route to the summit branches off of 2N61Y and is shown as a dotted line on the map. I presume it would be closed to motorized use once the area is designated as Wilderness.

This is a popular OHV route that provides scenic vistas of Yucca Valley. A memorial to U.S. Marine Corps MAJ Alan Rowe is located at the summit of Heartbreak Ridge, and the logbook at the memorial shows many visits to the memorial each month, year round. The trail has been in use for many years; it is described in Charles Wells “Guide to Southern California Backroads and 4-Wheel Drive Trails” which was published in 2003.

I respectfully request that a corridor be placed around the trail through the proposed “Recommended Wilderness” zone to allow continued motorized access to Heartbreak Ridge. Although it is definitely a black diamond route, the trail to Heartbreak Ridge should be designated for street legal use.

Sincerely,


RUSSELL W. CHUNG

Cc: [email protected]
Cc: [email protected]

 

[FishPOET]

I also sent a letter regarding the Pontiac Sluice but I also included some other areas that I noticed at the Hesperia Open House. My letter is not quite so motivating as yours but it reads as:

"Dear Mr. Richard Thornburgh:

After reviewing the proposed changes to the routes in the San Bernardino National Forest, I have the following requests for changes to the proposed plan:

1. The sections of X2W47 (Cleghorn Trail, Cajon SE and Silverwood SW) that are planned for Rehabilitation should be instead added to the open motorized routes.
2. All of X2W47 should be opened to street legal vehicles. It is a popular trail among people that do not realize that it is currently unauthorized and I am confident that if it were opened for use that the Adopt-A-Trail program would be quickly put in place for this trail.
3. The proposed green sticker trail for X2W33 (Pilot Rock - Silverwood Lake SE) should be opened for street legal vehicles as well.
4. Three unauthorized routes should be made designated street legal routes. These routes are U2034, U2032, and U2043 (Onyx Peak NW - popularly known as the Pontiac Sluice). These routes are suitable for street legal vehicles and the path is such that it should have little effect on the existing wilderness around this area.
5. Do Not allow Green Sticker use of 2N61Y (Heartbreak Ridge - Onyx Peak). Allowing Green Sticker use could encourage unauthorized trails into the existing wilderness bordering the trail. This trail, as with the trail above (#4) should be designated for street legal vehicles only to limit the possibilities of intrusion.

Best Regards,

Mike Anderson"

This process is an excellent and easy way to tell the USFS what we want. They are openly asking us to do so. We can not let this opportunity pass. The Rangers at the meeting were pointing out the closures and were encouraging us to submit comment sheets. They can't change the proposed plan, but we can.

 

[FishPOET]

The US Forest Service is actively asking for feedback on the proposed plan for the users of the trails. It is SOOOOooo easy to do. Just send an email to Richard Thornburgh at these addresses:

[email protected]
[email protected]

The subject line must include "Route Designation" in the text.
Then just tell the USFS what you would like to see that is different than the proposed plan.

There are several things that I noticed that I put in my letter in a previous post. I put it in the terms that the USFS would best understand but I want to tell everyone what I am concerned about in the proposed plan.

Cleghorn's first two side excursions are proposed to be CLOSED, essentially FOREVER!

These are on the trail designated as X2W47. The rest of trail is proposed to be opened but only for green sticker vehicles. We need to ask for street legal vehicles to be included.

The Pilot Rock side trails are being added as Green Sticker only trails as well. This is called X2W33 and we should ask for street legal vehicles to be included in these as well.

Apparently the Pontiac Sluice has never been an authorized trail! The USFS designates the loop as three different unauthorized trails. They are numbered as U2034, U2032, and U2043. As you may note in my letter to the USFS, I also feel that the rest of Heartbreak Ridge should NOT be made open to Green Sticker vehicles.

Gold Mountain's Rock Garden

I had heard a rumor that the rock garden was going to be closed. When I spoke to a Ranger at the Hesperia Open Forum, he specifically told me that it is proposed to be closed. He volunteered this; I did not ask him!

He said to submit a comment sheet asking to keep 3N69A open.

I can not find this route on any of the closure lists from this proposed plan. I can not find the trail on any of the Route Designation maps. The proposed plan does not show any planned changes for the Gold Mtn trail. So I am very confused about how to approach this. I guess the best thing is to submit a comment sheet with the request to keep 3N69A open, like the Ranger said.

Regardless of what you want to happen or think may happen, the proposed plan will close or alter the above trails unless WE send in our comments! PLEASE HELP! It's quick and easy.

 

[FishPOET]

For those of you who want to simply fill your name into an existing letter.....here are 2 links.

http://myjeeprocks.com/reports/2007/02/24/action-2n16y/

http://myjeeprocks.com/reports/2007/02/23/action-3n69a/

It doesn't get much easier than this.

 

[karstic]

The comment period has been extended to March 9.