Organized Event: Jeep Miller closure Everyone take action!

[New2image]

From a email from Terry Work Pres Pt Mugu 4x4

Everyone I received a call today from Amy Granat that it was found out today that Miller Jeep trail & Lockwood Valley are on a new list for closure - and while this is a "used" trail it is list due to outher non used trails that connect What is needis for everyone to email John Stewart tonight and let him know that we oppose this closure! the Meeting is tomorrow and our input is needed now!
Orginal email from Amy:

Looking over the scoring in advance of the meeting Thurs is depressing. If they get into prioritizing the system trails for closure we stand to lose some of the best trails on the MPRD. Near the top of the hit list are:
jstewart@cox.net or
Snowy 19W04
Halfmoon-Kinkaid/ Piru Creek 20W07
Arrastra - 20W05
Miller Jeep/Lockwood Valley - 20W06

and these are just a few. It's really confusing because you have to track down every route on the list and then find it on the map and the route numbers aren't always consistent with older maps.There isn't much to do at this point because it's a "consensus agreement" and part of the stipulated settlement. I'm hoping they stick to non-system routes, but I've been concerned about the terms of the agreement from the beginning because they include system routes. This is far worse than a wilderness bill ( they usually leave established OHV routes alone) and far worse than Travel Management ( they did not look at system routes).

I confess I don't know what trails the other routes, but we need to get the message out to John that there is no compromise on the Miller, and the best people to do this are the clubs and club members who value the trail. Please send this out to everyone you know who is involved, and perhaps contact Mark to make sure he understands the importance of this trail to the Southern District.

John's contact info:
John Stewart
Natural Resources Consultant - South

Telephone: 619-390-8747

Thanks everyone

[RAT]

Holy crap, will this never end? Ya'll better git on the horn and start doing what needs to be done. You have the info in the post above. Start calling. be respectful, to the point, and don't give up.

[troyboy162]

email sent for info....

whats the back story here? i dont really understand the first post other then someone wants to close miller jeep trail

[New2image]

a reponse to my email

Rick:


Thank-you for your email.


For starters, I am well aware of theMiller-Lockwook Trail and its importance to OHV recreation.


Next, there is an apparent misunderstanding as to what is happening.


First, go back a few years to when the California Attorney General filed suit against the Southern California Enterprise Forest Plan that covered the Los Padres, Angles, San Bernardino, and Cleveland NFs.


At that time, BlueRibbon Coalition brought together a coalition (AMA D36 and CA4WDC) to file as intervenors. At that time, NO OTHER group was interested in joining the lawsuit.


As a result of the litigation, a "settlement" was reached and the decision was announced in fall of 2010. That settlement called for the litigant parties to establish a collaborative team to determine a list of routes within Inventoried Roadless Areas for decommissioning and closure action. And, all proposed actions are to be subjected to a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for final disposition.


That team has been meeting since April. The result of the team discussions has been to establish a means of providing a "score" to the routes based on resource issues and access potential. I have participated in each team meeting.


A number of issues have arisen trying to work through that process. Most important, the quality (and quantity) of data held within Forest Service records. Basically, there are a number of glaring holes in the Forest Service data. Many of the routes on the list (over 2,700) have no data points at all.


Of these routes, virtually all of them are segments. Some segments join system designated routes. Other segments join with an isolated system designated route.


Throughout this process, I have pushed to include all routes within the Forest Service records knowing full well that some will be system designated routes. As I know that some of the segments are classified as Unknown or Non-System actually are part of a designated system, I wanted to ensure that the segments were treated as part of an existing system route and the data is actually a mis-classification within the Forest Service records.


Keep in mind, the team direction is to develop a list of routes for further disposition action. NO ACTION will be taken based on the results of the team collaborative process. All actions are subject to NEPA analysis where the final disposition of the route segment will be to keep it as it is an integral part of the existing route system or decommission it.


Keep in mind that the wilderness bill for the Los Padres NF being proposed by Rep Galegly encompasses several if the Inventoried Roadless Areas which will also have an impact on the Miller-Lockwood Trail.


There is a high level of interest by the environmental community in the Los Padres NF; especially the area due west of Hungry Valley SVRA.


The final result of the collaborative team process will be a list of routes for action. At this point in time, routes that have a system designation (Forest Service route number) will be omitted from the priority list. However, there may well be a segment of that "designated" trail has is listed as Unknown or Non-System. My hope is that those segments will be easy to resolve as part of the existing trail system

[RAT]

So does someone need to go out and gather information on these routes and segments? What can we do besides emailing and calling to help resolve the issue? If so, what type of info? GPS coords, conditions, amount of travel?

[dirtman13]

So does someone need to go out and gather information on these routes and segments? What can we do besides emailing and calling to help resolve the issue? If so, what type of info? GPS coords, conditions, amount of travel?

On our way back from Fordyce?

[mrchips]

I called,,,,, left message and sent e-mail. Passed it on to my fellow club members.

[Mike]

It sounds like they are in the forming stages of the same Route Designation Program that caused us to lose portions of Cleghorn, Lightning Ridge, and other trails in the SBNF. The number one lesson that I got from the process was that it is REALLY important to fight for what you want at the beginning of the process. The FS seems to listen to the voices that they hear, but they hear from a lot of voices. The quieter the OHV community, the more roads disappear. We have to tell them what we want and it needs to be told to every venue possible. The FS does not communicate well inside of itself.