January 2009

Fix it or Pay Up: Regional Water Board goes after pollution on Rubicon Trail

Created by Sarah Peters on January 28, 2009

The Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board is threatening the county that manages the Rubicon Route with fines if the county doesn't fix severe water quality problems caused by use of the trail.  Segments of the route are experiencing rates of erosion 50 times greater than that of nearby logging roads, causing problems for downstream trout populations and other water users.  Fines would be $10,000/day per violation.

Off-road and off-base

Created by Franklin Seal on January 27, 2009
by Erik Hoffne, guest contributor in The Grist

The Paiute ATV Trail, in central Utah's Fishlake National Forest, and adjacent BLM land comprise a network of roads and "motorized trails" that have been linked and promoted for off-road vehicle recreation by public lands agencies. The routes range from custom-designed ATV-only tracks to paved roads through small towns. The majority of the trail uses ordinary dirt roads on federal public lands, sharing them with general traffic.

Sapphire Wilderness Study Area on Google Earth

Created by Adam Rissien on January 19, 2009

In an effort to familiarize people with the Sapphire Wilderness Study Area, Wildlands CPR created a virtual tour that follows two popular trails within the WSA: the Chain of Lakes Trail #39, and part of Tr. #313 following the border between the Bitterroot and Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forests.

When the Sapphire WSA was established in 1977, these were single track trails that now have become double track routes either through continued use, or in the case of Tr.#39, purposely widened by the Forest Service to accommodate off-road vehicles. 

Bitterroot National Forest 2008 Monitoring Results

Created by Adam Rissien on January 19, 2009

As part of the Bitterroot Quiet Use Coalition (BQUC), Wildlands CPR created an end-of-year presentation highlighting our findings, while also providing a full report available for download. To see the presentation simply follow this link to our resources page: BQUC 2008 Monitoring Presentation.

Off Road Area Closed in Eastern Oregon Due to Resource Damage

Created by Sarah Peters on January 15, 2009

Grizzly Bears Win in the Flathead National Forest

Created by Sarah Peters on January 13, 2009

Swan View Coalition, Friends of the Wild Swan, and Wildlands CPR won a victory in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals against the Flathead National Forest in a dispute over road management. The Forest is required by its managment plan to maintain areas for grizzly bear where motorized travel is restricted, and where when the needs of griz conflict with other management options, the griz win. 

Timber Firm Drops Road-Use Request

Created by wildlandscpr on January 12, 2009
Timber Firm Drops Road-Use Request
Deal With Forest Service Raised Concern

By Karl Vick
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 6, 2009; Page A03

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 5 -- A controversial U.S. Forest Service plan that would have made it easier to build houses in Western mountain forests was dropped Monday when the nation's largest private landowner abruptly backed off the request that sparked the issue.

USFS skips a chance to do things right

Created by wildlandscpr on January 8, 2009

As run in High Country News' Writers on the Range and picked up by the East Oregonian and the Prescott Read It News.

Victory! Plum Creek Drops Easement Change

Created by Bethanie Walder on January 6, 2009
I slept in after a quiet and lovely New Year’s Eve. I was planning an equally pleasant morning, only to find myself practically cursing the new year when I opened the paper. Above the fold was a huge headline with Undersecretary of Agriculture Mark Rey’s proclamation that he would complete the renegotiation of road easements with Plum Creek Timber Company before leaving office at the end of the month.

Green jobs needed in rural areas, too

Created by wildlandscpr on January 5, 2009
As published in The Missoulian