Save Piute trails

[cutaccross2]

The forest service is now in the phase of excepting comments on routes in the Piutes,Greenhorn ,Breckenridge, and Lake Isabella areas. You need to describe why you want the route open,etc. If you don`t know the route number,go to the Sequoia web site and look at the maps under Route Designations. The following is where to send them and the meetings their going to have.

Send your comments to the following address:

Kern River Ranger District

Attn: Margie Clack

P.O. Box 3810

Lake Isabella, CA 93240

We were looking at scheduling 2 workshops first part of September (one in

Ridgecrest & one in Lake Isabella) but I don't know if they locked in any

dates or not. You might want to contact Cheryl Bauer. She's the

Recreation officer and her phone number is 376-3781.

Take care,

[cutaccross2]

If you don`t know the trail number, you can scroll down a click on the topo

http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/sequoia/projects/ohv_route_designation_strategy/maps/ohv_maps_for_download.html

[Boudroux]

Do you think a general letter stating something to the effect of:

Please keep the the shown existing routes it the XXXXX areas open to OHV use. There needs to be balance etc etc etc?????

Or are you saying that specific routes need to be pointed out in the letter? Between the four maps in the links above the topo map and all the grids in the topo map there must be several hundred trails one would have to look up and name.

[Beyond The Pale]

Is there any info on which trails that the FS wants to close?

[cutaccross2]

The red trails are already in the system. You need to comment on the yellow or orange ones if you can or give a general thing like " trails should loop,this trail is challening, keep all trails,etc. " Other things like allow green stickies on forest roads so people can bail out . Put speed limit on bikes on the roads. Do not improve access to area,keep quads off trail system, preserve this last great network of single track trails.

[Boudroux]

Roger that. I'll be writing a letter.

On a side note. This thread has 85 views and nobody has said if they are going to write a letter. Pathetic. Maybe you should post a link to this in the environmental section as well.

[slowxr]

I'm going to write one. I like the idea of green sticker bikes on forest service roads/speed limits. That seams reasonable.

[EM_rider]

I will also be writing a letter. Since I don't know the area well enough to make comments about specific trails and routes, I'm going to stress the importance of keeping the existing inventory of single track open to motorized recreation. I'd also like to see more and better signage in the Piutes. The signs should indicate the trail/route and specify which routes/trails are open to quads and which are for motorcycles only.

If you like riding in this area and want to help preserve OHV access, then join and support the Stewards of the Sequoia (SOS).

http://stewardsofthesequoia.org/

The SOS is focused on protecting and expanding trails and OHV access on the entire Kern plateau. Given that this area is one of the last regions of epic motorcycle singletrack in CA, it must be protected.

And you can be sure that there are several enviro groups working hard to have this entire area closed to OHV use and declared "wilderness".

[yzwiley]

Are these trails anywhere near the Shirley Meadows Resort? I've never riden down there.

I'm curious because my brother is involved with the ski area. He tells me there are trails at and around the resort. He thinks that I'd have a good time riding from there.

[cutaccross2]

Yzwiley,You might be thinking about the Greenhorn area? The Piutes are too primitive to have a resort. There's a couple of strange hidden away compounds thou.

[yzwiley]

Yzwiley,You might be thinking about the Greenhorn area?

Very good. Thank you for the clarification.

I've yet to ride down there. I've been told that his resort has trails that hook in with a place called Keysville(sp?). I dunno much more about it and was simply wondering if this thread topic concerned the same place.

Good luck in your battles guys. You all might have to go poachin' with your trails as I've had to do with some up here. Just don't get caught though. It's a spendy ticket.

[300TMCer]

I'll be writing a letter.

I rode there last winter for the first time in a LONG time. Too much fun!

Thanks for posting this important information.

Thanks for the tips cutaccross and the SOS info EM-Rider.

[surfdog]

Roger that. I'll be writing a letter.

On a side note. This thread has 85 views and nobody has said if they are going to write a letter. Pathetic. Maybe you should post a link to this in the environmental section as well.

Maybe there are people like me writing letters that don't feel it necessary to inform people on message boards every time I do something that is important to me, my fellow offroaders, and Piute Hounds.

?

[whitcher]

I spoke to the Kern Ranger office about he trail designation plan. Unofficially, there will be two meetings:

Ridgecrest Field Office Wed Sept 13, 6:30 -9pm

Lake Isabella Office Sat Sept 9th

There will be plenty of information posted on the USFS website once the dates are confirmed. There will be press releases. Contacts will be Cheryl Bauer and Brenda Eman(sp?)

There is a trail evaluation form. It is important to fully justify why the trail should stay open in specific quantifiable terms. There will be a link to this form on the website if it isn't there already.

The maps of these areas are very difficult to read. Even trail crews get confused when they are on site! We need all you old Piute hands to help us out here. Also I don't know very many who ride Greenhorn and other areas on the maps. We need people who know these areas to offer support.

Stewards of the Sequoia and other advocacy groups are preparing to respond and have been working with the USFS for 2 years at least on this, probably more. I would suggest working with established groups as it is pretty complicated. We need to get this right. It will affect trail riders for generations to come.

Stay interested, and stay informed!