Idaho Forest service public meeting locally to plan new rules for trail closures URGENT

[CRFrider-northIdaho]

Please attend this meeting to offer some input, because the groups that want to ban us will be there in force like the Spokane Mountaineering Club.

Go this website to get the information and to RSVP yourself a spot. Please show up. http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/projects/planning.shtml

The Forest Service is revising the regulations used to formulate Forest Plans (known as the Planning Rule). The agency has said it is committed to an open collaborative approach, and has announced several national and regional meetings. Nationwide, the collaborative process includes a Science Forum, three National Roundtables and Roundtables in nine Regions. More information is available on the FS Forest Planning webpage. The public is welcome to participate. So Make It Happen. We are losing big time and need to get involved.

[fitness2go]

Fighting a continuous uphill battle is very tiring! I'm new to riding and it is sad to see this trend gain favor! I hope that riders show up in force.

[KlubberLang]

It's frustrating for me because I work overseas, and only make it home for short periods of time. Usually when there is nothing going on. I am watching your back over here, I hope some of you are watching mine back home. Fight a good fight men.

[CRFrider-northIdaho]

Thank you for your service to our country. My hat goes off to you. I will be there to offer some input.

[charlz]

I attended the afternoon session here in Boise today. Myself and at least one other TVTMA member were there to represent motorized recreation. Sierra Club and The Wilderness Society were also represented.

As noted this collaborative effort is to help define a new Planning Rule. The Planning Rule is the strategic level administrative rule which guides the FS in creating individual Forest Plans... "You must address this, this and that in your Forest Plan". Forest Plan's are the tactical plan of how things are actually going to be provided/addressed/etc. in that particular Forest.

The FS is currently using the 1982 Planning Rule because all subsequent Planning Rules have been challenged in court and overturned. They are attempting to use this new process to get buy-in, ideas, etc from various stakeholders in the hopes that a new rule can be enacted without all the courtroom drama.

To safeguard motorized recreation, or at least give us something to sue over ?, it needs to be spelled out in the Planning Rule that motorized recreation, and all forms of multiple use, have a place in the Forests. Once this is in place it would be a violation of internal rules and policies to not provide opportunity for motorized recreation.

The main part of the meeting consisted of going through 16 questions that addressed mainly the Planning Rule but also the Forest Plans (in concept). Obviously not all of this applies to motorized recreation but in a few key spots it can be brought up that the Planning Rule should recognize motorized recreation has a right to exist. The information collected at all these meetings will be centralized, wrapped up and sent to the team writing the new Planning Rule.

I encourage anyone with the opportunity to attend to do so.

[obrianmcc]

Missed this one....Thx for attending Charlz

[obrianmcc]

....how did you know there was a meeting today?

[charlz]

....how did you know there was a meeting today?

I signed up for it on the link the OP posted

[veltex]

Missed this one....Thx for attending Charlz

ditto ?

[CRFrider-northIdaho]

There still are more meetings depending on you area. Look at the link for the date and location. Ours is the 12th of April.

[llamaface]

I attended the afternoon session here in Boise today. Myself and at least one other TVTMA member were there to represent motorized recreation. Sierra Club and The Wilderness Society were also represented.

Good job charlz. I was there at the evening session, and was happy to see a SIDRA rep and also a young man from one of the ATV clubs. We volunteers on our free time provided some counter-balance to the paid representatives of greenie organizations (defenders of wildlife and western watersheds) that are supported by $ from cali and back east.

We pushed the idea that the opinions of people who are most familiar with the areas should get more weight than the form letters from people who have never visited and will never visit that forest, and we pushed the idea that recreation is just as important as 'restoration', whatever that is.

Unfortunately, no matter what planning process they use, the anti-access-haters will continue to turn everything into a courtroom drama anytime the plans don't suck enough to satisfy their selfish and elitist desires. ?

[llamaface]

It's frustrating for me because I work overseas, and only make it home for short periods of time. Usually when there is nothing going on. I am watching your back over here, I hope some of you are watching mine back home. Fight a good fight men.

We have your back. Come home safe.??

[obrianmcc]

I signed up for it on the link the OP posted

I must be missing something...isn't the link for the Northern Region? is there another link for Southern? (Boise)

[charlz]

I must be missing something...isn't the link for the Northern Region? is there another link for Southern? (Boise)

Our region is over so it is not listed anymore, I forget how exactly I navigated to it but Region 4 Intermountain is what it was.

[obrianmcc]

Our region is over so it is not listed anymore, I forget how exactly I navigated to it but Region 4 Intermountain is what it was.

Gotcha....I was thinking there was still another meeting.