Projects & Plans - Travel Management Route Designation Process
PROJECT BACKGROUND
Nationwide, the Forest Service is working through
a process which will ultimately designate a transportation
system on every national forest in the country. The
goal of the process is to provide a stable, sustainable
system of roads, trails and areas for people using
motorized wheeled vehicles on national forest lands and
curtail cross-country use, which leads to route proliferation
and resource damage. Today Forest visitors use networks
of routes for a variety of recreational and other purposes,
including access to remote trailheads or fishing spots,
firewood gathering, sight-seeing and picnicking, or for
the experience of exploring remote areas with off-highway
vehicles such as motorcycles and quads or SUVs.
The Route Designation process consists of five
major steps which are described in the timeline.
Nationally this process is scheduled to be complete
by 2010. Through a Memorandum of Intent with
the State of California, all national forests in
California are committed to completing the process
and producing a Motor Vehicle Use Map by the end
of 2008.
The Inyo National Forest has spent much of
2006 and 2007 working with interested members
of the public on "Step 3". The public has
helped in fine-tuning national criteria for how to analyze routes,
providing detailed comments on individual routes and specific local
issues, and assisting the Forest in truthing route maps and data.
Additionally, the forest has been gathering additional field data
and has begun analyzing routes for other transportation management
issues.
STEP 1 and 3 - INVENTORY MAPS
AND ROUTE-SPECIFIC INPUT - Concerns and Opportunities for each route.
View maps with all inventoried routes
on all eleven analysis areas on the forest. Your comments about
"Risks and Concerns" as well as "Benefits and Access
needs" for each route will provide us with more information
for our proposed system of routes.
Updated Inventory Maps (October 2007)
New Inventory Maps >>>
Note: These maps show all routes that have been inventoried on the Forest. These distinguish between routes which are currently part of the baseline system, as well as routes that are currently non-system. Routes that were not on the October 1, 2007 proposed Action maps for addition to the system, have a different line type and are labeled with a route number. Please reference the map legend for details.
STEP 2 - Forest Order 04-07-01
On March 2, 2007, Forest Supervisor Jeff Bailey signed a Decision
Memo issuing a Forest Order which prohibits cross country motorized
vehicle use. This Order limits the use of motorized wheeled vehicles
to the existing routes and open area shown on the attached Exhibit
A maps. This Order does not close existing routes and does
not designate a Forest Transportation system. The purpose
is to keep use on existing routes, prohibit cross-country travel
with motorized vehicles, and prevent resource damage and the creation
of new routes while completing the Route Designation Process. It
will remain in effect for one year and will be extended, if necessary,
until the completion of the Route Designation process.
View Forest Order Documents and Maps.
View Decision
Memo (pdf 354 KB)
View Forest
Order #04-07-01 (pdf 47 KB)
Step 4: (Spring 2007 to Winter 2009)
This begins the formal environmental analysis following
guidelines in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). This analysis will likely be is a single Forestwide Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS). A "proposed action" will kick off the process
in Spring 2007 and start a 45 to 60
day public comment period. A Draft
EIS will be released in early 2009,
with another 45 day comment period
following. The Forest intends to
release the Final EIS later in
2009.
Specific Step 4 Map-related Information>>>
2008 Scoping Report >>>
Step 5: (December 2008 or early
winter 2009)
A Motorized Vehicle
Use Map (MVUM) will be published.
This will be a legal document
showing the designated system of
routes for motorized wheeled
vehicle use. This map will be
reviewed and printed annually in
order to display potential changes
to the designated system as needed.
OTHER DOCUMENTS
Route Designation Guidebook
Based upon existing laws, regulations, and policies,
the Region
5 Route Designation Guidebook presents a 5 step
process for designating motorized wheeled vehicle
routes on all national forests in California, including
the California portions of the Humboldt-Toiyabe.
Links
National
Travel Management rule
Memorandum
of Intent with the State of California
USDA Forest
Service National OHV Home Page
Region 5 (California
forests) Route Designation home page
Region 5 Programmatic
Agreement
GLOSSARY OF
TERMS
These are definitions from the National
Travel Management Rule and are published in
the Federal Register.
Glossary of
Terms (.pdf)
Glossary
of Terms (.doc)
CONTACT INFORMATION
Email questions or comments to: comments-pacificsouthwest-inyo@fs.fed.us
Be sure to type "Route Designation
Strategy" in the subject line.
INYO NF ROUTE DESIGNATION TEAM
Project Leader: Marty Hornick (760) 873-2461
Forest Planner: Susan Joyce (760) 873-2516
Public Affairs Officer: Nancy Upham (760) 873-2427
GIS and Maps: Dan Yarborough (760) 873-2564
Resources Team Leader: Todd Ellsworth (760) 873-2457
Engineering: Melissa Totheroh (760) 873-2546
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