BLACK HILLS NATIONAL FOREST-TRAVEL
MANAGEMENT PROPOSED ACTION
The Forest Service proposes to designate
which routes (roads and trails) on federal lands administered by
the Forest Service within the Black Hills National Forest are open
to motorized travel. In so doing, the agency will comply with requirements
of the Forest Service 2005 Travel Management Rule.
USDA FOREST SERVICE, WASHINGTON,
D.C. - TRAVEL MANAGEMENT RULE
On November 2, 2005, the Forest Service announced final travel
management regulations governing OHV's and other motor vehicle use
on national forests and grasslands.
BLACK HILLS NATIONAL FOREST - TRAVEL MANAGEMENT
PLANNING PROCESS
In response to these new regulations, the Black Hills National
Forest has embarked on a project to establish a forest wide system
of designated routes and areas for motorized travel, including off-highway
vehicles (OHV's). This system will be designed collaboratively with
the Black
Hills National Forest Advisory Board (NFAB), interested citizens,
clubs and groups, and local governments to better protect resources
while meeting the needs and interests of OHV users.
With designation of a motorized travel system, cross-country travel
(that is, travel off designated routes and areas) by motorized vehicles
will generally be prohibited to protect resources. The forest will
remain open in designated areas to other forms of cross-country
travel such as hiking, horseback riding, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling,
and mountain biking.
This planning approach has been designed to build a comprehensive
inventory and travel management plan that can be used for decades
to come, as well as for a multitude of projects. We invite everyone
with an interest in OHV travel or other kinds of recreation to help
us design the system.
The Process to Designate Motorized Routes and
Areas Generally speaking, past, present, and future
decisions with travel management components will be integrated into
this project. Continuing over the past several years, we've invited
interested forest users to get involved. We'll work to incorporate
everyone's suggestions into a draft system, and we'll show what
we came up with as our proposed action.
This proposal, and alternatives that are developed, will be analyzed
through the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. An
environmental impact statement will provide the information that
Forest Supervisor Craig Bobzien will use to make a decision on a
designated motorized travel system. There will be multiple opportunities
to weigh in with your ideas and review the stages of this project.
This is not only required by NEPA, but will occur as part of an
ongoing feedback process we believe is important to designate the
best travel system for the Black Hills.
As important events and deadlines develop, we will announce
them here and notify those who have requested to be placed on our
mailing list.
Public Participation-You Don't Have
to Attend a Meeting
We've been collecting comments from collaborators and the general
public since the fall of 2004. The designation of a motorized travel
system on the Black Hills National Forest is a big task, so our
formal National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process has not
yet begun. The input we've received has been very helpful as we
work to develop our proposed action. Please note that there are
ways to contribute your ideas in addition to attending future public
meetings. You are encouraged to submit your comments as follows:
Call Us:
Tom Willems, Travel Management Planner, (605) 673-9200
Write Us:
Black Hills National Forest, Travel Management Planner, 1019 N 5Th
Street, Custer, SD 57730
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