SFWDA has been silent for a long time. The leadership has not risen up to respond to the detractors who say that we are not doing anything, and we are taking $$$ and not producing any return. Well, now you are going to see the results of our efforts.
SFWDA used some of those funds to CONTRACT with an engineering firm to do REAL SCIENCE and determine the FACTS about the water quality in the Tellico watershed.
This study was paid for by SFWDA. No, retract that....it was paid for by
YOU if you are a member of SFWDA or supported the Rescue Tellico efforts, or attended an SFWDA event.
We believe that we have the science -- the FACTS -- to prove that the OHV Area is NOT damaging the watershed. We have the chemistry and the biology and the micro-organism counts and the turbidity levels. The executive summary of this study can be seen below.
We also obtained, through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) an internal report done by the Trails Unlimited group (a bunch of respected USFS employees who are the pre-eminent experts on OHV trail science and operation) which made extensive recommendations
for keeping the OHV Area open, but which the regional USFS appears to have ignored.
Here's the link:
http://www.sfwda.org/trails/tellico/study09/
The files are large. The main body of the document will be the part of most interest to the general public. The Trails Unlimited report is in Appendix E.
Executive summary of the study:
A. Tellico is a valuable resource to the local community and to regional and national OHV users. Unique site obstacles that draw notoriety across the nation include Slickrock, Helicopter Pad, Guardrail, Schoolbus and Rock Garden. Historically, trail users have contributed significantly to the local economy including lodging (hotels, campgrounds and cabins), restaurants, grocery stores, repair facilities, and other businesses. Users also support trail operations though payment of daily and yearly user fees.
B. Streams are healthy and have excellent water quality per North Carolina standards and are capable of sustaining viable, reproducing native trout populations. Degradation of water quality and aquatic habitat in Upper Tellico is non-existent. Stream channels are very stable and aptly convey stream flows without streambed erosion. Historic clear-cutting of land in Upper Tellico has contributed more to the off-site sediment transport than the trail system.
C. The current deteriorated trail conditions are largely the result of too many years of neglected maintenance by the USFS due to budget constraints. However, the trails and site obstacles are repairable and very much maintainable/sustainable after repair. We concur with the USFS Trails Unlimited conclusion that closure of any of the trails is neither warranted nor recommended. Costs of needed repairs total approximately $2.2 million. Annual cost of Operation and Maintenance (O&M) after repairs totals approximately $100,000 per year.
Kudos to the Rescue Tellico team, and all the others who have been working quietly and effectively on this project for months.
This Friday (02/27/09) we will know what the FS wants to do with the OHV Area. As soon as we know, we will post the information, and the 30 day public comment period will begin.
4WD School
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