Santa Fe National Forest Access Meetings (1 Viewer)

[SteveLCetc]

Check this page out:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/sfe/travelmgt/

Go to Phase 1 Workshop Schedule on that page and see the schedule. I plan to make at least one of those meetings - probably either Coyote or Walatowa. If anybody is interested and wants to ride along, let me know.

 

[Beowulf]

The task of identifying all those roads in the SFNF is daunting once you take a close look at those 2 maps. There is zero chance that everything will be kept open and I hate to say it but I think they're right... some (a lot ?) of those "roads" need to be closed.

-Mike-
97 FZJ80

 

[Cruisergreg]

I couldn't get any of the maps to load. But isn't the long and short of it that "used" roads will ultimately be retained? Maybe we should go out and "use" some.

 

[SteveLCetc]

"Used" roads have to be claimed as such, at least. The files are in the tens of megs, so they take awhile to load. Purple roads will be closed to the public, and supposedly yellow roads will be open - although I haven't had that confirmed yet. When you consider the usage, they should all be open. If you recall the crowd at the Valle when it was open that day to vehicles (one guy that worked there told me they had more visitors that day than all combined before) they should all be open, because even then the people who want the area as "primitive" have more area per person when you consider they already have the Valle preserve and the San Pedro wilderness. My position is that yes, if it's a road it should be a road, unless (on a case by case basis) it should be closed. That's what I'm going to tell them.

 

[Beowulf]

I couldn't get any of the maps to load. But isn't the long and short of it that "used" roads will ultimately be retained? Maybe we should go out and "use" some.

All roads will be closed to motorized access unless there is a good reason to keep a "road" open. That's the way I'm reading it. The FS is requesting the public to identify those roads that are used for recreation, transportation, or whatever, document the GPS track (or on a map), and note what the "road" is used for. Once they decide which roads are being used by the public, then they will close everything else. They may close roads that are being used if the FS determines there is reason to close a road; environmental impact, alternate route available, impact on wildlife, etc, etc.

The big maps load fine. The "new" smaller maps get a file-not-found. They are PDF documents so you'll need to increase the zoom to read them. Be sure to look at the legend. Blue and Pink are decommissioned/closed respectively. Yellow is "high clearance vehicle" roads. There are a lot of yellow roads. Hundreds of them.

-Mike-
97 FZJ80

 

[SteveLCetc]

Yep, hundreds of them. On the day the Valle preserve was open, *thousands* of people went - with virtually no advertising - in fact, as far as I know it was only word of mouth from what was on their web page. A *million* people live within a hundred miles of the SFNF - not that they all go there, but visualize when our kids (or grandkids) are our age. Do you want that kind of restriction on them? Who are we to say "there are enough roads open"? Sounds kind of selfish to me.

 

[Cruisergreg]

"True to form" you guys missed my point and used the post as an excuse for a political or philosophical free-association. My intent was to provide a tongue-in-cheek justification for an off-pavement drive in the mountains.

How 'bout a cross-the-Guadalupe run up to the Giant Footprint ruins sometime over the holiday weekend? That road has been inexplicably reopened after being closed for a few years.

 

[Ruadhrigh]

I'm down. What time? Where to meet?

 

[SteveLCetc]

I don't think I can make it. It's all yours Greg. You might take a map or keep a track to mark it on the SFNF map. There appears to be a purple one right above Jemez Springs you could turn yellow...

 

[marcfj60]

I've got a coworker that puts us all to shame with the amount of time he spends wheeling. He's actually a trail bike/enduro/dirt bike/whatever you call it rider that spends a ton of time in the Jemez and beyond. His group of friends have been involved in discussions regarding The Rule for about a year. Their take on it is that all roads that are designated as NF "Roads" will be preserved automatically. The 2010 Rule applies to NF OHV "Trails". These would be the single-track trails that most of us probably never see or notice while we are "Crushing" by on the double-track stuff. Their opinion is that the 4-wheeler (motorcycle engine type, not automobile type) are the primary culprits that have brought about this push towards the Travel Management. In my friend's own words "It's really been the 4-wheeler crowd that's ruined it for all of us, with their chain saws and wanting to go anywhere "I damn well please"." Some good news is that his group is being as vocal as they can be to keep "their" trails open. "Our" trails lead to "their" trails so it's good to know that not just the automotive off-road enthusiasts are fighting for access.

 

[SteveLCetc]

I don't think we can count on all 2 tracks being left open. If we could, why are there purple roads and yellow roads here:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/sfe/travelmgt/maps_docs.html#Routes

According to the explanation, the purple roads will not be public access.

The big problem here is not to us right now, but to the public in general later. OBDIII will be wireless. Think about that combined with GPS tracking.

 

[Cruisergreg]

OBDIII will be wireless. Think about that combined with GPS tracking.

Feeling a little paranoid, Steve?

When I look at the FS road maps I think that they have actually been pretty generous. Just about anythig I've ever driven in the Jemez (or was inclined to drive) has been designated yellow as a potential route. This is includes my recent Guadalupe route and "Heaertbreak Hill", both of which had been previously closed but are now open again (and yellow). Only dead-end logging spurs regularly come up purple. The one inexplicable exception is Joaquin Canyon despite all it's historical significanse.

I have a sneaking suspicion that the FS units with the greater number of roads get the greater funding so more roads is a good thing to the local districts. That's the only reason I can understand why so many areas have been opened recently. This new Rule may actually act in our favor.

 

[marcfj60]

why are there purple roads and yellow roads here:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/sfe/travelmgt/maps_docs.html#Routes

I can only get the big East and West maps to display. They seem to be general maps that detail the type of use thats appropriate for each trail/road. What do I take from these maps that tells me what the FS is looking to restrict or close access? Should I take it more as a map that puts it all out there and now it's up to us to identify what we think we'd want to keep available for our type of recreation? I would like to try to make it to the meeting at Walatowa. I will see if it fits into my schedule.