Here's something from TU's website.Some of their problem is that they think that the BMP's have been maintained and just don't work. They don't realize that the management plan hasn't been followed since it was written on 2000.They also think that the funding for the maint. is there. Bill has done what he can with what he has been given, but I can't see where our user fees are coming back to the area fully.
Where they say required by law and exceeding the Forest Service plans they are really really stretching the interpretation of the law, and the road density rules are for roads not trails in an OHV area.
:shotts:
Thank you to all our online activists who submitted comments on behalf of TU. We will post updates to this page on the Tellico action item as they become available.
The Forest Service requested comments on two proposals under consideration to address water quality problems caused by an off-road vehicle area in the headwaters of the Tellico River, an important brook trout watershed. The proposals, which include temporarily closing 3 miles of the 38 mile trail system and closing the entire trail system in the winter months, are necessary, but they are not enough. Trout populations in the Tellico River are in trouble and more substantial action is needed now to prevent a potential population crash. Hundreds of TU members took a few minutes to submit a comment letter supporting the proposed action, and urging the Forest Service to take more decisive action to address water quality problems by also closing and rerouting trail segments within 100 feet of mountain streams.
The comment period ended October 17, 2007.
Relevant Documents
• 09/17/07 Forest Service letter calling for comments
• 06/28/07 Notice of intent to commence civil action against Forest Service for violations of Clean Water Act
• TU's draft of points that should be made in comment letters
Why We Care
• The Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture has identified the headwaters of the Tellico River as the most significant intact population of native southern appalachian brook trout in western North Carolina.
• Water quality has been declining in the Tellico River and its tributaries for years as a result of muddy runoff from the inadequately maintained trail system within the Tellico ORV area. These streams receive approximately 500 to 1000 times more sediment than reference streams just outside the trail system.
• Because of decades of overuse and inadequate management, the trout populations in the Tellico River are crashing. NCWRC trout monitoring data confirms that populations in the Tellico River at the base of the ORV trail system are not reproducing successfully. Unless the Forest Service takes substantial action now, this important trout fishery may be lost.
• The current proposal to close trails 7, 9 and lower 2 is necessary and required by law. The Forest Service already has identified these trails as the worst contributors to sediment in the stream. Each of these trails is deeply entrenched from OHV use and erosion. And best management practices have proven ineffective even when properly maintained. The current proposal to close them for one year is a necessary start, but will not be sufficient. The only option is to close them permanently and reroute trails.
• In addition, the proposal to close the entire system during the rainy winter months is urgently needed and should be finalized in time to take effect this winter. The Tellico ORV area is the only OHV trail system in the National Forests in North Carolina that remains open in the winter months. The Wayehutta ATV system, the Brown Mountain ORV Area and the Uwharrie ORV Area all close in the winter to protect water quality. Winter closure will enable the Forest Service to maximize the effectiveness of its limited maintenance budget for the Tellico ORV trail system. By reducing overall annual usage and eliminating usage in the most damaging months, winter closure will help to reduce the significant water quality degredation and resource damage caused by the existing Tellico ORV system.
• The current proposals fail to address a substantial cause of water quality problems in the Tellico River: approximately 6 miles of trail located within 100 feet of mountain trout streams. Like the deep trenches on trails 2, 7 and 9, these trail segments are improperly located such that best management practices, even when maintained, do not protect water quality. These trail segments must be closed to ORV traffic now, be evaluated, and permanently stabilized or rerouted away from streams.
• These immediate closures are necessary to protect water quality and they are required to bring the Forest Service closer into compliance with the requirements of its own forest plan. The current trail system exceeds by 200% the maximum density of trails allowed by the existing forest plan. Decades of experience have proven that the Forest Service, even when assisted by volunteer user groups and significant donated funding, is unable to maintain the 38 mile trail system. The Forest Service must reduce the trail system to a level it can manage and maintain. For these reasons, the closures under consideration are needed and must be expanded to include all trail segments within 100 feet of streams.
Little fire to put out a big fire! 
