This is the Last Chance to Protect Our Wild Landscapes and Traditional Trails!

The Bitterroot Travel Plan Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) is now open for public comment, and the Bitterroot Quiet Use Coalition (BQUC) urges people to support Alternative 4; the option that best protects our Roadless and Wilderness Study Areas. Once the comment period is over, the Bitterroot National Forest will release its final decision in April 2010; there will not be another opportunity for public comments.

Travel Management Planning is an important process that identifies specific roads, trails and areas for use by motorcycles, ATVs, snowmobiles and other off-road vehicles (ORV). This decision will affect all of us who want a quiet, peaceful time in the woods and care about quality wildlife habitat.

In its preferred alternative the Bitterroot National Forest took a great step forward by protecting the Sapphire Wilderness Study Area (WSA) from summer motorized use; an action we fully commend. Unfortunately, it left the area completely open to snowmobile use and also would officially designate ORV routes in the Blue Joint WSA, as well as other Roadless lands. Such action will threaten wildlife habitat and cause conflicts for backcountry recreationists who seek a safe and peaceful time in the woods.

In addition, the Forest Service once again proposes to designate a system of ATV trails and authorize renegade routes in the Burnt Ridge Area just west of Darby where residents have continually fought to keep their neighborhood free the noise and dust caused by off-road vehicle use.

The BQUC supports Alternative 4 because it best protects all our Roadless and Wilderness Study Areas and will ensure quality habitat for important wildlife such as elk, mountain goat and wolverine, as well as provide great opportunities for hunting and fishing, hiking, camping, cross-country skiing and horseback riding.

Please write to the Bitterroot National Forest today and ask they choose Alternative 4 in their final decision. In your letters we suggest you include the following:

• Thank the agency for the protections proposed in their
  preferred alternative, especially the Sapphire WSA, but state more is
  needed to ensure the integrity of our Roadless and Wilderness Study
  Areas.

• Talk about how you like to recreate (hike, hunt, fish,
  cross-country ski, ride horseback, mountain bike, etc.), and that
  Alternative 4 best provides the quality experience you seek.

• Explain how important large, protected areas are for
  providing crucial wildlife habitat, which is needed for good hunting
  opportunities as well as to ensure the viability of other species such
  as wolverine, mountain goat and western toad.

Send Written Comments to:
Travel Planning Project - Comments
Forest Supervisor’s Office
Bitterroot National Forest
1801 N. First
Hamilton, MT 59840-3114

Email to: comments-northern-bitterroot@fs.fed.us [1]

Electronic comments must be in Microsoft Word, ASCII text, HTML, Rich
Text, or PDF format and must state: “Travel Planning Project –
Comments” in the email subject line.

Balanced, quality access

The Bitterroot Quiet Use Coalition represents hundreds of Bitterrooters who hunt and fish, enjoy recreational stock use, backpack, camp, hike, and generally enjoy the Outdoors.We believe in keeping a properly maintained system of roads for motorized use and preserving traditional and historic trails for quiet uses. This will reduce conflicts, improve watersheds and fisheries, and increase opportunities to view and hunt wildlife. We believe roads are for motors, and trails are for quiet users.

The Bitterroot Quiet Use Coalition aims to protect our quiet public lands from the escalating damage, noise, and conflicts caused by poorly managed recreational use of ATVs, dirt bikes and other off-road vehicles. We believe that everyone can enjoy the Bitterroot National Forest through responsible recreation, but that no one has the right to abuse it or ruin other people’s experiences.

Alternative 4 not only provides outstanding quiet recreation and quality wildlife habitat; it would also provide a balanced plan for those who use ORVs to access trails, lookouts, and lakes. In fact, Alt. 4 would designate 450 miles of trails outside our Roadless and Wilderness Study Areas, as well as keep access open on over 1,450 miles of roads. However, we need your help to convince the Bitterroot National Forest to choose Alternative 4.

• Sapphires Wilderness Study Area – This area is protected in the summer, but completely open to snowmobiles in the winter. The WSA is primary wolverine habitat and the high cirque basins provide crucial den sites; wolverine are proposed for listing under the Endangered Species Act.

• Alan Mountain Roadless Area – The agency wants to designate an ATV trail from Painted Rocks Reservoir all the way to Overwhich Falls. Also popular horseback and mountain biking trails will be left open to motorcycles such as Crazy Creek Tr. #103.

• Sleeping Child Roadless Area – Nearly all the trails here would be open to motorcycles in the preferred alternative. Protecting these trails would ensure the area as a refuge for elk, moose, black bear, mule deer, grouse and western toad.

• Stony Mountain Roadless Area – This area would be fully protected, and the agency should hear clearly that we support their decision.

• Selway-Bitterroot Roadless Area – Two trails are open for motorcycles: Tr. #208 to Ward Mt. and Tr. 125 to Camas Lk. Also many areas are still open to snowmobiles in the winter.

• Blue Joint Wilderness Study Area – The Bitterroot NF proposes to protect some trails, but leaves others open to motorcycles such as Tr. #138 along Chicken Creek, and Tr.#106 that leads to Razorback Mt. Much of the area is open to snowmobiles in the winter.

* The Forest Service uses "Tr-Scop" to label user-created.

The Bitterroot Quiet Use Coalition includes Wildlands CPR, Friends of the Bitterroot, Montana Wilderness Association, Montana Chapter of the Sierra Club, Selway-Pinter Wilderness Back Country Horsemen, Montana Back Country Alliance, Bitterroot Climbing Coalition and Burnt Ridge Homeowners.