OHV plan closes Greenhorn for now

Kyle Magin

U.S. Forest Service officials at the Tahoe National Forest recently released an extensive study of its 2,400 miles of authorized roads for public use.

The Motorized Travel Management plan maps the complex systems of roads in the national forest that allow visitors access to 83 percent of the forest within one half mile of a road. The plan, nearly seven years in the making, provides an exhaustive list of the forest's roads and motorized uses allowed on those roads.

“The idea was to get people onto a managed system that was sustainable and usable by a variety of types of vehicles on different difficulty levels,” said David Arrasmith, a Forest Service planner who worked on the project.

Notably absent from the lists of usable roads was the Greenhorn Creek recreation area, which lies east of Nevada City off Red Dog Road. The area — popular with off-roading enthusiasts — is listed as an unauthorized part of the forest's trails systems.

Forest Supervisor Tom Quinn mentioned the area when presenting the plan to the Nevada County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, noting concern over damage to the area and the danger presented by some off-road vehicle users led to the closure.

Area residents have complained of gunshots, dumping and parties stretching late into the night in the canyon.

The Forest Service doesn't plan to cite most off-roaders initially, but rather educate them about the new rules prohibiting riding in the area, Arrasmith said.

There are about 870 miles of unauthorized roads like some of those in Greenhorn in the Tahoe National Forest, according to the report. Most are old mining and logging roads area residents have used for decades rather than recent, illegal off-roading trails, Arrasmith said.

Forest Service officials should post signs in the Greenhorn designating the area as closed, said Steve Sober. He lives along Buckeye Road, which provides private access to the Greenhorn but is frequently used by public off-roaders.

The Greenhorn closure may not be permanent, though, Quinn said. A plan to reopen the area could be reached if users, and private and public property owners in the area including the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, cooperate to find ways to mitigate the problems that have plagued Greenhorn in the past, Quinn said.

The compromise is supported by the Friends of Greenhorn, a group of off-road enthusiasts who oppose a permanent closure to the popular creek area.

“It's not done, it's not dead, we still hope to use it again,” said Jacquelyne Theisen, who represents the group. “We're excited about putting a group together to address those issues.”

An initial meeting isn't scheduled yet but could happen later this fall, Theisen said.

Maps indicating all roads and trails authorized for motor vehicle use will be made available to the public in February, said Tahoe National Forest Spokeswoman Ann Westling. To view an online version of the map, visit http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/tahoe/projects_plans/ohv_inv/feis/Alternative6-TNF-TM-FEIS-9-2010.pdf .

--

Source: http://www.theunion.com/article/20101014/NEWS/101019901/1001&parentprofile=1053

---

Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites