Wilderness Association backs U.S. Forest Service in lawsuit

Written by The Great Falls Tribune

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Karl Puckett

The Montana Wilderness Association has come out in defense of the U.S. Forest Service in a travel plan lawsuit brought by motorized user groups.

On Tuesday, the MWA, which works to promote and protect wilderness in the state, filed to intervene in a lawsuit on the side of the Forest Service and its new travel management plan for the Little Belt, Castle and northern Crazy mountains.

In September, a coalition of recreational groups filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court challenging the Lewis and Clark National Forest's travel plan, saying there were too many trail closures.

The travel rules, which guide where motorized users can go, were finalized in October.

"This plan that came out still provides plenty of opportunities for motor vehicle use," said MWA spokesman Mark Good of Great Falls.

About 1 million acres in the three island mountain ranges are affected by the plan. A national rule adopted in 2005 required forests to reduce damage caused by motor vehicles and to designate roads for motorized use.

"We aren't happy about everything in the new plan, but it is a reasonable effort to reach a compromise among conflicting user groups," MWA member Norm Newhall said.

The final travel plan states that 75 percent of the Little Belt, Castle and the northern half of the Crazy mountains remain open to motorized use in the summer. The Forest Service previously said motorized use took place in about 88 percent of those areas.

The drop is more pronounced in the winter, when snowmobilers will have access to 46 percent of the acreage, as opposed to the 95 percent that's open now, according to the Forest Service.

MWA says the winter travel plan is similar to an agreement between MWA and the Great Falls Cross Country Club that was negotiated with area snowmobile groups. That deal preserved groomed snowmobile trails and play areas while expanding the Silver Crest ski area and designating areas for quiet backcountry skiing and snowshoeing, Good said.

Good noted that one of the snowmobile groups involved in that deal is a plaintiff in the lawsuit against the Forest Service.

Source: http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20081210/NEWS01/812100311

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