Shasta County Asks Congress for Help in Coordination and Improved Communication with FS

Signed/Mapped Jeep Road to Historic Lookout Closed by TMR

For a number of months, HQ has encouraged federal agencies and county governments to try and “find a way forward” as a vehicle to address a lot of the recent TMR-related closure issues.

HQ has suggested on numerous occasions that the various stakeholders enter into a genuine collaborative process where folks are treated with respect and where users and access-oriented county officials are not summarily dismissed by the federal government as uniformed, ignorant, and unimportant.

On July 1, HQ posted a blog that highlighted where the collaborative process has worked more or less. One such example cited was on the Inyo NF.

July 1 Collaborative Blog
http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2010/07/disparity-between-federal-land-agency.html

Since that time, another FS/County/Recreation/Enviro collaborative process has been productive (helped along by a lawsuit filed by access groups) and that is in Del Norte County.

Story on Access Miracle in Del Norte County
http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2010/12/ohv-christmas-miracle-case-study-in.html

HQ believes that Shasta County’s recent request to Congressman Herger for him to facilitate coordination and improved cooperation between the county and the Forest Service could lay the foundation for a future stakeholder process where problems and solutions could be discussed.

January 11, 2011 Shasta County Letter to Congressman Herger
http://www.sharetrails.org/uploads/Shasta_Herger_BOS_Jan_11.2011_letter.stakeholder0001.pdf

Thanks to all of you for your continued support and efforts on behalf of responsible access to public lands.

Forest Service "Trees and Trails" Concept

Recently key trail and recreation stakeholders were invited to attend a meeting in Fairfield, California with Region 5/Forest Service where they unveiled Randy Moore’s “Trees and Trails” vision for the future. Randy is the regional forester for R5.

Trees and Trails Concept:

http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/news/2008/trees-trails.shtml

As some of you know, the FS has historically focused on the extractive industry where often "Recreation" is at the bottom of the priority and funding list.

On behalf of the BlueRibbon Coalition, I attended the mid 1990s Forest Congress and the 1999 Recreation Congress where the FS and stakeholders talked about recreation but not much was done.

This Trees and Trails concept is the first FS "recreation" oriented theme/effort of any size/scope that I have seen.

The group voted to move forward with having the agency look at starting a state-wide stakeholders group this year. Also a number of other concepts were voted on.

There was a lot of enthusiasm in the room and it appears the FS and other trail partners want to work together for the good of trails, the forest, and recreation.

I know we have been disappointed in the past with the agency's lack of attention or focus on recreation issues, but I think this appears to be something more substantive and may actually have a chance to succeed. Maybe recreation will no longer be considered as the “crazy uncle in the basement” but rather be invited to sit at the table with the other adults.

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