TONGASS
NATIONAL FOREST UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE-FOREST SERVICE
News Release
Contact: Michelle
Putz
E-mail:
mputz@xxxxxxxxx
Phone:
907-747-4278
Date:
July 31, 2009
Forest Service releases decision
for Hoonah motorized vehicle access
Hoonah, AK –Users of motorized vehicles
on Forest Service roads on the Hoonah Ranger District, Tongass National
Forest, will want to pick up a new Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM) for the
district when it becomes available in January 2010.
The map will identify which roads and
trails are open to motorized use, based on the just-released Decision Notice
and Finding of No Significant Impact (DN/FONSI) for the Hoonah Ranger District
Access and Travel Management (ATM) project. Hoonah District Ranger Rich
Jennings selected the Proposed Action with minor modifications, based on
public comments and the analysis in the Environmental Assessment.
The original Proposed Action included
11 miles of trails that could be opened to future OHV use if funding were
made available to make them accessible and/or to address resource concerns.
The modification changes that to 5 miles for possible future OHV use, because
analysis showed that 6 of the 11 miles of those additional trails were
in Old Growth Habitat and designation as OHV trail would not meet Forest
Plan Old Growth Habitat prescriptions.
Provisions in the Selected Alternative
also includes the following:
* 141 miles of National Forest System
(NFS) roads will remain open to highway vehicles; all or parts of these
open roads may be open to both highway and off-highway vehicles (OHV)
* 22 miles of existing NFS road will
be designated exclusively for OHV use as OHV trails
* 25 miles of open NFS road will be
closed to highway vehicles, for a total of 122 miles closed to highway
vehicles on the district
* 95 miles of road on the Hoonah Ranger
District will be closed to all motorized vehicle traffic
Upon publication of the MVUM, all district
areas not displayed as open roads or OHV trails on the map will be closed
to all forms of motorized surface access including motorized subsistence
access under ANILCA Section 811(b). Snow mobiles are not part of this decision
and will be permitted off designated roads and trails when used over snow
and in accordance with ANILCA section 1110 (a) and 811 (b).
The map, which is expected to be available
in January 2010, will be reviewed annually.
Copies of the EA and Decision Notice
are available on-line at http://www.fs.fed.us/r10/tongass/projects/projects.shtml
under Hoonah Ranger District Access and Travel Management project.
For more information, contact Rich Jennings
at 907-945-1201, or Michelle Putz at 907-747-4278 (mputz@xxxxxxxxx).
Attachment:
090731_hoonah_atm_ea_nr.doc
Description: Binary data
