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http://www.harktheherald.com/print.php?sid=19095U.S. Forest Service to plant over illegal trails
Date: Friday, April 16 @ 00:00:30
Topic Top Stories
Off-road vehicle enthusiasts who have created and enjoyed a spiderweb of trails in the Lindon foothills will soon have to find a new place to ride.
The U.S. Forest Service plans to plant over about 13 miles of roads and trails created by motorized vehicles in about 330 acres of National Forest.
The project includes planting native grasses and plants where the topsoil has been rubbed off; building fences; and placing large boulders in the former paths to prevent off-roaders from creating the trails again.
"This is a high priority project for us this year," said Pam Gardner, Pleasant Grove District Ranger.
Some trails will still be open, but only for mountain bikers, hikers, and horse riders -- the only uses that are really allowed for the lands, she said.
The multiyear project to reverse the damage to the land near Dry Canyon is just the start of Forest Service plans to restore many hills along the Wasatch Front, which off-roaders have been driving on, Gardner said.
The Forest Service is taking public comment until May 18 for the Dry Canyon project, after which an environmental study will be conducted and work will begin. Gardner said she hopes to have about two miles of roads restored to the natural uses by the end of the summer.
The Forest Service has already begun restoring the land in some of the foothills, with fences and boulders, which has reduced some off-road riders, but not all, Gardner said.
Police have caught some violators since Lindon adopted an ordinance to stiffen enforcement of those riding in unauthorized areas. Lindon was the first to adopt the tougher ordinance and encouraged all cities in the county to adopt it as well, which many have, said Lindon Mayor Larry Ellertson.
In the ordinance, first-time offenders are charged $200; second-time offenders, $750; and third or more time offenders, $740 plus up to a 35 percent surcharge.
Ellertson said he encourages people to use the land but not tear it up by riding in unauthorized areas.
"I'm all for people enjoying the land, but it's not responsible use of it, in my opinion," Ellertson said.
He said replanting the area will not only make the hillsides more environmentally sound, but also more pristine.
Ellertson said he hopes that residents will become active in the restoration project so they will understand the problems the vehicles have created and recognize they have some ownership in the governmental lands.
"This land is not owned by the Forest Service. It's owned by the American public," Gardner said.
Residents have been riding motorized vehicles in the National Forest lands near Lindon for at least 20 years.
As the population has increased, so have the number of residents using all-terrain vehicles, Gardner said.
Residents have created their own trails through the land, wearing down the vegetation, and eroding the top soil. The dirt rolls down into the streams and water systems, making dirty, polluted water that can kill the animal life in the water systems, Gardner said.
Dirty water also can be hazardous for residents, she said. Cities would need to do additional purification to the water with more soil polluting the waters, she said.
"We want clean, clear water to drink," Gardner said.
To make a public comment, residents can either write to the Forest Service online at
http://www.comments-intermtn-uinta-...grove@fs.fed.us, or mail or deliver comments to the Pleasant Grove District Ranger station, 390 N, 100 E, Pleasant Grove. Residents also can call Gardner at 342-5241.
Tammy McPherson can be reached at 344-2559 or tmcpherson@heraldextra.com.
