BLUERIBBON COALITION ACTION ALERT!
Dear BRC Action Alert Subscriber,
Attention California Recreationists!
On November 19, 2007, the Stanislaus National Forest published a Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) in the Federal Register, beginning the 60-day comment period, with the public scoping period extending through
January 18, 2008.
The Forest will prepare an EIS disclosing the impacts of a forest-wide (not including Wilderness and other non-motorized areas) proposed action that focuses on changes to the transportation system, including the addition of user-created routes, changes to existing motor vehicle restrictions, and the prohibition of wheeled motorized vehicle travel off designated routes and trails. Meetings are scheduled to involve the public in this process.
The Forest Service (FS) will host a series of public meetings during the months of December and January to
review the Proposed Actions and answer questions (See meeting schedules and agendas below).
Copies of the Scoping Letter, Notices of Intent,
Proposed Action Maps and Supplemental Documents are available for review at the Forest's website at
http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/stanislaus/projects/ohv/index.shtml.
Please note that the maps provided on the website are full-size versions and cannot be printed on conventional home printers. A full-size version can only be printed from a large plotter. Many local engineering and survey businesses as well as copy businesses can print the map for a nominal fee. They are large files that could take a long time to load on your computer, depending on your connection speed.
Once loaded and visible on your screen, zooming into a particular area will show the details. Proposed Action Maps have been updated to make it easier to find the changes the Proposed Actions would make to the existing transportation system. The Proposed Actions are highlighted in yellow. You can request a CD copy of the files from the Project Coordinator (Contact information shown below).
A draft EIS is expected to be released by May 2008, followed by a 45 day comment period, The final EIS is expected to be completed by October 2008.
Public Meeting Schedule
Monday, December 10, 2007
Forest Supervisor's Office, Stanislaus Room
19777 Greenley Road
Sonora, CA 95370
Agenda:
12:00 - 6:00 pm Browse maps and ask questions one-on-one with FS employees
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Forest Supervisor's Office, Stanislaus Room
19777 Greenley Road
Sonora, CA 95370
Agenda:
12:00 - 6:00 pm Browse maps and ask questions one-on-one with FS employees
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Forest Supervisor's Office, Stanislaus Room
19777 Greenley Road
Sonora, CA 95370
Agenda:
12:00 - 6:00 pm Browse maps and ask questions one-on-one with FS employees
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Forest Supervisor's Office, Stanislaus Room
19777 Greenley Road
Sonora, CA 95370
Agenda:
12:00 - 6:00 pm Browse maps and ask questions one-on-one with FS employees
Thursday, January 10, 2007
Calaveras Ranger District Proposed Actions
West Point Community Hall
West Point, CA
Agenda:
5:00 - 6:00 pm Browse maps and ask questions
6:00 - 8:30 pm Overview of NEPA process and ways to get involved
Saturday, January 12, 2007
Forestwide Proposed Actions
Stanislaus County Harvest Hall
3800 Cornucopia Way
Modesto, CA 95358
Agenda:
1:00 - 2:00 pm Browse maps and ask questions
2:00 - 3:00 pm Forest Presentations of the Proposed Action
3:00 - 4:00 pm Browse maps and ask questions
Ways to Participate in advance of the discussions include:
* View the website map products available after the meetings http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/stanislaus
* Get a CD version of the map products
* Make an appointment with district recreation staff
* Request a scheduled group presentation from the Forest Service
Written Comments may be submitted to:
Stanislaus National Forest
Attn: Motorized Travel
19777 Greenley Road
Sonora, CA 95370Comments may be submitted by FAX [209-533-1890] or by hand-delivery to the address shown above, during normal business hours (Monday-Friday 8:00am to 4:30pm). Electronic comments, in acceptable plain text (.txt), rich text (.rtf), or Word (.doc) formats, may be submitted to comments-pacificsouthwest-stanislaus@fs.fed.us with Subject: Motorized Travel.
Comments should include your name, address (include in any e-mail correspondence) and, if possible, telephone number. Please include site-specific facts or comments concerning the proposed transportation changes along with supporting information.
For more information contact Sue Warren, Project Coordinator at (209) 532-3671 ext 321 or by email to swarren@fs.fed.us. Additional information is also available on their Travel Planning website at
http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/stanislaus/projects/ohv/index.shtml.
IF YOU RECREATE IN THE STANISLAUS NATIONAL FOREST, PLEASE HELP BY STAYING INVOLVED!
As always, if you have any questions please give us a call.
Thanks in advance for your support!
Brian Hawthorne
Public Lands Policy Director
BlueRibbon Coalition
208-237-1008 ext 102[/quote]
