USFS releases travel plan

Special to the Herald TimesRBC I The U.S. Forest Service office in Meeker will host an open house Thursday, May 19, between 4 and 7 p.m., to discuss the White River’s new travel management plan.Forest supervisor Scott Fitzwilliams announced the release of the final decision on the White River National Forest travel management plan. Fitzwilliams selected Alternative G Modified as the selected alternative.“Today culminates over seven years of work on the travel plan,” Fitzwilliams said. “This alternative provides a sensible and pragmatic foundation for the transportation system on the White River National Forest while ensuring the natural resources are protected for future generations.”The decision outlines the specific details for all transportation on the White River National Forest. This includes which roads and trails will be open for motorized and non-motorized use as well as identifying which roads and trails will be closed and/or decommissioned. The decision includes a final determination on which areas are open to winter motorized travel and which areas are closed. “Travel management is one of the most important resource decisions a forest supervisor will make in his or her career,” Fitzwilliams said. “I do not take this responsibility lightly. A travel management plan provides the foundation of how people ingress and egress the forest for a wide variety of uses. How roads and trails are laid out on the landscape has a tremendous affect on the resources we are entrusted to steward for the American public.”A final environmental impact statement is included in the final decision. The FEIS describes the alternatives that were analyzed and discloses the environmental, social and economic impacts of each alternative.Specifics of the decision can be found at www.fs.usda.gov/whiteriver. Navigate to Land and Resource Management/Projects and scroll down to the Travel Management Plan. A 45-day appeal period will follow this decision. Appeals must be received by June 18, 2011.