ravalli county off road user...
TRANSCRIPT
Ravall i County Off Road User Association
APRIL 2015 www.ravallioffroad.org
Calendar of 2015 Upcoming events: The rides listed on the Calendar are hosted by a club member and are not “club sponsored” rides unless they are stated as such.
NOTICE: THE BOARD MEETINGS WILL BE THE 1ST MONDAY OF
THE MONTH AND THE GENERAL MEETINGS WILL BE THE 2ND
MONDAY OF THE MONTH. Several of the board members have conflicts with
Tuesday and Wednesday nights.
April 6th, 2015 Board Meeting 6 PM at the Groomer Shed
April 13th, 2015 General Meeting 7 PM at the Groomer Shed
May 4th 2015 Board Meeting 6 PM at the Groomer Shed
May 9th Youth Expo at Teller Wildlife (ATV Simulator run by Mike & Kathy Jeffords)
May 11th 2015 General Meeting 7 PM at the Groomer Shed
May 16th RUN FOR SAPPHIRES contact John T. 369-2909
RCORUA CONTEMPLATES MILITARY DAY
RCORUA’s Board of Directors is discussing the possibility of hosting service men and women for a day of Fun In the Sun this summer. The idea is to host an ATV ride for a group of service personnel as a way for the Club to express appreciation for their service to our country.
Modeled after similar events by other Clubs (including the Bitterroot Ridgerunners), an event like this would require RCORUA volunteers to serve as the serviceman’s “buddy” for the day. The volunteer would be responsible for providing a machine for the serviceman to ride (or a side-by-side if the serviceman is unable to drive), safety equipment, and appropriate outerwear if necessary. Following the ride, a meal or picnic would be provided. Club members would be invited to attend the entire event.
Many ideas and suggestions have been discussed, and the Board needs to hear from our members before committing to pursue this idea. Specifically, we need to know how many members would be willing to “buddy” with a serviceman for the event.
If you would like to participate in such an event, or if you would like to offer a suggestion for
the event, please call Brent Nelson at 821-4844.
Page 2 APRIL 2015 www.ravallioffroad.org
Our web site at www.ravallioffroad.org has photos, a
calendar of events, ride info, the newsletters and much
more. You can email your photos, ride info or other
items to: [email protected] Log on often to see
what is happening!
A big THANK YOU goes to all the
sponsors, your
continued support
and involvement
helps the association
in its effort to keep
the trails open.
Business Sponsorship is only $100.00 per year!
A great value as it reaches hundreds of individuals each month. Your business is listed each
month in the newsletter and on the web and once a year your business card or your ad (if
provided with your sponsorship dues) is included in the newsletter! Please send a card to
the club or email Marsha with a scanned card or colored layout at: [email protected] . If
you want your web address listed in the newsletter and on our web site you can email Marsha or
Kathy T. [email protected]
Please support our Business Sponsors!
RUN FOR SAPPHIRES MAY 16, 2015
RCORUA’s Run for the Sapphires is tentatively scheduled for May 16. As we approach the
end of May, that date may change depending on snow removal progress on the Skalkaho road.
We’ll keep you posted via newsletter, website and Facebook. Call John Transue at 369-2909 for
more information and updates on scheduling. This ride leaves from the snowmobile parking area on
Skalkaho Road and goes to the Gem Mountain Sapphire mines on the Phillipsburgh side of
Skalkaho Pass. This is about a 50 mile round trip ride. We will leave the parking area at 10:30 am,
and return at approximately 4 pm.
Last year’s Run for Sapphires Picture.
We were stopped at the top of the pass
due to deep snow, should be able to
make it to the mine this year!
Page 3 www.ravallioffroad.org APRIL 2015
2015 BUSINESS SPONSORS
ALL VALLEY SANITARY SERVICES P.O. Box 344 Corvallis Dave & Tina Johnson 369-1587 AL’S CYCLE 619 HWY 93 North Hamilton Russ and Kim Englund 363-3433 www.alscycleyamaha.com BITTERROOT RIDGE RUNNERS P.O. Box 265 Hamilton Dennis Wessels 381-0409 CLIFF REED, Inc. 656 Willow Creek Road Corvallis Cliff Reed 961-3224 DJ’S ELECTRIC P.O. Box 18 Hamilton D.J. Lengyel 961-1972 or 363-1972 www.djselectric.com DONALDSON BROTHER’S READY MIX, Inc. 477 HWY 93 North Hamilton Charles Donaldson 363-3600 FIVE VALLEY HONDA & YAMAHA 5900 HWY 93 South Missoula Lloyd Eckley 251-5900 HAMILTON POLARIS 1151 North 1st Hamilton 375-9903 HARPERS BITTERROOT VALLEY LES SCHWAB TIRES 4026 HWY 93 North Stevensville Tracy Harper 777-4667 JC AND ASSOCIATES 153 West Hills Way Hamilton Carl and Kathy Lieberth 363-7487 JERRY WESSELS TIRE CENTER P.O. Box 518 Hamilton Dennis Wessels 363-3884 JONES KORMAN INSURANCE 518 South 1st Hamilton Bryan Jones 363-6583 LONE PINE / RIVERSIDE CONOCO 504 hwy 93 South / 1987 North 1st Hamilton Steve and Brian Hawkes 375-0536 / 375-0554 MAVERICK MOTORSPORTS OF MISSOULA 4950 North Reserve Missoula Guy & Terri Sharp & Brent Gyuricza mavmotorsports.com 549-4260
MERCHANTS DELIVERY, Inc. 1410 North 1st Hamilton Case Quist 363-1131 [email protected] MILDENBERGER MOTORS P.O. Box 1630 Hamilton Brad Mildenberger 363-4100
NILES ENTERPRISES 7210 West Lapwai Lane Darby Kent Niles 349-2067 PARTS UNLIMITED 1829 HWY 93 North Victor Bob and Sydney Hazeltine 642-3403 [email protected] RYE CREEK ENTERPRISES, Inc. Dba BITTERROOT ADVENTURES P.O. Box 877 Darby Brent Nelson 821-4844 www.bitterrotadventures.com SNOW MOUNTAIN ELECTRIC, Inc. 3039 Redjou Lane Stevensville Steve, Kathy & Kerry Roebke 777-0912
THOMPSON DISTRIBUTING 320 South 1st Street Hamilton Brad Thompson 363-3620 VALLEY BICYCLES AND SKI, Inc. 219 South 1st Street Hamilton Randy & Kerri Leavell 363-4428 VALLEY UNITED INSURANCE SERVICES, Inc. 748 West Main Street Hamilton Jim, Jan and Tim Thomas 363-1227 VERCRUYSSEN EXCAVATING, Inc. 300 6th Ave. Victor Norm and Betty Vercruyssen 642-3506
Business Sponsorship runs from Date Paid on a yearly basis!
We are pleased to welcome our newest Sponsor,
Maverick Motorsports of Missoula. Stop by
their showroom and say Hi to Guy or Brent. They
have one of the largest selection of motorcycles in
Montana, also they carry Yamaha ATV’s and
accessories.
Page 5 www.ravallioffroad.org APRIL 2015
TRAIL 104 CLOSURE ‘TILL JUNE 15
RCORUA members are reminded that a portion of the single track trail 104 is closed until June 15. The first 2.2 miles of Trail 104 lies within a spring calving area that is closed to all motor vehicles until June 15 (magenta on the map). The remainder of Trail 104 is open for motorcycle travel yearlong (red on the map).
The spring closure starts at the trailhead at the top of the White Stallion road (FS 273) and extends just past Blacktail Point. The area closure extends to the north and west. Its eastern boarder is the road FS 273, so the closure also applies to all the trails in the Hamburger Flats and Blacktail areas west of FS 273.
The Bitterroot Forest Plan adopted in 1987 designates the spring calving travel restriction. During the last round of Plan Revision in 2005 (subsequently invalidated by the courts), RCORUA recommended that the eastern boundary of the spring calving area be moved slightly to the west to exclude Trail 104. This will no doubt continue to be an issue when the Bitterroot National Forest undertakes the next attempt at a Forest Plan Revision.
Trail 104 is the only single track trail that offers motorcycle enthusiasts an opportunity for spring riding, so the temptation to ride on the closed portion of the trail is strong. Unfortunately, doing so only perpetuates the stereotype of motorcyclists as crazed, lawless, uncaring individuals intent on tearing up the forest. We can rest assured that environmental extremists will be happy to perpetuate that stereotype and use it to close the entire trail permanently.
Please avoid motorcycle travel in the closed portion of Trail 104 until after June 15. If you observe motorcyclists on or near that segment of the trail, please advise them of the consequences of their violation. Providing ammunition to environmental extremists literally guarantees additional trail closures.
Call Darby District Ranger Chuck Oliver 821-3913 or Julie King (Bitterroot National Forest
Supervisor) 363-7100 to discuss this or other Forest Matters that concern you.
Page 6 APRIL 2015 www.ravallioffroad.org
FOREST SERVICE ISSUES DARBY LUMBER FINAL EA by Dan Thompson
The Bitterroot National Forest released the Final Environmental Assessment, Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI), and draft Decision Notice for the Darby Lumber Project on March 27, 2015. That’s all NEPA-speak for the fact that the Forest Service is getting close to being able to actually do something. The final hurdle for the project is to get through the Objection Period. Anyone who has been involved with the process has a 45 day window to file an objection to the proposed decision.
The Final Environmental Assessment differs from the Draft Environmental Assessment in several significant ways. These changes were made based upon consideration of public comments and coordination with Montana State Agencies. Many RCORUA members submitted comments on the Draft EA for the Darby Lumber Project.
For RCORUA, the changes from the Draft EA to the Final EA contain both good news and bad news. Some of the good news is:
The “system” segment of Trail 104 will have a season of closure from October 15 to December 1. The Draft EA had proposed a season of closure from October 15 to June 15. This is a big win for motorcycle enthusiasts who value Trail 104 for spring access. (Note that the first 5.4 miles of Trail 104 remains “in limbo” pending release of the Travel Plan and the first 2.2 miles of Trail 104 remains closed until June 15).
Most of RCORUA’s recommended routes, as modified by the Draft EA, continue to be recommended in the Final EA. Notable exceptions listed below.
In the bad news department:
The proposed “Fishtail” route has been deleted from the project. As many of you will recall, the first three miles of the Fishtail road was reconstructed as an ATV trail in 2002. This trail was constructed by the Forest Service to Forest Service standards but received modest use because it doesn’t go anywhere. RCORUA had recommended hooking this existing trail to other existing roads to complete a very attractive ATV route from the Rye Creek road to the Mine Road. That proposal was included in the Draft EA but not in the Final EA. Apparently, we have Montana FWP and Montana DEQ to thank for that. Both State Agencies submitted adverse comments on this proposal. The Final EA proposes to “obliterate” the ATV trail to “protect” watersheds and elk. The outrageous contradictions in this proposal seem to have eluded Federal and State Agencies altogether. If it was desirable to build this trail in the first place why is it now suddenly necessary to obliterate it? Where is the evidence that the presence and use of this trail on the ground for the past 13 years has had an adverse impact on anything?
RCORUA is still in the process of digesting the details of the Final EA for the Darby Lumber Project, and will continue to evaluate our options as the process goes through the objection period. However the process works out, ATV enthusiasts can be reasonably assured that travel opportunities will be significantly improved as this proposal is implemented.
RCORUA volunteers are heavily invested in this project. Three years of field work, 786 hours of volunteer time, and hundreds of observations and photographs have paid off. This project establishes RCORUA as a credible Forest Service partner who is willing to put their volunteer work where their mouth is.
2015 MEMBERSHIP DUES CAN BE PAID ANYTIME, get yours in early!
Page 7 www.ravallioffroad.org
PLEASE fill out the above form when renewing or for a new membership. Check or fill out all the lines that apply. We are encouraging members that have email addresses to sign up for the emailed
version of the newsletter (in color) to cut our expenses. PLEASE LET US KNOW HOW YOU WANT THE NEWSLETTER SENT TO YOU AND IF YOU WANT ANY EMAIL’S!
Your privacy is important to us, your information is only used for club purposes and is not shared with any outside entity. Notify us if you do not want your name or picture published in the newsletter or on the website!
APRIL 2015
Membership Application / Renewal 2015
Mail to Ravalli County Off-Road User Association, P.O. Box 72, Hamilton, MT 59840
Date: _____________________________________Check Number ____________________________
Single ($10.00) _____Single Lifetime $150.00_____Family ($20.00)_____Business / Sponsor ($100.00)______
Donation $_______________________________________________
Individual & Family Membership runs from January 1st to December 31st yearly. Business Sponsors runs from date paid.
Name (s) (please list all family names) or Business / Sponsor Name and Web site (optional):
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
Address:________________________________________________________________________________________
City:_________________________________________________________ State: ___________ Zip code: _________________
Telephone: _________________Cell Phone _____________________________Fax:________________________
Email:__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Number of Off-Road Users in the family:_________ Referred by: _____________________________________________
Do you want emails sent to you :all _______ , only meeting notices _______ or none ________ ?
Do you want the newsletter emailed to you (colored) _______ or a printed version mailed (Black & White) ___________
DAN THOMPSON APPOINTED TO ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Dan Thompson has recently been appointed to a three-year term on the State Trails Advisory Committee (STAC). The STAC works with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to administer Montana’s Recreational Trails program.
The STAC is comprised of eight to twelve voting volunteer delegates that may each serve no more than two consecutive terms.
TRAVEL PLAN RELEASED
On April 8, 2015, the Bitterroot National Forest (BNF) released their long-awaited Travel Plan. This process began back in September of 2007 when the BNF released their Proposal for public comment. Both RCORUA and the Bitterroot Ridgerunners (BRR) have been actively involved in the Travel Management Process since that time.
The document released to the public is the Draft Final Environmental Impact Statement. This will be followed by a 45-day period for persons or organizations to file administrative Objections to this proposal.
As of the publication of this newsletter, neither RCORUA nor BRR have had an opportunity to evaluate this proposal. A quick perusal of the Summary of the DFEIS produces some shocking indications, however:
The use of motorized and mechanized vehicles will be prohibited in Recommended Wilderness Areas, Wilderness Study Areas, and some Inventoried Roadless Areas;
Approximately 286,000 of the 851,000 acres currently available to snowmobiles would be closed (34% reduction);
Outside the area closures noted above, an additional 308 miles of roads and trails will be closed to motorized use.
Members may obtain a disk containing the Draft FEIS from any Forest Service Office. There will no doubt also be a series of public information meetings.
Members can anticipate that both RCORUA and BRR will offer informational meetings (hopefully with full-sized maps) in the near future.
Remember: “If you snooze you lose!!”