DEIS for the Little Snake RMP

SAWS ACTION ALERT:

Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Little Snake Resource Management Plan – Northwest Colorado

Comment Deadline: May 16, 2007

Comments should be sent to:

Jeremy Casterson
Bureau of Land Management
Little Snake Field Office
455 Emerson Street
Craig CO 81625

Website: http://www.co.blm.gov/lsra/rmp/index.htm

SAWS Members,

Most of the information in this SAWS Alert was provided by the Northwest Colorado Snowmobile Club (NOWECOS). We thank them for sending this information our way so that we are able to share it with our SAWS members across the United States and Canada. NOWECOS did a great job in putting this information together.

SAWS and NOWECOS request that you support the Travel Management portion of Alternative A (no action). In order to assure continued snowmobiling in Moffat County and NW Routt County in its present form, your written comments must state your preference for the Travel Management portion of Alternative A.

Alternative C (the Preferred Alternative) would close 839,940 acres to Over Snow Vehicles (OSV); nearly all Bureau of Land Management (BLM) managed land in this Little Snake Resource Management Plan, and would severely restrict Off Highway Vehicles (OHV) in Moffat County and NW Routt County. Alternative D is even worse and would close 861,030 acres to OSV. Alternatives C and D are completely unacceptable!

Some suggested comments include the following:

Make sure that you personalize your comment letter with information about you and your family and what forms of recreation you enjoy.

If you have recreated in this area of Colorado before, be sure and provide detailed information about the areas you enjoy and why they are special to you.

Tell the BLM that you endorse the Travel Management portion of Alternative A, as continued, unaltered use of public lands has always been and remains important to you. The Travel Management portion of Alternative A will leave most of these “public lands” open for public use.

Remind the BLM that OSV’s do not damage the land, and should not be treated the same as OHV’s, which in many places are restricted to roads and trails for a reason.

Tell the BLM that there should be no restrictions on winter access routes to/within the Bears Ears District of Routt National Forest.

There is very little and confusing analysis stating effects of OSV’s on BLM land and its resources. Therefore, closure(s) should not be as extensive as presented in Travel Management Alternatives B – D.

There is no socio-economic analysis of OSV’s.

In the final document for winter Travel Management state that you would like to see wording that guarantees documented roads are not included in any BLM closure. Such wording would alleviate confusion for winter recreation participants.

Dave Hurwitz

Snowmobile Alliance of Western States

Protecting the right to ride for the owners of 303,604 registered snowmobiles (2005) in the western United States.

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