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| Black Bear, Imogene & Ophir Passes – Closed?? | | Monday, May 9, 2005 | Black Bear, Imogene & Ophir Passes – Closed??
By Dennis Larratt, COHVCO Chairman &
Brian Hawthorne, Public Lands Director for Blue Ribbon Coalition
Could these historic passes near Telluride, Ouray and Ophir, be closed to unlicensed OHVs by the San Miguel County Commissioners? Yes! Technically they are closed, under an interpretation by the San Miguel County Commissioners (SMCC) of a 1994 resolution that allowed unlicensed OHV use on many county roads, but not on these pass routes. By interpreting the resolution to close all routes not specifically identified as open, the SMCC had the passes posted as closed to OHVs last year. This of course caused confusion, as licensed vehicles didn’t know if they were allowed or not. They are! And this is in direct violation of the USFS Travel Management Plan, which has these routes open for motorized use.
Why Would The SMCC Do This?
Art Goodtimes is one of the County Commissioners, and he has led the charge to close these passes, saying that he is representing the desires of his constituents. There are some local residents that don’t want any OHV use in the county. There are of course many others who recognize the economic benefit of having OHVs in and around their counties and towns. Did I mention that Art Goodtimes is the only Green Party Member elected to office in Colorado? And what about the other commissioners? Elaine Fischer leans left, but has been somewhat neutral in the issue, while Vern Ebert is pro-motorized. But Art is the strongest politician in the bunch.
We Are Partly To Blame!
The full time residents of Telluride and Ophir are mostly non-motorized, conservation minded individuals that enjoy the great outdoors. They could be criticized for being hypocrites, since tourism has revived these communities economic viability, and probably provides the vast majority of their jobs. But they are offended by OHV users who come into their towns with loud pipes and irresponsible use. PLEASE DO YOUR PART BY RIDING QUIET VEHICLES AND RIDING SLOWLY AND COURTEOUSLY AROUND OTHER PEOPLE AND ESPECIALLY IN OUR HOST TOWNS!!!
But while a few of our ranks cause problems, the vast majority are responsible users. There are tons of recreationists from the local area, all over Colorado and around the country that get an incredible thrill from going over these passes. The views of Bridal Veil Falls and the town of Telluride from above are spectacular, and the historical aspect of these old mining roads and the men that made and used them is awe-inspiring.
Current Proposal
Staff from San Miguel County and the Uncompahgre National Forest has made a recommendation that would keep Black Bear and Imogene Passes open, but would close Ophir Pass. It would also provide for a bypass route near the bottom of the passes in the Marshall Creek area, that would allow unlicensed OHVs to come down Black Bear and go back up Imogene, without the need to enter the town of Telluride. This proposal will require some additional effort to approve the bypass, including the Idarado Mining Company, who owns much of the land across which the bypass would run. It would also require amendment of the USFS Travel Management Plan to close Ophir Pass to unlicensed OHVs.
COHVCO & Blue Ribbon Coaltion’s Opinion
COHVCO and the Blue Ribbon Coalition have teamed up to work on this issue. We support the move to reopen Black Bear and Imogene, and especially providing the bypass route. This move allows unlicensed OHVs to use the passes, without breaking the law by using public streets that are specifically off limits to unlicensed vehicles. However, we oppose the closure of Ophir Pass. This pass should be maintained open to use, but it is reasonable to restrict unlicensed OHVs in the town of Ophir. This compromise would allow motorized users some great opportunities, while making for better neighbor relations.
Local Advocates
There are a number of local and regional advocates that have been fighting this issue for a long time. I won’t get them all named, but here are a few: the San Juan Trail Riders, led by Tom Thomas & Larry Hopkins of Telluride, Gary Wilkinson, Dale Hoover & Mark Zink of Durango; the Thunder Mountain Wheelers, led by Bill Sutton & Walt Blackburn of Delta, Uncompahgre Valley Trail Riders, led by Pennie Love & Howard Heath of Montrose, West End Wheelers, led by Mike Grafmyer of Norwood, 4-Corners Trail Riders, led by Dale Slavens, and Western Slope ATV Association, led by President Steve Chapel. GET INVOLVED WITH A CLUB, AND HELP MOTORIZED RECREATION SURVIVE AND THRIVE!
Who to Contact
Most important are the SMCC, and USFS employees Tom Condos and Judy Schutza. Here are a number of people to contact to let them know how you feel:
San Miguel County Board of Commissioners:
P.O. Box 1170, Telluride,
333 W. Colorado Ave, Rm304
Telluride CO 81435
Office Tel # 970 728-3844
bocc@sanmiguelcounty.org - Blanket email address to all county commissioners
- Elaine Fischer, elainef@sanmiguelcounty.org - Elaine Fischer, 467 1/2 W. Dakota,
Telluride, 81435, (970) 728-4141 or elainefischer@yahoo.com
- Vern Ebert, verne@sanmiguelcounty.org - Vern & Bobbie Ebert, 151 Beaver Pond Ln.
Telluride CO, (970) 728-3579 or vebert@mesa,net
- Art Goodtimes, artg@sanmiguelcounty.org - Art Goodtimes, 92 County Rd 44ZS, Norwood, 81423, (970) 327-4767 or cloudacre@norwoodcolorado.us
US Forest Service:
United States Forest Service Supervisor's Office
2250 US Hwy 50
Delta, CO 81416
- Tom Condos, GUMG Forest Service Engineer, tcondos@fs.fed.us (970) 874-6600
- Charlie Richmond, Forest Supervisor csrichmond@fs.fed.us, (970) 874-6600
- Judy Schutza, Norwood District Ranger, jschutza@fs.fed.us, (970) 327-4261
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