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| GMUG Forest Plan Update from Joani Dufourd | | Sunday, January 22, 2006 | January 19, 2006
Assisting COHVCO on the GMUG Forest Plan Revision has been an interesting experience. One of the critical components to understand why this particular plan is so important is that the GMUG is the first forest of any size (3 million acres) to adopt a management approach using Themes. Various management activities, desired conditions, and recreational opportunities are spelled out by themes ranging from Theme 1, managed almost as defacto Wilderness to Theme 8, permanently developed areas, with our motorized uses squeezed somewhere in between.
COHVCO understood early on that there were many different public opinions and attitudes about how GMUG should look for the next 15-20 years and some very vocal, nearly hysterical verbiage coming from the green side. As far as some were concerned, motorized recreation should just go away. The restrictive use folks have offered a plan called Mountains to Mesas which calls for 787,000 acres of additional wilderness, and severe restrictions to motorized recreation.
The motorized community in Colorado, led by COHVCO members, many of whom are local club members, has rallied hard and strong, using all the resources available to make a good argument for a more favorable decision for motorized recreation than the intended original plan language.
We were provided an opportunity, thanks to Walt Blackburn, President Thunder Mountain Wheelers, to have a meeting strictly with motorized concerns and Forest Service Management in a pre-draft review of the current wording of the forest revision, January 9th in Delta, Co. With the draft being very close to finalization it was important we used this time to wordsmith and tweak the restrictive and negative language of Theme 3, which is what more of the forest will be labeled when this Plan is finalized. It is essential we build in some management flexibility to insure future use will not be fraught with trail closures and more roadless areas than are already present.
It looks like the forest will utilize and implement some, and perhaps many of our proposed changes. We are currently in the process of effecting changes to the wording of the plan, as are the Mountains to Mesa folks working hard to gain more wilderness and more non-motorized areas. COHVCO has networked with Blue Ribbon Coalition, Colorado Snowmobile Association and the legislative body in a tireless effort toward a common goal, Access To Our Public Lands, please give them all the cooperation possible.
The draft Forest Plan is due to be released in late January or early February, 2006. We will be working to provide you with summary information to help you provide specific comments (90 day comment period after issuance) about your favorite forms of recreation, and what changes are needed to make it a good plan.
Joani Dufourd
Land Use Consultant
RecConnect, LLC
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