Messages

You all ugly green is what it is all about. That is for them blinded rangers that keep harashing everyone.

FWC is only part of the problem, check this link out:

The greenies are at it again, intesting read

http://flsmartergrowth.org/home.php

The three to seven day pass you have to use consectively..

hey ya all --- ya all where does this here organization ONFA stand in all of this?

In tar nation mr. grizzley you all tell me that this here meeting has nothing to do with trails in florida, but you are still going, then tarnation answer my question - if this here meeting has not a thing to do with the trails in this here state, then why in tarnation are they holding a meeting?

To develop a better understanding of the needs and concerns of OHV enthusiasts and other stakeholders in implementation of the USFS Travel Management Rule.

How in the holy world do them here USFS goning to understand our needs and concerns if we don't protest.

[This meeting has nothing to do with any trails in the Ocala National Forest, or any forest in Florida. It explains how the process is done. I will be attending, it is similar to the seminar held in Ocala last year in May."]

Ya All found this on one of them there other websites, ya all have got it right, protest..ya all it is time we all show them all. Ya all i think it was this mr. terry that said something in another thread "This meeting has nothing to do with any trails in the Ocala National Forest, or any forest in Florida.  It explains how the process is done.  I will be attending, it is similar to the seminar held in Ocala last year in May." I might be a confused blonde but why in tar nation if the meeting has nothing to do with trails in florida, then why in tar nation are they all even having it, and why in gods heaven is this mr. terry attending?

Here is your change to be heard..


Route Designation Workshop
For Land Managers, OHV Enthusiasts and Other Stakeholders

June 28 ? July 1, 2007

Staybridge Suites
1600 Summit Lake Drive, Tallahassee, FL
850-219-7000

Agency Personnel - Thursday, June 28, 8AM - 5PM
- Friday, June 29, 8AM - 1PM

Public - Saturday, June 30, 8AM - 5PM
- Sunday, July 1, 8AM - 3:30PM

The National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council (NOHVCC) is conducting a Motorized Route Designation Workshop in June for agency personnel and other stakeholders interested in travel management on National Forests in Florida. The purpose of this workshop is to assist the Forest Service and other stakeholders in effective implementation of the USFS Travel Management Rule in their State. While the sessions on Thursday and Friday are designed primarily for Forest Service personnel and the sessions on Saturday and Sunday are designed primarily for the public, the sessions are open to all who want to attend and there is no charge. Other state and federal agency personnel are welcome and encouraged to attend both sessions. Continental breakfast will be served at 7:30 AM each day. Lunch and breaks will also be provided.
Please note this workshop addresses the Forest Service Travel Management Rule and route designation process and is not a Forest Service meeting to gather comments on any particular travel plan. Rather, this workshop will help you understand the process, how to best participate in the process and how to provide meaningful comments during the entire process.
Registration is required on-line at:
https://conference.nohvcc.org/?EVENT...template=rdwFL

Or you may visit www.nohvcc.org and click on the ?Forest Service OHV Route Designation Workshops and Database? link to register.

The registration deadline is June 19, 2007. For questions about registration contact Ann Vance at 888-458-0131 or e-mail avance@nohvcc.org .

NOHVCC has secured a limited number of rooms at the Staybridge Suites, 1600 Summit Lake Drive, Tallahassee, FL 32317. These rooms are on a first come basis at the rate of $84.00 + tax per night. Ask for the NOHVCC room block. Deadline for this rate is June19, 2007. After that date, call for price and availability.

This national workshop series is sponsored by the Americans for Responsible Recreational Access (ARRA), the Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC) and the Specialty Vehicle Institute of America (SVIA). Coordination of the workshops is provided by the NOHVCC. Design of the workshop sessions was a collaborative effort by professional trail consultants, ARRA, MIC, SVIA, American Motorcyclist Association (AMA), Blue Ribbon Coalition (BRC), United Four Wheel Drive Associations (UFWDA), and NOHVCC, with input from USFS trail managers.

The Agency Workshop objectives are:

? To develop a better understanding of the needs and concerns of OHV enthusiasts and other stakeholders in implementation of the USFS Travel Management Rule
? To improve the quality and the sustainability of trails, trail systems and areas through the implementation process
? To improve OHV enthusiast and other stakeholder input and support for the implementation process
? To increase partnerships between the USFS, the OHV industry, OHV enthusiasts and other stakeholders
? To facilitate better communication between the USFS, OHV enthusiasts and other stakeholders

OHV Enthusiasts and Other Stakeholders Workshop objectives are:

? To develop an understanding of the FS Travel Management Rule
? To help OHV enthusiasts and other stakeholders become more active in route designation decisions
? To help OHV enthusiasts and other stakeholders understand how to improve the quality and sustainability of trails, trails systems and areas through the implementation process
? To increase partnerships between the USFS, the OHV industry, OHV enthusiasts and other stakeholders
? To facilitate better communication between the USFS, OHV enthusiasts and other stakeholders

The National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council is a non-profit educational foundation. For information regarding NOHVCC and its workshop programs visit its website at www.nohvcc.org.

I received this letter today from Tami Leonard OHV Coordinator


I encourage all folks who currently ride the National Forest OHV Recreation areas to attend and provide
comment.  If you don't attend then you can not know how your travel will be effected or the USFS can not hear what is you are looking for as to the types of areas that you so desire to ride in. 

Now ya all rally ya all that sounds might fine to me. ya all better count this lady in. ya all why would this ms tami encourge all of us folks to attend and provide comment, and this here mr. grizzleybear says it has nothing to do with any trails in the Ocala National Forest, or any forest in florida. Well by gosh if this here meeting has nothing to do with any of the trails in ocala national forest or florida, well by gosh why in tarnation are they even holding a meeting.

Call for help issued for Ocala National Forest cleanup

BY FRED HIERS
STAR-BANNER
OCALA - Every few days, the Ocala National Forest is marred. Piles of trash, abandoned boats and cars, leaking batteries and worn out tires are illegally dumped, scarring the landscape like cancerous tumors.
     Tons of debris are left by people unwilling to drive the few extra miles, sometimes yards, to nearby recycling centers or landfills. Instead, they have turned the forest, which has an amazing variety of wildlife, into their personal trash can.
     U.S. Forestry officials and more than 200 volunteers plan to take out the trash June 9 and 10 as part of the largest cleanup in the 384,000-acre forest.
     "It actually sickens me to see it. It's heartbreaking," said Mike Bowen, a U.S. Forest Service volunteer who is helping organize the cleanup.
     "I've never been able to make sense of it," Bowen said.
     He is asking for volunteers to help collect the trash, which will then be trucked to recycling centers and the county landfill.
     Bowen said the Forest Service has cataloged 320 major trash piles, 19 abandoned and gutted boats, 63 automobiles and an estimated 2,000 tires.
   "Anything people would have to pay for to take to the landfill, you'll find there," he said.
    The list also includes 19 car batteries leaking poisonous chemicals into a nearby pond that feeds the area aquifer.
     "It's a lack of education," Bowen said.
And although 200 volunteers are already signed up to help, Bowen said he needs all the help he can get.
     Cleaning up trash is not the only remedy, said Eve Shackleton, the Forest Service's volunteer coordinator.
     The agency has increased potential fines for violators, up to $500, and courts could dole out sentences of up to six months in jail, she said.
     In addition, the agency doubled enforcement officers on its staff and now has four people patrolling the forest along with volunteers who report violators.
     Shackleton said she has found piles of trash and debris about 100 yards from recycling stations.
     "They've created dumps behind the dump. Every day you can go out there and find a new dump," she said.
    "Fines usually start at $325," Shackleton said, "but if we catch them, we'll write them up for anything else we can write them up for."
     And when violators are confronted, Shackleton said they usually respond by saying, "But this is where we've always done it."
    "I don't know where their minds are sometimes," she said.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
     The Ocala National Forest cleanup is from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., June 9, and from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., June 10. Volunteers should meet at the Lake George Ranger District Office on State Road 40, a half mile east of County Road 314A.
     Those wanting to help can contact Mike Bowen at (352) 288-3228.
     The Forest Service will provide trash bags, gloves, drinks and food, and will transport people to trash sites. Bowen recommends volunteers bring sunscreen and bug repellent.

Link
http://www.ocala.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070530/NEWS/205300316/1025/NEWS

this lady is confused - talked to USFS officals, who --- then you all say this is your opinions, and not fact. Now you all if you all talked with the USFS, why is this you all opinion? Then you all say you all talked with a Tech.

ya all where are them there meetings held and when?

Ya all in answer to Mr. Bounty - I believe you all heard of ariel photography?

[ATVFLORIDA.COM, Message Forums & Classifieds: General => Open Discussion => Official Ocala Nat'l. Forest Decision Announced => Topic started on January 12, 2006 < http://www.atvflorida.com/forum/index.php/topic, 10391.0.html> (attached hereto as Exhibit 2 at 2 ("Always lived by there rules. Now they want to take it away from us ? Catch me if you can."), 9 ("i dont see the State hiring a 100 or more people to patrol everyday"), 12 ("The forest is far too large to control. Yes you might get caught for runnig on a numbered road but rarely will you get in trouble...think about it. We go out in the side trails and take off...almost never see anyone else. You think a patrol or trail closure is goona effect that?..doubtful.")]

This is from save our big scrub website, they also say no atv more than 50 inches wide

Pursuant to 36 C.F.R. Part 215.14(b), the Appellant provides the following:
   I. SPECIFIC CHANGES IN THE DECISION THAT THE APPELLANTS SEEK
   • Eliminate the "Rodman Pit" OHV day use area;
   • Not designate trails within 50 feet of gopher tortoise burrow entrances;
   • Not designate unclassified mixed use roads that are not needed for resource activities;
   • Set forth a plan to adequately enforce the restrictions articulated in the plan;
   • Set forth a plan to adequately monitor the impacts from motorized access;
   • Minimize conflicts between motorized and non-motorized recreational uses;
   • Minimize harassment to wildlife and habitats;
   • Minimize impacts to soils, watersheds and vegetation;
   • Require users of unlicensed vehicles (motorcycles and ATVs) to register with or have permits from the Forest Service to operate motorized vehicles on Forest Service roads and trails; and,
   • Designate OHV trails as one-way routes.

The CEQ defines "indirect impacts" as those effects "which are caused by the action and are later in time or farther removed in distance, but are still reasonably foreseeable." 40 C.F.R. §1508.8(b). The FEIS fails to consider indirect effects because it is based on the assumption that compliance, education and enforcement will be 100 percent effective, see FEIS at 1-16. Thus, the FEIS assumes that impacts will be limited to the 50" trails and does not consider the indirect impacts that will occur when OHV users stray from the designated routes. The basis of this assumption is questionable at best. The intentional or reckless disregard for the designated routes is likely to occur, and is more likely to occur than full compliance. This fact has been expressed by a number of ATV users. See, e.g., ATVFLORIDA.COM, Message Forums & Classifieds: General => Open Discussion => Official Ocala Nat'l. Forest Decision Announced => Topic started on January 12, 2006 < http://www.atvflorida.com/forum/index.php/topic, 10391.0.html> (attached hereto as Exhibit 2 at 2 ("Always lived by there rules. Now they want to take it away from us ? Catch me if you can."), 9 ("i dont see the State hiring a 100 or more people to patrol everyday"), 12 ("The forest is far too large to control. Yes you might get caught for runnig on a numbered road but rarely will you get in trouble...think about it. We go out in the side trails and take off...almost never see anyone else. You think a patrol or trail closure is goona effect that?..doubtful.")
Furthermore, innocent non-compliance is guaranteed to occur as riders adjust to the new rules. At a minimum, trails will be unintentionally widened beyond the 50" impact. Some ATV riders assume the trail will be twice that width. See Exhibit 2 at 12 ("ok so pretty much its gonna be say an 8 foot wide trail or so").
The Forest Service apparently did not consider the indirect impacts of non-compliance because "[m]easurment of this issue would be speculative due to the unpredictable nature of the issue." FEIS at 1-15. However, it would not be speculative to state that some of the more heavily used routes will see continued use after they have been closed. This is especially true of areas in remote portions of the Forest and routes leading to and from the 61 existing concentrated use areas.
The Forest Service also should know from experience that previous closure orders on the Forest have been far from effective. See Exhibits 3-4. NEPA analysis should not be based on wishful thinking. The Forest Service could have used available information on the issuance of warnings and citations to help compile a more reasonable outlook on the amount of non-compliance, as the EPA suggested. FEIS App. F Letters at 21 ("What is the trend in issuance of warnings and violations related to OHV use? Where are the majority of violations occurring?").

Hey ya'll this lady is definately confused -- by ya'll ONFA not taking a stand, ya'll ONFA is saying it will not protect the trails?? Then that leaves this lady to believe ya'll ONFA doesn't care about the trails?? What does ya'll care about.

This lady is confused - what does tourism have to do with grooming the trails?? Ya'll I am glad that there is some place to ride, at least for the time being. But I see in the near future the forest won't have a place to ride.

It was a done deal before that meeting even occured.

Just to let you know that a lot of forestry land is government property.

Ya'll know what - it just might be ya'll goverment land, but ya'll we pay taxes on that there land. Everyone has the right to use it.

Ya'll I know this well was produced last year, but these people don't sound very OHV friendly. Well ya know it seems like these people (enviornmentalists) don't want to have OHV trials in ya'll forests.

OCALA - Sparkling springs, a historical fire tower, boat ramps, trails, the endangered scrub jay habitat, campgrounds, glistening lakes, a classic Florida tourist attraction, a rifle range and Civilian Conservation Corps structures are among the features that could result in a stretch of East State Road 40 being named the Florida Black Bear Scenic Byway.

The Corridor Advocacy Group, comprised of citizens and government agency representatives, is working on an application to have the state designate the roadway, between Silver Springs on the west and Interstate 95 on the east, as a scenic byway.

As part of the application process, the group is required to identify the cultural, historic, archeological, recreational, natural and scenic features found along the roadway.

The Corridor Advocacy Group, or CAG, met Thursday and toured the western half of the proposed corridor, from Silver Springs to Blue Creek Lodge Road in Lake County, in search of the features that would make State Road 40 worthy of the designation.

"I want the road to educate the visitors about the ecological systems of the Ocala National Forest and be an example of how a road should be managed through a forest instead of how it should not be," said Salt Springs CAG member Linda Conway Duever, who was representing Save Our Big Scrub.

Carrie Sekerak, CAG member and wildlife biologist for the U.S. Forest Service's Ocala National Forest Seminole Ranger District, said that the designation also could be an enhancement for businesses along the corridor.

"It brings so much money to communities," Sekerak said about the designation.

Some of the sites that impressed the group were Wildcat Lake, Juniper Springs, Mill Dam Recreation Area, Redwater Lake, Ray Wayside Park and the Silver Springs attraction.

Sekerak told the group that at the north end of Juniper Springs is an area called the "Yearling Trail." Author Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings befriended the people in that area and used composites of the people in her novel "The Yearling." That, Sekerak said would be a cultural feature for the scenic byway application.


Enlarge | Purchase
Traffic makes its way east near Lynne on Thursday, on a stretch of State Road 40 proposed for scenic byway designation. 
Sekerak also brought the group through an area of the endangered scrub jay's habitat east of Juniper Springs.

William Carromero, a botanist for the U.S. Forest Service, Ocala National Forest, pointed out the Bonamia grandiflora, an endangered plant that is part of the morning glory family.

"This ecological system is pretty much fire dependent," Carromero said about the area that lies east of Juniper Springs.

CAG member Monso Tatum of the Pioneer Settlement in Barberville, on the eastern end of the proposed scenic byway, was on the tour.

"We want to participate in what possible funding we might have for a welcome center later on and keep our habitat like it is," Tatum said. "When you get to Barberville, you feel like you are back in Florida 100 years ago."

Dave Bowman, operations and management consultant for the Office and Greenways and Trails, explained to the group how the greenway plays an integral part in joining the Ocala National Forest to surrounding areas, providing habitat and corridors for wildlife.

Robert LaMont, park manager of the Silver River State Park, discussed the significance of that park's walking and mountain biking trails, boat ramp and scenic viewing areas.

CAG chairwoman Cathy Lowenstein, forestry resource administrator for the state Division of Forestry, said the group will tour the eastern half of the corridor - from Blue Creek Lodge Road to I-95 - in January.



Enlarge | Purchase
Consultant Glenn burns, right, looks for scrub jays along East State Road 40, as Clay Coates of the U.S. Forestry Service uses a speaker system to broadcast the scrub jay's call.
Steve Specht, spokesman for the Silver Springs attraction, gave the group a tour of the facility, emphasizing features such as the glass bottom boats and the history of motion picture films made at the park. He also said that the scenic byway would be a "win-win" situation for the businesses and ecological interests.

Lowenstein said the group is currently in its eligibility phase. "The target completion date for this phase is July," she said.

Glenn Burns, a Florida Department of Transportation consultant who will help the CAG complete the application, said the application is submitted to the department's Scenic Highway Advisory Committee.

If the committee determines that the roadway deserves the scenic byway designation, it will make the recommendation to the department secretary. If the secretary agrees, the CAG group then moves into the designation phase.

During that phase, the CAG will develop a plan to manage the highway corridor. That plan must be approved by all the local governments in the corridor, as well as the state and federal agencies affected. That process would likely be completed in 1-1/2 years, Burns said.