by Dan Nitzel, NOHVA Business Manager

The current level of occurring resource damage from ATVs and dirtbikes is not acceptable to Forest Service officials and there are conflicts with other forest users, particularly horse back riders, camp ground users, a few local residents and cattle grazers. ATV and dirtbike riders will be invited to comment on the new plan, however there seems to be a broad opposition to recreational ATV and dirtbike use on the entire acreage managed by the US Forest Service in Nebraska, and this will impact ATV and dirtbike recreation on those lands.

The end result of the travel management plan may be to eliminate all "off trail" use. Popular areas such as the hill climb area may be restricted. Most two track 4x4 trails could be closed to ATVs and dirtbikes.

It was our understanding of the new Forest Management Plan in 2001 that the forest service would at least maintain access to most existing trails and most likely expand the trail system.

Some of Fee Demonstration Project funds that visitors to the recreation area pay were to be used to help some ATV and dirtbike related items. The new business plan will include fees for the ATV trail and trail riding.

Recreational ATV and dirtbike use is one of the more popular activities at the Nebraska National Forest, Bessey Ranger District. ATV and dirtbike riders most likely pay a large ratio of Fee Demonstration Project funds and camping fees the District.

Since 1997, NOHVA has provided $4,383 in direct funding ($16,748 if Symms Trails Dismal Trail funds are included) for trail related materials and hundreds of hours of volunteer labor at the NNF. Forest Service funding for recreational ATV and dirtbike trails at Halsey has been nearly non-existent due to federal budget cuts.

When the new business plan is implemented, funds collected from ATV and dirtbike users will be used to help and /or develop new trails.

For this year, with the approval of the NOHVA Board of Directors, we were planning to spend at least $1000 to $2000 of NOHVA membership funds for signs, posts and restoration of un-authorized trails, hill climbs and routes.

I was under the impression that some of the widening of the Dismal Trail at a few locations was acceptable as there is a LOT of traffic on the trail and the wider areas helped make the trail safer. As we have repeatedly expressed to the Forest Service, it was our hope to develop some additional routes to address safety concerns from heavy trail traffic on the Dismal River Trail.

Granted, there is a serious staff shortage, the effort, in my opinion on the part of the forest service to educate, direct and communicate with ATV and dirtbike riders could have been more responsive. Currently, many riders simply do not know where they can ride and should not ride, and they are unaware of the consequences of bad trail behavior. Only the Dismal Trail is marked to any extent. All other trails and areas where ATVs ride are marked very little, if at all, and riders do not know if they are authorized to be on certain trails or not.

The Forest Service provides $7.00 maps of where to ride and an ATV pamphlet developed in conjunction with NOHVA describing rules, regulations and expected trail behavior.

The Forest Service has been cutting funds and staff at the Bessey District. The Nebraska National Forest, Bessey Ranger District is reportedly one of the lowest funded and staffed forests in the nation. This hits Nebraska REALLY hard as our state has only a small fraction of the public land that other states like Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana have that are managed by the Forest Service.

The PROFOUNDLY DEDICATED staff at Bessey including District Ranger Patti Barney, and wildlife manager John Baldwin have taken it upon themselves to do as much as they can to maintain the camp grounds, including taking time out of their duties to pick up trash and cleaning the rest rooms.

Granted, our involvement at the NNF could have been greater, but we have repeatedly volunteered to help when we can. Members of NOHVA have volunteered every year to help maintain the Dismal Trail and some of the other two track trails used by ATVs and dirtbikes. Our next trail work dates are May 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th 2003.

In the past, we have blocked a some un-authorized trails and signed them closed and have asked for advise on what to do with others. Forest Service staff has signed some of these trails, but the signs are confusing and are made of materials (laminated photo copies) that do not last long.

This is what I propose. We need to make a big effort THIS YEAR to block un-authorized ATV and dirtbike routes and to rehabilitate damaged areas by blocking them and re-seeding them. Un-authorized routes need to marked so that riders will know that they are not to be there. We need to provide volunteers to help with trail related problems such as noise, and providing information to riders. Eventually, maybe beginning later this year, authorized routes need to be marked so that riders will know where they can ride.

Additionally, NOHVA needs to spearhead an effort to form a Halsey Trails Committee. The duties of the committee would be to organize people to volunteer with trail maintenance. Other duties that the committee is hoping to accomplish is to build bridges of understanding between various trail users including equine, hiking, bicycle, jeep, 4x4, ATV, dirtbike, snow mobile and local residents. With the approval of the NOHVA Board of Directors, seed funds and organizational support for the group will initially be provided by the Nebraska Off Highway Vehicle Association, and HTC will be a separate organization from NOHVA. Membership to the committee will be free to anyone who is committed to improving and preserving multiple use trail opportunities at Halsey.

The Forest Service needs to hire additional staff to handle ATV, dirtbike and trail related matters. Also, we need to have a voice on the travel management plan. Other trail users who enjoy some of "our" improvements have been the most vocal critics of us.

We are wondering if the US Fish and Wildlife Service will close the Headworks OHV Park near Genoa this year to protect piping plover and least tern. US Fish and Wildlife officials have reportedly made it clear that they find the Headworks OHV Park unacceptable, and the state works closely with them as well.

The Nebraska National Forest and the Headworks OHV Park near Genoa are the only two facilities in Nebraska that can handle a reasonable amount of riders. The areas near Harlan County Reservoir and near Sutherland are open, though they are very small. If the Halsey and Headworks areas close, Nebraskan's will be forced to leave Nebraska in larger numbers, taking recreational cash with them.

As of this writing, NOHVA representatives are consulting with national groups such as the BlueRibbion coalition, the All Terrain Vehicle Association (ATVA) and the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA). After we have talked to them, we will send out a special mailing to concerned ATV and dirtbike riders suggesting ways they can help preserve some of our trails. I am confident that we can come out of this with a reasonable amount of access to trails!! The Forest Service motto often says that it is "a land of many uses". There is plenty of land there for everyone, if it is monitored and managed.

THIS IS WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW!!!

We need to make great effort to repair damaged areas, repair existing trails, identify existing trails and encourage responsible ATV and dirtbike use. Please attend our next trail work days on May 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th, 2003. BE SURE TO TELL YOUR FRIENDS!! WE NEED ALL THE HELP WE CAN GET!! For more information, contact the NOHVA business office.

We need volunteers to document existing trails at Halsey to help with the travel management plan. This would involve using a GPS receiver. NOHVA owns a mapping Garmin GPS III with instructional video plus complementing mapping software. If you would like to help with this, please contact the NOHVA business office!