NOHVA’s TMP Proposal for Halsey

By Dan Nitzel, NOHVA Business Manager

          In January, the U.S. Forest Service hosted a series of open houses to describe details of the new Travel Management Plan (TMP) for U.S. Forest Service lands in Nebraska.  Meetings in Nebraska were held in Valentine, Chadron, North Platte and Grand Island.  The U. S. Forest Service Nebraska National Forest includes the Bessey Ranger District near Halsey and Thedford, the Pine Ridge Ranger District near Chadron, the Oglala Grasslands near Crawford, and the McKelvie National Forest near Valentine and Merritt Reservoir.     

Attendance for the meetings ranged from light in Valentine to a full room in Grand Island. 

            Quick facts about the Travel Plan - We figure that under the current proposed plan, there will be about 25 miles of ATV/dirtbike trails open for us to ride at Bessey.  Anywhere from 9 miles to 28 miles of roads will be left open to ATVs and dirtbikes.  The Forest Service estimates that we will loose access to 55 miles of roads and will gain 17 miles of trails.   According to our estimates we will loose about 200 to 225 miles of trails and roads, and about 89,000 acres will close just at Bessey.  However we will not know what the difference will be between the different classes of roads and trails until after the open house meetings.  At Pine Ridge/Oglala Grasslands about 150 miles of trails will be lost and 126,000 acres closed.  At the McKelvie National Forest about 115,000 acres will be closed, the number of miles of trails left open is not known at this time.  Total acres closed in Nebraska will be about 330,000 acres, with about 1500 acres left open across the state on Forest Service land and non-Forest Service land.  This will result in the closure of about 99.5% of the land we are now allowed to ride in Nebraska.  There is a possibility that appeals may be filed opposing the proposed plan stating that too many trails have been proposed. 

          The U.S. Forest Service Proposal for Halsey – Under the proposed plan described by the Forest Service many of the popular trails we now ride will remain open.  Some of the existing trails we now ride like the Poison Ivy trail and the Power Line trail are user created, and these trails will remain open.  Other user created trails include trails inside the fence along FS203 or Circle Road and northwest of the Dismal River play area.  FS201 is planned to be segmented, meaning ATV and dirtbike riders will not be able to ride from the White Trail camp ground to the hill climb on that road.  There are no trails planned to be designated as ATV and dirtbike trails outside of the Dismal River trail coordinator.  Thirty acres of play area will remain open, cutting the total area currently available play area in half.  You can visit our web site at www.nohva.com to view a map of the proposed trail system.   

NOHVA’s Proposal for the Travel Management Plan – After careful consideration by an ad-hoc NOHVA committee appointed at the Annual Meeting on January 20th, we will be proposing all or part of the following to the Forest Service.  Please keep in mind that the our proposed details listed here are not final, and as of this writing we are working on a final draft.

·         When practical, the Forest Service should designate trails that make effective loop trails or destinations to points of interest.

·         To reduce conflict and complaints by other forest users and wildlife, we suggest a noise limit for motorized recreation within Forest Service lands in Nebraska.  This noise limit should apply to all motorized vehicles, and all vehicles must have a muffler that meet noise limits and must have a U.S. Forest Service Approved spark arrestor.  The national noise limit is 96 dB(A) as recommended by Motorcycle Industry Council and by the Specialty Vehicle Institute of America, using the “SAE J1287 Jul98 Stationary Sound Test Procedure”.

·         To help pay for trail maintenance and management, a reasonable trail use fee should be charged to all those who operate or are a passenger in or on a licensed or unlicensed motor vehicle using ATV or dirtbike roads and trails, with the exception of licensed cars, trucks, SUVs.  Vehicles that would require a day use fee or annual use fee include ATVs, dirtbikes, side by sides, go carts, UTVs, un-licensed jeep type vehicles, and licensed dual sport motorcycles.  Any operator of a vehicle and passengers would need to have an arm band unless an annual pass has been purchased.  Trail fee should be charged for all trail users on Forest Service managed lands at Bessey and McKelvie National Forest, including recreational trail users and hunters.  A daily use fee from $5 to $10 should be charged per vehicle per day, or a reasonable annual trail use fee be charged such as $50 to $75 per calendar year.  We recommend the use of wrist bands for identifying daily fee riders and a sticker mounted in a designated location for annual users.  Once the fee system has begun, we request that a committee be formed of Forest Service management and involved trail user groups.  The committee will meet at least once a year to recommend (not manage) administration of the fund, address trail problems and advise on management decisions. 

·         Basic safety standards for the safe use of ATVs and dirtbikes should be considered. 

·         Specific rules for children on ATVs and dirtbikes need to be adopted.  No youngster should be placed in front of an adult rider as the lead rider.  No one under the age of 16 should be allowed to ride on trails unless a responsible adult is with the child on the trail.

·         We do not support the concept of one-way trails.  It would be difficult to enforce and sign a one way trail.  One way trails encourage higher trail speeds. 

·         We support he concept of riders operating machines in a controllable manner at all times instead of a speed limit.

·         The use of sand paddle tires on ATVs and dirtbikes should not be allowed.

·         We believe designated trails should be adopted by a group of responsible individuals or riders to justify remaining as a designated trail.  The group should maintain the trail at regular intervals through out the year and be recognized with signs (at their expense) mounted at strategic locations along the trail identifying who has adopted the trail and their contact information.  The Forest Service should also allow the posting of work day dates for anyone who maybe interested in helping with trail work.

·         If the Forest Service has no budget for new signs, NOHVA will propose to install or replace all designated trail signs at their cost by July of 2010 with Forest Service approved regulation signs. 

·         We recommend that all locations were a designated trails crossed a fence line, a cattle guard will be installed.  All fence gates will remain closed unless locked open by the Forest Service or by allotment leasees.  Signs should be placed on all gates noting that the gate should remain closed unless locked open.

·         Trail user groups should be held responsible for repairing minor resource damage caused by ATV and dirtbike riders. 

·         FS-201 – Under the Forest Service’s proposal, this road is to be segmented for ATV and dirtbike travel.  We would like to see it remain open as it is now.  We believe that it would be near impossible to enforce the parts that are open to ATVs and dirtbikes and closed to ATVs and dirtbikes.

·         We would like to see the Camp 4 trail, the link between the Poison Ivy trail and FS-201 remain open.  This is an enjoyable route, and we feel that leaving it open would result in little if any additional maintenance.  Additionally, it would be difficult to enforce a closure with out blocking the road.

·         We would like to see the fence line trail south of the hill climb remain open to ATV and dirtbike riders.  The Forest Service has attempted to close this trail several times in the past and it remains used by off-roaders.  It also serves as a loop trail.  Routes to the side of the long time trail need to be blocked with logs and side routes need to have logs placed across them.  As we have discovered over that last couple of years, simple signs instructing people to stay on the road have worked when people made by-pass routes around water holes.  This same strategy could be used along this trail.

·         We would like to see FS214 from the hill climb to the Whitetail camp ground remain open to ATV and dirtbike riders after cattle guards have been installed by an adopting group or by NOHVA no later than July of 2010.

·         NOHVA proposes to install a 52” cattle guard near wind mill 117 on the Power Line trail.

·         The hill climb area should be moved to a new location and the old hill climb area closed and rehabilitated.  Much of the existing hill climb has been carried off by the wind.  However the surface was broken by off-road vehicles.  Our concern is that if the hill does not present enough of a challenge, and it is rapidly becoming less of a hill, people will go elsewhere and make a new hill.  A new location could easier to manage and respond to in the event of an emergency.  A different location could be in an area that is shielded from the wind as well.  We certainly want to have a location that is a challenge, preferably a location that offers more of a challenge than the existing location.  If the hill climb is moved, the current location can be rehabilitated by off-roaders.

·         Additional trails as recommended by Kirk & Erika Bode.

·         We would like the Forest Service to consider extending the Power line trail using an existing route to a small parking area located outside of the fence south of the Lookout tower.  NOHVA will pay for the cattle guards, signs along this route, and create a walking trail from the ATV parking area to the Lookout Tower.  This will provide for another destination for ATV and dirtbike riders and will help enhance the scenic experience and historic education of the area.  The trail and parking area will be out of sight from the top of the Lookout Tower. 

·         We would like to see the designation of the gravel area about ½ mile east of the Look Out Tower near the intersection of FS233, FS203 and highway 86B as a dispersed camp site and fee area.

·         We recommend that a road or a new trail be designated as a conditional use ATV and dirtbike trail to serve the 4-H compound.  Conditional use would be described as travel strictly from the 4-H compound to the trail system, with the permission of Forest Service management. 

·         We believe hunters should follow the same rules as recreational trail users. 

There are a few considerations at trails users at Bessey need to understand.

·         The proposals presented by the Forest Service for the Bessey Ranger District could have been far more restrictive, meaning far more trails could have been closed.  I can tell you that after many years of experience of working with Forest Service employees, there is considerable opposition to our presence of ATVs and dirtbikes on Forest Service land.  We are fortunate to have a professional and understanding staff at Bessey, but we would also like to see more trails designated than were proposed to be designated.  All of the additional designated trails currently exist.  While most all of these trails are now seldom used, they would most likely remain that way, but it would be a great way to enjoy the beauty of the sand hills that have no trees. 

·         The chances of increased trail funding by the Federal Government/Forest Service for ATV and dirtbike trails at Bessey are bleak at best.  We need to understand that we need to figure out ways to fund trail improvements at Bessey, and organize riders to help maintain the trails.   It is our responsibility to help the Forest Service encourage riders to help fund and maintain trails.  Also we need to help educate ATV and dirtbike riders about their “new” role involving recreational trail use and the possible consequences of non-involvement with trail management on Forest Service land.

·         Trails need to be sustainable.  This means that the trails need to be designed in a manner that can easily be maintained, and that the users enjoy. 

·         There is a chance that new trails can be built and designated in the future if we can prove that we are up to the task of funding and maintaining existing trails. 

·         There is a good chance that we can enhance our trail riding experience at Bessey because the management, rider involvement and funding of the trails will remain local. 

·         The ranchers who graze cattle at Bessey voiced a considerable amount of opposition to the existing ATV and dirtbike trails at the North Platte meeting.  It’s no secret that they want to see us out of there, and all trails for ATVs and dirtbikes closed. They say that we cause a considerable amount of damage to the land.  Riders have chased and have killed their cattle.  Riders have left gates open especially in holiday weekends and they have to round up and separate their cattle from other herds.  While we can certainly understand their case about the gates left open, we wonder how many times their cattle are chased and question if any cattle have been ever chased down to the point of death.  I can see a predator doing so.  In the area where most of the trails are located, the cattle on the and around the trails at Bessey are accustom to our presence and generally use our trails more than we do, and that’s not at all a problem to us.  We must also keep in mind that they pay the Federal Government $1.56 per month per cow/calf pair and we are now paying nothing to ride there.  However, we wonder about any statements about us causing resource damage.  It is clearly dependent upon the eyes of the beholder.  Just as they have documented damage by off-road vehicles, we have a considerable amount of documentation of damage by cattle.  By the way, I think most all of us like beef, and we know that cattle ranching is THE MAIN business of the sandhills.  We certainly don’t want to pick an argument here, but I think that there is room for all of us.  There NEEDS to be a policy on how gates should be marked or locked open, and marked to be left closed.  Also, it should be made known to off-roaders that if the problem with gates being left open continues, the effected trail will be closed.

·         The local ranchers want the Forest Service to adopt the use of "rodeo numbers" to identify each and every ATV and dirtbike rider.  We are strongly opposed to this suggestion.  Not only would it discriminate against ATV and dirtbike trail users, it would cause a national condemnation of the policy. 

·          A trail fee is needed to pay for trail maintenance.  Many other states in the nation require registration of ATVs and dirtbikes.  Nebraska has no such program, and we most likely never will.  There is very strong opposition from ATV and dirtbike riders to pay any kind of fee for anywhere in Nebraska and these riders think it is the duty of other tax payers to pay for their hobby.  We support the notion that we should be paying a reasonable fee for the trails we use.  We would also like to have a voice on how those trails are managed, we would like to see the money collected locally stay at that location, and we want to see most all of the money we pay for motorized trails be used to operate and maintain them.   (See the article related to “Nebraska Legislative Update” in this newspaper)       

·         While we support basic safety standards for the use of ATVs and dirtbikes, these standards may include requiring riders to wear helmets.  Also there is some discussion about double riding on machines designed for one rider.  Many of us have witnessed three or four riders on a machine tooling down the trails at Bessey.  Can we responsibly oppose any of these rules?  This writer has generally taken the stance of letting riders make their own choices, but requiring helmets while on public land is a trend that is becoming more common across the country.   I think parents/responsible adults should no be allowed to place a child as the lead riders in order to keep and eye on them.  People complain about not seeing others in blind spots on the trails, these kids have no protection from on-coming riders. 

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