ABATE of Illinois has submitted its Comments on the Shawnee National Forest Management Plan. Congressman John Shimkus has offered to personally submit these comments to the US Forest Service Chief so please call and thank his office at
217/492-5090.
The comment below can be used as a bullet point for motorcyclists to use to submit their own comments – the more the merrier!
Comments must be received by June 20, 2005
Shawnee National Forest
Forest Plan Revision Comments
50 Hwy, 145 South
Harrisburg, IL 62946
Or fax: 618-253-1060
Or email to:
r9_shawnee_plan-revision@fs.fed.us
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June 6, 2005
Forest Plan Revision comments
Thank you for the opportunity to provide comments regarding the Proposed Land and Resource Management Plan and Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). Please make these comments part of the public record.
ABATE of Illinois (A Brotherhood Aimed Toward Education) is a state wide motorcycling organization with twelve thousand members. As a volunteer organization dedicated to preserving a universal and safe riding environment, we see off road riding recreation as a fast growing trend among our membership. The Prairie State offers a vast landscape that urges us to enjoy its beauty through off highway motorcycles (OHM’s) and/or all terrain vehicles (ATV’s).
Federal Court Rulings
In 1996 in Sierra Club v. United States Dep’t of Ag., an injunction banning the use of ATV / OHM’s was issued “until such time as the Forest Service issues new or revised planning document in a manner consistent with this Court’s ruling.” What the court had asked for in its ruling was a new Environmental Impact Study that addressed items set forth in a “Need for Change” document developed through the Analysis of Management Situation (AMS).
In January of 2005, the USFS released a Draft Environmental Impact Study (DEIS) that addressed the Needs for Change document of 2002 opening the forest to motorized recreation once again.
Need for Change
The Need for Change document, found that many lower class system roads were not managed to support larger vehicles. These lower class road systems would benefit from closing them to larger licensed vehicles and allowing them to be used by smaller and lighter ATVs.
This recommendation would also alleviate the need for Disabled Access Permits because all users would be allowed to access the forest on these roads. The Need for Change also called for the expansion of recreation management including a comprehensive system of designated trails that are marked, mapped, designed, and maintained for all season use.
DEIS
This recommended alternative simple say’s that “The use of ATVs and OHMs would be prohibited.” Citing the court findings that prohibited the use of ATV / OHMs UNTIL a DEIS was conducted and a Need for Change document was addressed. Both of these criteria have been met at this time.
Alternative 2 of the DEIS professes to be based on the Need for Change document of 2002. It claims that about 65% of the acres in the Roaded-Natural Area (RN) could be managed for ATV/OHM uses. The RN acreage totals 271,348. And according to the DEIS there are currently 286-miles of corridor that are suitable for ATV / OHM trail routes.
Alternative 2 continues by including inflammatory statements of unauthorized ATV/OHM use, which is an enforcement issue, not a management issue and should not be included in the management plan. While Alternative 2 admits that ‘Unauthorized use is difficult to determine’, they continue to imply that illegal use of a machine by some constitutes banning the vehicle’s proper use by the lawful.
Alternative 4
Trail management in Alternative 4 improves the 1992 management plan in that it emphasizes a well-marked, mapped and maintained trail system and removes the trail corridor map. It retains the 286 miles of ATV / OHM that are currently in place and allows for a 50% increase in ATV / OHM trails on maintenance level 1 and 2 roads while maintaining a great degree of biological diversity.
Proposed Land and Resource Management Plan
The AMS is to determine the ability of the planning area to supply goods and services in response to society’s demands. While acknowledging that ATV/OHM use is the second most popular form of recreational use in demand, the proposed Alternative 2 does not allow for any ATV/OHM use within the Shawnee Forest.
According an article printed in the Washington Post in February of ’05, ATVs alone doubled in number from 1998 to 2003. Currently there are over 6.2 million ATV’s in use across America, this point’s to the sports ever growing popularity and America’s desire for motorized recreation.
The USFS continues to claim “responsiveness to the needs and values of the public” while restricting use “only when essential to protect our resources, public health and safety.” It recommends that ATV / OHMs are banned from the forest, yet areas within the forest have “a dense system of improved and unimproved roads that make it [them] more suitable for motorized recreational use than as wilderness.”
Other National Forests across our nation plan, manage, and maintain appropriate trails for motorized recreation. They enjoy the economic benefits that motorized recreation can bring to help sustain more roads and trails. Local and State Governments enjoy the tax dollars that come with the tourism that 6.2 million people are already spending. The Shawnee Forest is remiss if they do not consider these same benefits for Illinois.
ABATE of Illinois urges the implementation of the USFS Shawnee Forest Draft Environmental Impact Study Alternative 4 as its Management Plan. We believe that this option addresses the criteria set forth in Sierra Club v. United States Dep’t of Ag., to lift the ban on ATV / OHM use in the Shawnee Forest and provides a management plan that will benefit all of Illinois.
Again we would like to thank you for the opportunity to respond to the USFS Proposed Land and Resource Management Plan and for the opportunity to submit these comments. Please let us know of any further actions consistent with this plan. We look forward to participating in each phase.
Respectfully Submitted,
Cheryl Pearre
Legislative Coordinator