Coconino National Forest Wants your Feedback On road Closures

[elkaholic]

Here's your chance to get involved and tell them how you really feel about the roads they closed.

 

if you have problems reading - just click on image to enlarge

 

this was just mailed out this week!

[More D]

They want justification for all the money spent to be able to pat themselves on the back.

 

All of there new regulations only affect those of us who actually follow the rules. They essentially made it harder for me and my family to camp all the while doing nothing to enforce the ones who do not follow the rules.

 

Not money well spent in my opinion.

[hoghntr]

Sucks.

 

 

 

Sincerely, Hoghntr

[4Falls]

I promise they don't want my opinion.

 

Mine would just end up in the circular file.

[elkaholic]

at the very least - list a couple of your favorite roads that were closed - ask for reasoning and request that they be reopened .

 

here's a chance to at least voice an option to some of the closures.

 

why open a thru road only 3/4 of the way and/or close a small portion on the same road - doesn't make much sense - I asked why

 

To close a good road and reroute the travel across an almost impassable / dangerous route - makes no sense

 

I'm sure every one here has good roads that were closed - at least ask why

 

If you don't want more closed later - then at least say something now

 

Hey we had little or no imput earlier

[swwildlife]

They don't want your opinion, they will just use the opinions that match their agenda, the rest they will throw away. its all about closure and keeping everyone out of the forest.

[MattMan]

The NEPA process requires that they adequately address all comments, whether they fit an agenda or not. It's a well defined and structured process. If there are logical reasons why a route or an area should be left open, state them. They may respond with logical reasons it needs to be closed to protect a unique resource. They are also faced with balancing the desires of many different users. Someone camping in a tent may not want to have a six trailer party camp with all night generators be able to pull up and camp next to them.

 

"I want to drive my SxS cross country and love to road hunt, even if I'm not on roads" and "You're messing up my ability to drive willynilly across the forest to look for sheds" are not logical reasons.

 

If everyone throws their hands up and says they won't listen anyway, you're right. They'll do what they want.

[swwildlife]

Sounds like you work for the forest service. or at least fell for their BS. yes by law they have to ask for input but by no means do they have to listen. do you remember when the game and fish had all the public hearings on the direction of hunting in AZ. ie; how we wanted them to manage our wildlife and the draw process. they worded the questions that were asked to fit their agenda. more opportunity means more tags to them and more money. hence we have a fall javelina and a real late archery elk season. and most of the hunts run thru the full moon. I was at most of those meetings around the state and what I heard at those meetings was not even close to what was implemented.

there is thousands of acres that are not accessible by vehicle of any type, let the back packers and hikers go there. leave the roads open for those that want that type of experience. as for people making new roads, I say forest service get off your butt and patrol the forest. then prosecute the offenders.

[hoghntr]

Sounds like you work for the forest service. or at least fell for their BS. yes by law they have to ask for input but by no means do they have to listen. do you remember when the game and fish had all the public hearings on the direction of hunting in AZ. ie; how we wanted them to manage our wildlife and the draw process. they worded the questions that were asked to fit their agenda. more opportunity means more tags to them and more money. hence we have a fall javelina and a real late archery elk season. and most of the hunts run thru the full moon. I was at most of those meetings around the state and what I heard at those meetings was not even close to what was implemented.

there is thousands of acres that are not accessible by vehicle of any type, let the back packers and hikers go there. leave the roads open for those that want that type of experience. as for people making new roads, I say forest service get off your butt and patrol the forest. then prosecute the offenders.

Besides fantastic taxidermy work i knew i liked you for at least 1 other reason.

[MattMan]

Sounds like you work for the forest service. or at least fell for their BS. yes by law they have to ask for input but by no means do they have to listen. do you remember when the game and fish had all the public hearings on the direction of hunting in AZ. ie; how we wanted them to manage our wildlife and the draw process. they worded the questions that were asked to fit their agenda. more opportunity means more tags to them and more money. hence we have a fall javelina and a real late archery elk season. and most of the hunts run thru the full moon. I was at most of those meetings around the state and what I heard at those meetings was not even close to what was implemented.

there is thousands of acres that are not accessible by vehicle of any type, let the back packers and hikers go there. leave the roads open for those that want that type of experience. as for people making new roads, I say forest service get off your butt and patrol the forest. then prosecute the offenders.

 

No, actually, I don't work for the Forest Service. But I understand the NEPA process, and I've used the process successfully, since I actually made the effort to learn it. A VERY large portion of the anti hunters understand it too, and use it frequently to further their agendas... and they don't sit back and whine. They make comments that have to be addressed, and they make a lot of them.

 

The surveys G&F did for the hunt restructuring had nothing to do with NEPA, hence the reason they didn't have to listen, address comments, respond to comments, etc. That was a survey. The surveys that were turned in overwhelmingly supported "Increased Opportunity". Trick question? Probably. Your confusion between the two indicates that you don't have a clue what the NEPA process is. Do you even know what the acronym stands for?

 

Get involved, make comments through the proper channels that have to be addressed or responded to. Or sit back and whine, watch it happen, and eat what's tossed on your plate.

[swwildlife]

National Environmental Policy Act, classic example of the bureaucratic monster we call our government. now due to the act expensive environmental impact statements must be done and paid for before anything can change in the forest, including updating signage and other things that could be done at the local level. It still doesn't change the fact that when the eco forest service wants to close the roads so less people have access, they ask for comment, do an environmental study, get the studies needed to validity their proposed change and the people be damned.

All the power to you and i applaud your desire to make a change. but I have wasted countless hours fighting bureaucrats to no avail. I will be the first to pat you on the back, thank you for your work if you can get them to acknowledge the hunter is a main user of the forest and their needs should be considered.

[azslim]

G&F was a major force behind closing all the roads on NF's until they found out THEY wouldn't be receiving money for enforcement, then they backed away and pretended they have no dog in the fight. This is a law that was enacted by Clinton and nothing was done until Obama. My friends that work for the FS hate it as much as anyone but can't do anything but sit back and watch it get shoved down our throats.

[MT_Sourdough]

I do not know that area, but I support road closures. I would love to see atvs parked at gates and trailheads.

I agree, though, that the Fish and Game spends more money and energy on self promotion then they do on enforcing the laws. Make the fines for non-compliance high enough and they will redirect their attention to start collecting those fines. It sucks to turn our woods into a police state on the other hand.

[tjhunt2]

Thanks Gary, aka elkaholic, for letting us know about this. I don't spend a lot of time in Coconino but I will send them a few of my thoughts.

 

swwildlife.......and there is a problem with a late archery elk hunt and the full moon?

 

TJ

[wildwoody]

Blah, blah, blah. Close my woods, no one should have rights but me. Blah, blah