Lassen National Forest has issued its draft action on winter travel management. Lassen is the first forest to do winter travel management under the new rule, and Snowlands.org and Winter Wildlands Alliance say the proposed action is unacceptable. Alternative 2, the action proposed by the USFS Lassen office allows snowmobile access in every new recreational trailhead. Even the popular Nordic areas at McGowan and Colby remain open to cross-country travel by motorized over snow vehicles (OSVs)!

Snowlands and WWA are asking for your to help send a strong message demanding more responsible management, and they need you to speak up today, not later, as in too later. Snowlands and Winter Wildlands Alliance have proposed an alternative, referenced as Alternative-3 whereby five small areas would be closed to motorized access for Nordic recreation, including McGowan, Colby, the shoreline areas at Lake Almanor and Eagle Lake, and the area surrounding the Bizz Johnson trail. Alternative 3 doesn’t close any designated OSV routes, groomed or otherwise, and leaves 79% of the forest open to cross-country OSV travel. It was reviewed by representatives of the OSV community and deemed a reasonable alternative!

Alternative 3 also includes closing a large area north of Lassen National Park, creating a large clean and quiet zone for the benefit of species and for users desiring longer non-motorized excursions into the backcountry of Lassen Park and the Caribou Wilderness. However, motorized use would continue to be allowed in this area on existing designated routes.

Speak Up Now or Shut Up Later

If you want to improve human powered recreation in the winter around in Lassen National Park write the Lassen National Forest office today and tell them their proposed action, Alternative 2, sucks. Ask them to adopt Alternative 3 in its entirety. Ask them to act now to promote and protect all forms of winter recreation on the Lassen National Forest for the benefit of local communities, as well as the general public.

How to Comment

You can submit your comments four ways:

• Via email to comments-pacificsouthwest-lassen@fs.fed.us with “Comments on Lassen OSV Designation” in the subject line
• Via USFS Online Comment Page for Lassen NF OSV proposal
• Via snail mail to:
  Russell Hays, Supervisor
  Lassen National Forest
  2550 Riverside Drive
  Susanville, CA 96130
  530-257-2151
• Via FAX: 530-252-6463

Deadline

The deadline for submitting DEIS comments on Lassen National Forest is March 14, 2016.

Snowlands and WWA urge interested parties to let the Lassen NF know that they must consider the impact of backcountry motorized recreation on those seeking the quiet of our National Forests in winter.

Related Links
Snowlands.org information on Lassen NF Plan

© 2016