Bitterroot National Forest

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Travel Planning 2007 - 2009

The Bitterroot National Forest Travel Management Planning Project Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) is available for public review and comment. The 45 day comment period will begin with the publication of the Notice of Availability of the DEIS in the Federal Register. To determine that date, visit http://www.epa.gov/compliance/nepa/eisdata.html. Comments will be accepted thru the following:

Email: comments-northern-bitterroot@fs.fed.us; type "Travel Planning Project - Comments" in the subject line.

Regular Mail: Forest Supervisor's Office, 1801 N. 1st, Hamilton, MT 59840, Attention: Travel Planning Project

Fax: 406-363-7159

The DEIS is posted on the Forest’s website. Additionally, it is available on compact disc, which can be picked up at any of the Forest’s offices in Stevensville, Hamilton, Darby, Sula, and the West Fork, or you can request that a copy be mailed to you. The DEIS is also available for review in hard copy version at these locations, as well as public libraries in Missoula, Stevensville, Hamilton, and Darby. Large-scale maps of the alternatives will be on display at all of these locations.

Weekly “drop-in” sessions will be held at the Forest Supervisor’s office in Hamilton each Wednesday from October 14th to November 4th. These will be staffed by members of the interdisciplinary team. Hours for the weekly sessions will be from 1 p.m. to 7:00 pm. Below is a table showing the weekly open house "drop in" schedule.

Travel Management Planning Project Draft EIS (released August 2009)

• Abstract (.pdf, 17kb)
• Table of Contents (.pdf, 95kb)
• Chapter 1.0 - Purpose and Need (.pdf, 666kb)
• Chapter 2.0 - Alternatives (.pdf, 310kb)
• Chapter 3.0 - Introduction - Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences (.pdf, 23kb)
  • Section 3.1 - Transportation (.pdf, 110kb)
  • Section 3.2 - Recreation (.pdf, 266kb)
  • Section 3.3 - Wilderness, IRA's and WSA's (.pdf, 231kb)
  • Section 3.4 - Socio-Economics (.pdf, 254kb)
  • Section 3.5 - Wildlife (.pdf, 466kb)
  • Section 3.6 - Water (.pdf, 166kb)
  • Section 3.7 - Fisheries (.pdf, 118kb)
  • Section 3.8 - Soils (.pdf, 98kb)
  • Section 3.9 - Threatened, Endangered, Sensitive Plant Species (.pdf, 216kb)
  • Section 3.10 - Noxious Weeds (.pdf, 176kb)
  • Section 3.11 - Cultural (.pdf, 70kb)
  • Section 3.12 - Minerals (.pdf, 39kb)
• Appendix A - Past, Present, and Reasonably Foreseeable Activities (Cumulative Effects) (.pdf, 60kb)
• Appendix B - Literature Cited (.pdf, 95kb)
• Appendix C - Glossary (.pdf, 32kb)
• Appendix D - List of Preparers (.pdf, 27kb)

Maps by Project Alternative

• Summer Travel Maps (36 maps)
• Summer Alternatives - zip file (6.46MB)
• Winter Travel Maps (4 maps)
• Winter Alternatives - zip file (4.09mb)

Travel Planning Reading Room

Other Information

CD Files and How To Use Them (.pdf, 2kb)

Routes Considered with Rationale (.pdf, 231kb)

Public Comments and Responses (.pdf, 600kb)

Travel Planning Update (2008)

The Bitterroot National Forest released its Travel Planning Proposed Action to the public on September 24, 2007 requesting written comments on the proposal. Due to several requests from the public the comment period was extended twice to allow the public adequate time to review the proposal and send in their comments. Click here to review the comments that were received.

Proposed Action - A Starting Point

In 2005, the Forest Service published a new rule for providing motor vehicle access to national forests and grasslands. To comply with this rule, the Bitterroot National Forest will work with the public to designate those roads, trails and areas open to motorized recreational use. We are excited about this effort because it will result in clear, standardized designations of where motorized recreation is appropriate, sustainable and desirable. It will protect natural resource values through effective management of motor vehicle use, enhance motorized recreation experiences on the National Forest, and preserve areas of non-motorized travel and experiences.

We will be building and developing the information on this web site as our process gets underway.

• Contact Us

• Comment Period Extension Letter to January 31, 2008
• Scoping Cover Letter and Information Sheet
• Scoping Document (with correction)

• Appendix A - Explanation of Wheeled Motorized Changes
• Appendix B - Explanation of Snowmobile Changes
• Appendix C - Screening Criteria Used in Developing the Proposed Action
• Appendix D - Literature Cited
• Map 1 - Stevensville Motorized Wheeled Proposed Action (2.2 MB)
• Map 2 - Darby Motorized Wheeled Proposed Action (3.2 MB)
• Map 3 - Sula Motorized Wheeled Proposed Action (3.2 MB)
• Map 4 - West Fork Motorized Wheeled Proposed Action (2.9 MB)
• Map 5 - Stevensville Snowmobile Proposed Action (1.0 MB)
• Map 6 - Darby Snowmobile Proposed Action (with 10/30/07 corrections) (2.3 MB)
• Map 7 - Sula Snowmobile Proposed Action (1.9 MB)
• Map 8 - West Fork Snowmobile Proposed Action (1.6 MB)

• All Screened Routes Information

Other Information

• Bitterroot NF Travel Plan Route Information (.pdf, 18kb)
• Previously Posted Documents and Correspondence

USDA Forest Service - Bitterroot National Forest
Last Modified: Friday, 09 October 2009 at 15:16:41 EDT