PUBLIC ROUTE PROPOSALS
Updated 06/03/09
STATUS OF ROUTE PROPOSALS
Route proposals are no longer being accepted for consideration in the Travel Plan. The following information was provided on this website to encourage proposals that would fit within the scope of the travel plan.
EARLY REQUEST FOR ROUTE PROPOSALS
In the summer of 2006 the Clearwater NF announced the Forest's travel planning process in a mailing to everyone on the Clearwater NF projects mailing list. Articles also appeared in local newspapers and Forest personnel met with groups that expressed interest. The notice and meetings encouraged interested parties to submit suggestions for routes that met certain criteria by mid-summer 2007 so they could be considered in the Travel Planning step of the process. Information on the kinds of proposals that could be considered, resources (various maps) to help with a proposal and forms for submitting a proposal were available on this website and at Clearwater NF offices from July 2006 through February 2008.
By fall 2007 only a few suggestions had been received and many of these came too late to be considered for the proposed action. A lot more route proposals were received along with scoping comments through February 2008. Those that met the screening criteria described below and were consistent with forest plan management area goals were included in alternatives analzed in the DEIS.
KINDS OF ROUTE PROPOSALS THAT WERE CONSIDERED
The Travel Plan is focused on designating routes to meet the intent of the Travel Rule not on construction of new routes. For that reason we will only analyze route proposals that currently exist and are receiving traffic.
Briefly, these are the kinds of proposals that were considered in alternatives:
- Goes somewhere interesting – not just somewhere.
- Will be of interest to lots of people, not just another dead-end route few will travel.
- Already exists and is being used. Suitable for most users.
- Has manageable resource issues as it exists right now. Grades are maintainable without relocation, and there are no huge obstacles that would require reconstruction before it can be practically used.
- Not a proposal to change an existing road restriction
- Not covered by a previous large-scale travel management decision like Palouse OHV or North Lochsa Face.
- Does not require construction or reconstruction
- Contributes to or doesn't detract from the goals for the forest plan management area where located
PROPOSING ROUTES FOR THE FUTURE
New routes can still be proposed as part of other projects that are focused on activites that include building or upgrading trails. The Clearwater NF Projects page provide information on the schedule of proposed actions for the forest and on specific projects of this type.
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