USDA Forest Service
 
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USDA Forest Service
Daniel Boone
National Forest
1700 Bypass Road
Winchester, KY 40391

Phone: 859-745-3100
FAX: 859-744-1568

Limits of Acceptable Change: January 2007 Newsletter

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Dear Friend of the Red River Gorge, 

We have completed Step 5 of the LAC process and initiated Step 6! Step 5 was “specify measurable standards for resource & social indicators for each opportunity zone”. We developed a table of resource standards for each of the six opportunity zones and a similar table of social standards. Step 5 was a key component of the entire LAC process. To update yourself on what was accomplished in Step 5, see the article in this newsletter.

Step 6 workshops began in late fall of 2006. Step 6 is “identify alternative opportunity zone allocations”. During Step 6, we will select alternatives for mapping the opportunity zones identified in Step 2 by reviewing all the previous steps. The alternatives should relate back to the original issues. There is no set number of alternatives that we should select, often it is somewhere between three and six. Maps showing locations for the six opportunity zones will be produced for each alternative.

The next LAC workshop on Step 6 has been scheduled for Tuesday, January 23, at TrueNorth Outfitters in Wolfe County. We have also scheduled an LAC informational meeting for Tuesday, January 16, at TrueNorth Outfitters. This informational meeting will be a review of Steps 1-6 and what has been accomplished thus far. This will be a great opportunity for people that have not been involved in the LAC process to get caught up and see what LAC is all about!

Thank you for your continued involvement in the LAC process. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Tim Eling
LAC Coordinator

 

map to True North Outfitters* LAC Informational Meeting - January 16
* LAC Workshop - January 23
NEW LOCATION!

To bring interested public up to date, there will be an LAC informational meeting on January 16, 2007.  This meeting will be held at TrueNorth Outfitters from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
The next LAC workshop is scheduled for January 23, 2007.  The workshop will be at TrueNorth Outfitters in Wolfe County from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m.
Directions: TrueNorth Outfitters is located at the intersection of KY 15 and KY 715 near Dessie Scott Childrens Home in Wolfe County.  Take exit 40 on Mountain Parkway & turn right.  Go one mile and TrueNorth is on the right.

 

STEP 5 OF LAC PROCESS
 “Establish measurable standards for resource and social indicators for each opportunity zone”

Using data collected in Step 4, it was possible to specify standards that describe the acceptable and appropriate conditions for each indicator in each opportunity zone. 
Several public workshops were held for Step 5 of the LAC process during 2006. We established measurable standards for the resource and social indicators developed during Step 3. Below is a draft table that was developed for displaying standards. Across the top are the six opportunity zones developed during Step 2. The left side are indicators developed during Step 3. The table was filled in with measurable standards for each of the six zones.

For instance, a standard for condition class of system trails may be “no worse than cc 4” for the roaded natural opportunity zone. What this means is that we will allow system trails in the roaded natural zone up to a condition class of 4. If the trail moves into a condition class 5, then we have exceeded our limit of acceptable change and some sort of action is needed to bring the condition back into standard. Before selecting standards for indicators, the descriptions of the six opportunity zones were reviewed in order to understand what the overall desired future condition is for that zone. For example, the description for the pristine opportunity zone states that there are no official system trails. There was no standard developed for condition class since there should be no trails.

 

How standards were developed during Step 5:

 

6 OPPORTUNITY ZONES (from Step 2)-------------------------------------à

RESOURCE
INDICATORS
(from Step 3)

PRISTINE

PRIMITIVE

SEMI-PRIMITIVE

ROADED NATURAL

CONCENTRATED USE

CRIT. HABITAT RESOURCE

Measurable Indicators listed here (i.e. condition class of trails, density of campsites, maximum group size etc…)

Specific measurable standards were listed here for each of the six opportunity zones listed above.

 

LOOKING AHEAD TO STEP 7
Step 7 is “Identify management actions for each alternative”. Once maps showing locations of the opportunity zones have been developed (Step 6), we can see where management actions will be needed to meet standards we established in Step 5. The purpose of this step is to identify the differences, if any, that exist between current conditions (inventoried in Step 4) and the standards (identified in Step 5). This will identify places where problems exist and what management actions are needed.

The final product of Step 7 is a list or maps of all places where existing conditions are worse than standard and identification of what management actions would best bring conditions up to standard.

STEP 6 OF LAC PROCESS
“IDENTIFY ALTERNATIVE OPPORTUNITY ZONE ALLOCATIONS

The purpose of this step is to decide what resource and social conditions are to be maintained or achieved in specific areas of the Gorge. This is a prescriptive step (it is concerned with establishing what should be), and input from both the Forest Service and the public should be used to make these decisions. Step 6 involves an analysis of inventory data collected in Step 4, along with area issues and concerns identified in Step 1. Some issues might prove mutually contradictory (“increase opportunities for easier access into most portions of the wilderness” and “provide greater opportunities for solitude”).

During Step 6, we will select alternatives for mapping the opportunity zones by reviewing all the previous steps. The alternatives should relate back to the original issues. There is no set number of alternatives that we should select, often it is somewhere between three and six.  Maps showing locations for the six opportunity zones identified in Step 2 will be produced for each alternative.
Below is an example of a map produced for Step 6 from Shenandoah National Park in Virginia.

 

Address:

Daniel Boone National Forest         
Red River Gorge LAC Process
1700 Bypass Road
Winchester, KY 40391

Daniel Boone National Forest
Red River Gorge LAC Process
705 W. College Ave
Stanton, KY 40380

E-mail:

teling@fs.fed.us

Phone:

Tim Eling, LAC Coordinator:
(859) 745-3132 Winchester
(606) 663-2852 Stanton

Fax:

(859) 744-1568 Winchester

(606) 663-9097 Stanton

Website:

http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/boone/lac

Author: Tim Eling
Last Updated: January 8, 2007

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