LAC May 2007 Newsletter

We are working on finishing up Step 6 and getting ready to start Step 7 of the LAC process.

Step 6 is “identify alternative opportunity zone allocations”. During Step 6, the public LAC group selected three alternatives for mapping the six opportunity zones (identified in Step 2) by reviewing all the previous steps. Maps showing locations of opportunity zones were produced for each alternative. As a refresher, the three alternatives:

Note: A No Action alternative is also being considered (do not implement results of LAC)

Two LAC workshops and a field trip have been scheduled for May and June. We will be finishing up Step 6. There may be some adjustments needed to the 3 draft alternatives and we can work on doing that at the next two workshops. In some cases the boundaries of opportunity zones may need to be modified. In other cases, the resource or social standards from Step 5 may need to be slightly revised. After we finalize these details, we can move on to the next step. Step 7 is where we will be selecting the possible management actions to use when a standard is exceeded.

If you want to see more detail about the 3 draft alternatives, check out the LAC website at www.fs.fed.us/r8/boone/lac. You can find pdf maps and summary tables for each alternative.

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

LAC Workshops: Tuesday, May 29, Thursday, June 28
Both workshops are from 6:00 pm to 8:30 p.m. at the Clark County Extension Office in Winchester.
Directions: take exit 96 off I-64 & go north ¼ mile then turn left on Fortune Dr & building is on the right.

LAC Field Trip to RRG: Saturday, June 23
Meet at the Gladie Center at 9:30 am. We will hike and look at some proposed zoning based on Step 6 alternatives. We will return to Gladie around 1:00 pm.
Directions: Take exit 33 off Mtn Parkway & turn left onto KY 11, turn left onto KY 15 at Slade Shell, travel 1.5 miles west and turn right onto KY 77. Follow 77 to KY 715 and turn right. Stay on 715 and follow the signs to Gladie.
Gladie map

During the LAC inventory, approximately 925 campsites were documented in the Red River Gorge (does not include over 400 campsites inside rockshelters). These 925 campsites varied from very obvious to almost indistinguishable. The inventory used a condition class rating of 0-5 to indicate the extent of impact to bare ground. A condition class of 4 or 5 is all bare ground and obviously used, whereas a 0 or 1 had no bare ground and may not have seen any use this season. The implications are that impacts at condition class 0 or 1 campsites are relatively easy to obliterate (may be as simple as scattering old rock fire ring). Rehabilitating a condition class 4 campsite is a more difficult task. Managers may decide to concentrate use at condition class 4 campsites and rehabilitate those areas with use just starting to become obvious (condition class 0 campsites).

Condition Class Campsites Samples


Condition class 4 campsite – all bare ground (heavily used site)	Condition class 0 campsite – no bare ground (234 of 925 campsites look similar to this one)

The same scenario may also be used for user-developed trails. Condition class 0 or 1 user-trails can easily be closed and rehabilitated. Condition class 4 user-trails, however, are well established and will be more difficult to rehabilitate.

DESCRIPTION OF 3 ALTERNATIVES DEVELOPED FOR STEP 6 (draft)

	ALT 1 “PROTECTION & PRESERVATION OF RESOURCES	ALT 2 “BALANCE RECREATION USE WITH PROTECTION OF RESOURCES	ALT 3 “MAXIMIZE RECREATION”
PRISTINE	14, 896 acres	12,053 acres	None
PRIMITIVE	16,119 acres	9,073 acres	9,185 acres
SEMI-PRIMITIVE	1,983 acres	12,169 acres	19,362 acres
ROADED NATURAL	8,420 acres	6,751 acres	2,846 acres
CONCENTRATED USE	512 acres	849 acres	10,702 acres
CRITICAL HABITAT/RESOURCE	none	1,044 acres	none
	About 42,000 acres	About 42,000 acres	About 42,000 acres

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

Limits of Acceptable Change: May 2007 Newsletter