As some of you know, I live a stone’s throw from Desoto National Forest, Chickasawhay District. This is where I do most of my wheeling. This is also where I conduct the “Laurel Trail Rides”.

In the interest of staying on the good side of the law and maintaining our sport, I have met with or spoken to several forestry officials here in Mississippi. They told me that some reform is in the works on a nation-wide level. I asked to be included in any developments regarding this latest action.

I just received the following letter in the mail from the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture). Please read it and consider attending one or more meetings on behalf of us off-road enthusiasts. If you do not live in Mississippi, I encourage you to check around in your area to find out where these meetings are taking place. Your involvement could be crucial to getting or losing OHV trails.

I found information by searching the web and by visiting the local forestry office.

I also encourage you to post this on other off-road sites.

Reserector
_____________________________________________

File Code: 2350-5
Date December 18, 2006

Dear Outdoor Enthusiast,
The Forest Service needs your input!

The Chief of the Forest Service has identified unmanaged recreation, specifically unmanaged off-highway vehicle use, as one of the top four threats facing National Travel Management throughout the country. In 2005, the Forest Service published a National Travel Management rule for providing and managing motorized access on national forest lands.

The travel management rule requires every national forest to restrict motorized travel to designated routes and areas over the next couple of years. In response to the 2005 National Travel Management rule, the National Forests in Mississippi are now working towards identifying travel routes for motor vehicle use to balance the public’s need for access and recreation with the need to protect our valuable natural and cultural resources.

I’m proud to announce that we are planning public collaboration meetings to gain your input for the route designation process. The schedule for public meetings is listed in the table below. If you have questions regarding a specific meeting, please contact the travel management team member listed for that district.


Tombigbee Contact-Steve Goodsen 662-285-3264
January 24, 2007 6:00-8:00p.m.
Tombigbee Ringer District Office
Highway 15 South
Ackerman, MS 39735

Bienville Contact – Marc Weathersby 601-469-3811
January 25, 2007 6:00-8:00p.m.
Penn’s Santa Fe Seakhouse and Grill1550
Hwy. 35 South
Forest, MS 39074

Holly Springs Contact – Caren Briscoe 662-236-6550
January 30, 2007 6:00-8:00p.m.
Oxford Conference Center
102 Ed Perry Blvd.
Oxford, MS 38655

Chickasawhay Contact – Jay McClain 601-428-0594
February 1, 2007 4:00-7:00p.m.
Chickasawhay Ranger District Office
968 Highway 15 SouthLaurel, MS 39443

Homochitto Contact –Bill Meriwether 601-384-5876
February 6, 2007 6:00-8:00p.m.
Franklin County Public Library
106 First St.
Meadville, MS 39653

DeSoto Contact –Andy Hunter 601-528-6168
February 8, 2007 6:00-8:00p.m.
Wiggins Historic Train Depot
115 East Hatten Ave.
Wiggens, MS 39577


These meetings will be informal and held in an open-house format. Therefore, you may arrive at any time during the meeting hours shown. During this time, you will have an opportunity to discuss the travel management rule, ask questions, review maps of each district’s current travel management system, and suggest routes for us to consider adding to the travel management system.

A second round of public collaboration meetings will be held approximately four weeks after these initial meetings. The second meetings will be an opportunity for us to get back together and further discuss designations, but with better information since we will have a preliminary assessment of routes identified by you during the first round meetings. Complete details, including dates, times and locations for the second round of meetings, will be available at the initial meetings,

I hope that you will take these opportunities to work with us for a travel management system that is financially and environmentally sustainable and accommodates the needs of users. For background information about the rule, please visit www.fs.fed.us/recreation/programs/ohv/ or the National Forests in Mississippi website www.fs.fed.us/r8/mississippi/travel/ . We look forward to working with you!

Sincerely,
ANTIONE L. DIXON
Forest Supervisor

quote:

Originally posted by Reserector:...I just received the following letter in the mail from the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture)....

So the USFS is a dept of the USDA???

Yep, always has been. Look closely at a FS logo sometime.

quote:

Originally posted by Desert Rat:
Yep, always has been. Look closely at a FS logo sometime.

DAmn , that sucks. The USDA's left hand doesn't know what the right is doing. A big money grubbing bureaucratic nightmare...

HOpefully ,on a local level ,something positive will come of the meetings.