Comment Period fof Moat Mountain Trail System

Just got this from our local NEMBA rep, wanted to pass it along as it has a big impact on where we ride!

DEA



Hello all – The U.S. Forest Service has released their analysis report on the Moat Mountain Trail System Project in the White Mountain National Forest. The analysis document can be seen at http://www.fs.fed.us/nepa/project_content.php?project=30375

The analysis report contain four alternatives:

· Alt 1 – no action

· Alt 2 – formalize of 12.1 miles out of 13.9 miles of inventoried trails; Bloody Arm Trail and Cathedral Connector would be closed, Thompson Falls Trail to be open for foot traffic only

· Alt 3 – same as Alt 2 but with winter closures of some of the westernmost trails to protect wildlife habitat.

· Alt 4 – formalize 13 miles out of 13.9 miles of inventoried trails; Thompson Falls Trail to be open for foot traffic only

NEMBA strongly recommends selection of Alternative 4. Closure of the Bloody Arm Trail and Cathedral Connector would be a significant loss to our trail network. These trails provide long loop opportunities that are not possible with the existing Forest System trails. While we understand concerns of user conflict with bikers descending the Lucy Brook/North Moat Mountain Trail, this has not proven to be historically true. The Bloody Arm Trail is at least 10 years old and largely follows old skidder paths; Cathedral Connector is multiple generations old and allows a high crossing of Lucy Brook to avoid Diana’s Baths. These trails are important to the west side trail network and we are not aware of any conflicts with other users.

We urge you to please call or write the Forest Service and request Alternative 4 be chosen for reasons outlined above. Please use your own words, as form letters are essentially lumped together as one comment.

How You Can Comment

Comments should be addressed to Saco District Ranger Terry Miller as follows:

Written comments must be postmarked by the Postal Service, e-mailed, faxed or otherwise submitted by 11:59 PM ET 30 days following publication of the legal notice in the New Hampshire Union Leader.

Mail: Send to Jana Johnson, Saco Ranger Station, 33 Kancamagus Highway, Conway, NH 03818. Letters may also be hand delivered Monday, 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM and Tuesday through Sunday, 8:00 AM – 4:30PM.

FAX: Send to Attn: Jana Johnson at 603-447-8405.

E-mail: Send to comments-eastern-white-mountain-saco@fs.fed.us and include an identifiable name. Comments submitted as electronic documents must be in plain text (.txt), rich text format (.rft) or Word (.doc) format. You should receive an automated electronic acknowledgement as confirmation of receipt of your comments. If you do not receive acknowledgement, it is your responsibility to ensure timely receipt by other means.

Oral comments may be submitted Monday through Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm, by phone (603-447-5448 x109) or in person; and must be received by close of business at the end of the 30-day comment period.

Comments should include the following information:

• Your name, address, and if possible, your phone number and e-mail address.

• The title of the project you are commenting on.

• Your specific concern and reasons the concern may lead to environmental effects.

The purpose of soliciting your comments during this scoping period is to collect additional information and to identify any unresolved issues regarding the proposal. To make your comments substantive they should be specific to the proposed action. Be sure to provide supporting rationale for your comments, including concerns about environmental effects of the proposed project. Please be aware that your name, address and comments will become part of the public record and may be available for public inspection.

Thanks - Rob