Grand Junction, CO BLM RMP TMP comments

[Badbuggy]

The BLM must meet certian requirements before they come up with the new TMP, (travel Management Plan), for the new RMP (Resource Managment Plan). They have re-opened the comment period from now til about a month from now. I'll add more details to this thread as I go through the process myself.
So far I have gone to this website page:
http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/gjfo/rmp.html

I am starting to go through all the maps again, but they look just like the ones first presented, ( 21 road dead ends before the upper part).

The maps that I found interesting are all the round about ways to keep people off government land. Wilderness Study Areas are at the top of my
personal WTF list. But there are lots of other things too. Some have merit, some are crap.

It seems that the BLM is interested in our comments, and have a form to fill out on the above website. Please take the time to fill out a form and send it in. Be nice, because profanity will get your form thrown away.
I plan on commenting about the need for more extreme trails, and keeping current jeep trails open. But you need to comment however you feel.
We are losing ground and several of the new trails we proposed will never make it due to designations of one type or another of the land around the proposed trails. These designations were not mentioned during the first comment period. The BLM continues to make the maps hard to read by not listing current road designations, just a new number assigned for the process.
The process stacks the cards against us. You have to do something, because if you don't voice your opinions, they don't think you have one.

Remember, the BLM does not own this land. YOU do! They only manage it for you. (You may have to remind them of that), You have to tell them what you want.

 

[Don B]

They are accepting comments to Aug.21st, 2009

According to the website they are looking for trail info from the public.

I'd be happy to write a comment for U4WDA. Any information on specific trails that need to be added would be very helpful.

 

[Badbuggy]

Here is an e-mail I wrote to BLM, and their response:


I sent off this E-mail today:

"To: Matt Anderson
Hi Matt,
I understand the comment period is open from now through the 21st of August.

Exactly what are you looking for? Do we need to make the same comments we made the first time? Are we to comment about the trails that are not marked correctly on the maps at all? Or are you looking for broad statements about the general direction for travel on BLM managed land?
Are any meetings planned?

Here is the response:
....This comment period is specific to travel management. You do not
need to submit comments that you have already submitted. We are looking
for specific comments on specific routes. Which routes do you use and for
what reason? Please read the news release, comment form, and questions and
answers at the following link:
http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/gjfo/rmp/Travel_Management.html

Hope this helps. thanks matt

 

[Don B]

We really need information on specific routes in the Grand Juntion area in order to get in meaningful comments.

Anyone familiar with trails in the area please provide us with some specific data we can use. If you know of anyone else in the area that has any information, please let them know that it is needed.

Now is the time for us to be involved in this Travel Management Plan process. If we wait until it is finished and find out then that some important trail has been left out, we will be in another ugly situation of trying to reopen a trail which can take years and a lot of effort and maybe still not be successful.

Let's get involved now.

 

[Badbuggy]

Thanks for your input here Don, we need all the help we can get.

The two most known trails are Billings Canyon, and 21 Road. These need to stay open. We would like to add several extreme trails to the system. We have walked them and made comments already on these trails but a mention for the need to have more extreme trails similar to Billings Canyon would be helpful. We may loose several trails due to a Wilderness Study Area that we have been blindsided with. They, the BLM, won't include this on the trail maps for the RMP. It is in their plan. We don't want it. Several trails and roads are already slated for closure, but we don't know for sure which ones they are. A general comment about full disclosure about proposed road closures would be helpful, as well as a general comment that we use all the roads in the system that exist now.

They have a form on the website to fill out for each of the trails you currently use. This says nothing about the roads you have not ever used, but may want to in the future. Exploring the backcountry will be a thing of the past, as you will only be able to use the same route over and over.

If you have any questions, please ask.
Thanks again.

 

[Badbuggy]

It really gets my goat that the BLM pulls crap like this.....

From their website:"* Zones R and S have been removed from the Grand Junction Field Office planning process because those areas were designated as the Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation and Wilderness Area on March 30, 2009. A separate plan will be initiated for that area. "

They wait until this part of the process to let us know this, after we wasted time and effort on the first round making comments on roads in those areas. Like it is a big surprise to them this happened.

There goes a bunch of trails and roads in a stroke of a pen. We had no "comment period" and the comments we made, (they asked for), about those areas last spring were probably just thrown away. This is your government. The people intrusted with "managing" our land.

We have one more day, lets fill those inboxes with comments.

 

[Don B]

It really gets my goat that the BLM pulls crap like this.....

From their website:"* Zones R and S have been removed from the Grand Junction Field Office planning process because those areas were designated as the Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation and Wilderness Area on March 30, 2009. A separate plan will be initiated for that area. "

They wait until this part of the process to let us know this, after we wasted time and effort on the first round making comments on roads in those areas. Like it is a big surprise to them this happened.

There goes a bunch of trails and roads in a stroke of a pen. We had no "comment period" and the comments we made, (they asked for), about those areas last spring were probably just thrown away. This is your government. The people intrusted with "managing" our land.

We have one more day, lets fill those inboxes with comments.

Thanks,
I'll add some more to my comment with this info.

Last day folks! Get those comments in.

 

[Badbuggy]

One of the other things that bothers me about this new wilderness study area is it incompasses a 100 year old rock quarry, and a huge firewood cutting area, cris crossed with hundreds of roads. Yep, that will make great wilderness.