The draft plan comment period - from November 2006 to February 2007 - is a critical time in the Forest Planning process for the GMUG. The Forest Service needs to hear your concerns about sustainability, your love of the forest and wildlife, and preservation of undeveloped forest areas!

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Razor Creek Park, Cochetopa Hills>>

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These are your forests. Please let the Forest Service know they’re important to you!

CLICK HERE TO WRITE THE FOREST SERVICE!

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Below is a sample letter that highlights many of the important environmental, economic and social issues on the GMUG Forest. Because agencies tend NOT to listen very hard to form letters, or letters that all sound the same, we cannot stress enough, PLEASE use your own words and life experiences in your letter.

Letters are most effective and compelling if you talk about places that are special to you, things you do on the Forest that you love to do, and why. Mention as many specifics as possible, and be sure to mention any threats to your activity. The following letter is written by a fictitious resident of the Gunnison Basin who also happens to be a hunter.

SAMPLE LETTER

December 1, 2006

GMUG Forest Planning Team
U.S. Forest Service
2250 Highway 50
Delta, CO 81416

Dear GMUG Forest Planning Team:

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the GMUG Forest Plan Revision. Please make my comments part of the official record.

Keep open space on the Forest
Being an elk hunter, I value our remaining roadless areas for the habitat and hunting opportunity they provide me, and the economic help they provide to local counties. Hunting, and tourism suit our remaining roadless areas and our economies better than more timber sales and roads for more cars to drive on. In general, I feel there are enough roads on the GMUG National Forest. It’s time to save the remaining unroaded areas, and concentrate on fixing the roads we have, instead of building new roads. Any new timber sales should use existing road networks, and not be allowed into new areas where there aren’t any roads or development.

Designate more wilderness
I want my kids and grandkids to have the chance for solitude and a ‘wilderness’ experience like I had when I was growing up. Some of my fondest memories were of a place we visited as family that was our special place—we never saw anyone else there. It was wild then, but now it’s a popular destination. Places like Copper Creek, West Maroon Pass and Schofield Park on the Gunnison Forest. We need more Wilderness to continue to provide solitude, and the “re-charging” effect that Wilderness has to offer for all who seek it.

Relative to its overall size (3.2 million acres), the GMUG Forest has too few Wilderness acres (500,000). The GMUG Forest has more roadless lands than any other Colorado Forest. We have the chance to protect valuable riparian habitat, wildlife migration corridors and interior forest from 8,000 to 14,000 feet above sea level. Under the M2m plan, an additional 787, 000 acres would be designated Wilderness. I would like to see this level of wilderness recommendation. Also under the M2m plan, 59% of the GMUG Forest would remain open to motorized travel and other multiple use activities. I believe this level of use and access represents a sustainable balance that will allow for use of our forest resources while protecting the beauty and sanctity of the forest for future generations.

Wildlife Monitoring
The GMUG Forest should make a commitment to monitoring for selected species that reflect the full range of habitats and successional stages available on the Forest. Even though species may be difficult to detect, this is no reason to completely forego individual species monitoring. The agency should involve the public in species selection and monitoring methods employed, and plans should be based on realistic funding projections.

Cochetopa Hills is a special place
I often hike and hunt in the Cochetopa Hills/Sargents area and know what a special place Upper Razor Creek is. There are no roads, and few people venture along its full length. This general area, to the north and east of Highway 149 along the Continental Divide is an important wildlife corridor, and provides lower-elevation forested habitat and very good hiding cover for game species. I believe this area meets requirements set forth by Congress for wilderness recommendation, and I urge you to include this area as one that you’ll recommend to Congress be afforded wilderness status.

Weeds
I have weeds on my own property and know how darn hard they are to remove. The Forest should incorporate tough weeds standards meant to prevent infestations in the first place by limiting ground disturbance. Treatment after the fact has proven unsuccessful to impossible in some cases. I urge the Forest to take noxious weeds seriously, and implement regulations limiting ground-breaking disturbances on the Forest.

Timber Sales
I support small local timber sales to mom & pop outfits here in the Gunnison Basin. However, I am also concerned with loss of forest habitat through timber sales, and ask the Forest to log in only areas that have already experienced timber sales and that have roads already in place.

Preserve non-motorized recreation opportunities
Through the use of Themes or other mechanisms, I urge the Forest to preserve my horseback riding and hiking opportunities. I really value a quiet trail. I don’t mind seeing other folks—hikers, mountain bikers—so long as they’re courteous, but motorcycles and riding horses just don’t mix. I’ve been on the Oh-Be joyful trail at sundown only to encounter a motorbike coming down the old road in the Wilderness. Please limit the growth of motorized recreation. I feel others already have plenty of places to go, and the quiet places should be preserved.

Hunting/Habitat for wildlife
As an avid elk hunter for more than two decades in the Gunnison Basin, I value my hunt each fall with increasing intensity. The quality of the elk and deer herds is of great concern to me, I am concerned that there is too much motorized travel in these areas and it has affected elk movements, to the detriment of the hunting experience. The areas that are not yet roaded should stay that way--unroaded.

Additionally, the Gunnison Forest should disallow game retrieval by ATV. This practice has been abused and new routes are slowly being created across the landscape, especially in GMU areas near Lake City.

Oil & Gas EIS
Already, hundreds of thousands of acres are leased for gas development on the west side of the Forest. The Forest should undertake a cumulative impact study before granting any new leases and make this part of the decision notice on this Forest Plan.

Conclusion
The GMUG Forest has more roadless areas remaining than any other Colorado national forest, yet the Forest Service has only recommended a little over 5% for Wilderness protection. The agency should recommend more Wilderness, especially lower elevation areas like Priest Mountain, Kannah Creek, Matchless Mountain, Dominguez Canyon, and Cochetopa Hills. I love these areas for the solitude (or non-motorized recreational opportunities) they afford me, and for the sanctuary they provide for our wildlife. With growing population numbers, we will need to have a plan to safeguard these strongholds from being slowly inundated by roads and motorized trails. We must make a commitment now during this planning period to balanced conservation. This may be the last chance we get to protect these areas for wildlife, for ourselves, and for those who come after us.

I hope you carefully consider my comments.


Sincerely,

John P. Doe