Glorietamesa.org is an umbrella organization consisting of ranchers, horseback riders, hikers, environmentalists, wood-gatherers,
residents, hunters and off-roaders, who are dedicated to protecting Glorieta Mesa from Off-Road Vehicle destruction.
The "scoping period" of the Proposed Action has begun. The Forest Service will host a series of public meetings to present the PA and receive feedback. The scoping period is 45 days, so you must get your comments to the Forest Service by September 2. Send comments to:
Julie Bain
Project Leader
Santa Fe National Forest Travel Management Planning
1474 Rodeo Road
Santa Fe, NM 87505
505-438-7834 (FAX)
Comments-southwestern-santafe@fs.fed.us
Public Meeting Schedule:
|
Community |
Date |
Time |
Location |
|
Mora-Cleveland area |
Monday July 28, 2008 |
6 – 8:30 p.m. |
CHET Fire Department, Hwy. 518 Cleveland, NM |
|
Coyote |
Tuesday July 29, 2008 |
6 – 8:30 p.m. |
Coyote Elementary School, W. Hwy. 96 Coyote, NM |
|
Las Vegas |
Wednesday July 30, 2008 |
6 – 8:30 p.m. |
West Kennedy Hall, NMHU, University Ave. Las Vegas, NM |
|
Jemez |
Thursday July 31, 2008 |
6 – 8:30 p.m. |
Valles Caldera Conference Room 18161 Hwy. 4, Jemez Springs, NM |
|
Rowe-Pecos area |
Saturday Aug. 2, 2008 |
10 am . – 12:30 p.m. |
Pecos Middle School Cafeteria, N. Hwy. 63, Pecos, NM |
|
Peña Blanca |
Tuesday Aug. 5, 2008 |
6 – 8:30 p.m. |
Peña Blanca Community Center Gym 778 Hwy. 22, Peña Blanca, NM |
|
Glorieta, Eldorado, Cañoncito, Hondo |
Wednesday Aug. 6, 2008 |
6 – 8:30 p.m. |
Hondo Volunteer Fire Department 645 Old Las Vegas Hwy., Santa Fe, NM |
|
Cuba |
Thursday Aug. 7, 2008 |
6 – 8:30 p.m. |
Cuba Senior Center , 16A Cordova St. Cuba, NM |
|
Santa Fe |
Tuesday Aug. 12, 2008 |
6 – 8:30 p.m. |
Unitarian Universalist Congregation 107 W. Barcelona Road, Santa Fe, NM |
|
Los Alamos |
Thursday Aug. 14, 2008 |
6 – 8:30 p.m. |
Fuller Lodge, 2132 Central Ave. Los Alamos, NM |
|
Española |
Monday Aug. 18, 2008 |
6 – 8:30 p.m. |
Espanola Ranger Station 1710 N. Riverside Drive, Española, NM |
|
Rio Rancho |
Tuesday Aug. 19, 2008 |
6 – 8:30 p.m. |
Destiny Center , 4401 Northern Blvd. NE Rio Rancho, NM |
|
Albuquerque |
Wednesday Aug. 20, 2008 |
6 – 8:30 p.m. |
UNM Conference Center-Room B 1634 University Blvd. NE, Albuquerque, NM |
The Forest Service has relased the Travel Management "Proposed Action" for Santa Fe National Forest. For details, see these web pages:
The Forest Service is in the process of implementing Travel Management for all National Forests in the U.S. The current map of roads and trails (phase III map) of roads and trails designated for Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) use essentially turns the National Forest on Glorieta/Rowe Mesa into an ATV/Dirt Bike/Jeep playground. We are opposed to this for the many reasons stated in our petition.
Though the Travel Management process has been moving through it's various phases since 2004, surprisingly few people are aware of this, including people with property adjacent to proposed routes, or what it means to our National Forests, especially on Glorieta/Rowe Mesa where tremendous damage has already been done, restorative action has not been taken, and the eco-system is fragile.
The various Forest Service districts will submit their proposed maps of OHV roads and trails to the national office for review and approval in January, 2008. Please don't wait till then. The Forest Service proposal is currently being revised and we need to give them our views as soon as possible. It is critical that we alert people and TAKE ACTION!
| A Comparison of Maps: The map to the right (click on the image for a closer view) shows the Forest Service's latest map (9-12-2007) side by side with the currently published (2004/2006) map of roads. As you can see, the latest map still shows a substantial increase in roads. |
 |
...stay tuned.
07-04-08:
The Forest Service had earlier stated they would release their proposed action around mid-April. Their propososed action was delayed several times after internal Forest Service reviews. No firm date has been set. Stay tuned.
02-11-08:
Senate Joint Memorial 40 passed both houses of the New Mexico Legislature. This Memorial calls for a study of the impacts of OHVs on the environment, the economy, tourism, hunting and fishing, and more. See the full text of SJM40.
02-06-08:
Senate Joint Memorial 13 passed both houses of the New Mexico Legislature. This memorial requests "THAT THE UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE, IN THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO, ENSURE THAT THE TRADITIONAL, RURAL, CULTURAL AND RANCHING WAY OF NEW MEXICAN LIFE WILL NOT BE ADVERSELY IMPACTED BY ITS OWN TRAVEL MANAGEMENT PROPOSAL OF MOTORIZED ROUTES AND THAT ANY NEW MEXICO NATIONAL FOREST PLANS UNDERGOING REVISION SHOULD CONTAIN CRITERIA TO PROTECT AND PRESERVE THE TRADITIONAL NEW MEXICAN WAY OF LIFE."
See the full text of SJM 13.
01-18-08:
1. The Forest Service is working on the Proposed Action this month (January), and hopes to have it out for public review in March 2008.
2. According to the Forest Service, there will be a 45 days scoping (public comment) period. The Forest Service continues to accept comments through the development of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), which is scheduled for October or so. The Forest Service stated that comments are most helpful in the beginning because they help the Forest Service shape the alternatives. After the DEIS is completed, there is another formal comment period which is 45 days long.
3. Congressional hearings on the OHV issue are likely to be held sometime after the Senate returns (January 22), so they could start as soon as February, March at the latest. Coordination of the 20 committee members and the expert witnesses will take some time.
Senator Bingaman will also try to focus on the New Mexico issues to the best of his ability.
We urge you to contact Senator Bingaman, Senator Domenici, and Rep. Udall (or the representative for your congressional district) and let them know your views about OHV's on public lands.
11-01-07:
We delivered a revised proposal to the Forest Service on October 19. The Forest Service has acknowledged receiving the proposal and will take "a hard look" at the proposal as they develop their overall TMR proposal.
The last we heard, the Forest Service is currently working on the proposal they will submit to the regional office, and that their new target date for that submission is January, 2008. That submission will be a landmark in the overall TMR process, and the phase after that is the NEPA phase. We have been told several times by the Forest Service that there will be additional periods of public involvement, and that they will take all comments seriously no matter when they are given.
You can view the proposal we delivered to the Forest Service. Here are the components:
10-02-07:
The Forest Service has posted a revised map on their website. The map is dated 9-12-2007 and it is the map referred to in The Reporter article of last week. While there is a reduction in routes, it still shows a large network of OHV routes, and given the OHV-users penchant for going off-trail, plus lack of on the ground signs, and no real-time enforcement, the mesa could become the OHV playground we have feared. It is now more important than ever to let the Forest Service know how you feel about this before October 17 (revised date).
9-26-07:
On September 19, we met with Joe Reddan, Pecos District Ranger, to ask the FS to consider a proposal that would dedicate a confined area of roads and trails for all recreational OHVs on the Mesa. The proposal included appropriate buffers from in-holdings, residences, grazing areas and protection of archaeological sites. The proposal would restrict the most destructive OHVs (ATVs and dirt bikes), from accessing the entire Mesa. In addition, we requested that access be denied through communities where increased recreational traffic would pose significant danger and disruption.
At this point we are amending the proposal to provide greater buffering from private property and are reworking other aspects of the proposal which were not sufficiently clear. If you have specific views on what should be in the amended proposal, please send them to info@glorietamesa.org.
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