Outdoors: Forest Service adds ‘new’ trails in Summit County

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
Some of the "new" trails on national forest lands in Summit County lead to hidden coves along the shore of Dillon Reservoir.

Some of the “new” trails on national forest lands in Summit County lead to hidden coves along the shore of Dillon Reservoir.

Travel management plan update results in some user-created trails becoming an official part of the trail network

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — If you’ve never heard of the Hippo Trail or the Bodhi Trail, don’t feel too bad. Both are newly named trail segments in Summit County that have just recently been formally added to the national forest trail system managed by the U.S. Forest Service’s Dillon Ranger District.

Many of the user-created have been popular with locals for years, but now they’re officially on the map, said Ken Waugh, recreation staff officer for the district.

“Many of these have never been maintained and have not been on District maps,” Waugh said, adding that the Forest Service is making an outreach effort to let hikers and cyclists know about the new trails.

As part of that effort, the Dillon District is preparing Recreation Opportunity Guides for these new trails. The one-page sheets  have a map on one side and information about the trails on the other. When they’re done, they’ll be posted online at this White River National Forest website. Some of the guides are already posted at www.dillonrangerdistrict.com. The guides include directions to the trailhead, mileage, range in elevation, difficulty, and trail highlights. They’re also avaiable at the USFS visitor center in Silverthorne. (more…)

Filed under: biking, Colorado, Dillon, Dillon Ranger District, Dillon Reservoir, Frisco, hiking, recreation, Summit County Colorado, Summit County news, US Forest Service, White River National Forest | Tagged: , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Colorado: Skier donations build forest conservation legacy

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

National Forest Foundation awards $650,000 for stewardship work

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Ski area visitors leave behind a year-round stewardship legacy when they contribute to the Ski Conservation Fund. Bob Berwyn photo.

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — Thanks to voluntary contributions from ski resort visitors, the the U.S. Forest Service and the National Forest Foundation will partner to invest about $650,000 in forest restoration and recreation projects. The donations are collected in a voluntary add-on to ticket and lodging sales, a dollar or two at a time.

The grants were awarded recently to organizations like the Blue River Watershed Group, the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative, the Colorado Mountain Club and the Colorado Natural Heritage Program for projects like trail improvements, wildlife habitat enhancement, tree planting and stream restoration. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, Dillon Ranger District, Environment, forests, public lands, ski industry, Ski Resorts, US Forest Service, Vail Resorts, White River National Forest | Tagged: , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Summit County: Stakeholder group to take another close look at proposal for motorized trails on Tenderfoot Mountain

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Consensus sought on divisive plan to build new trails

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Local dirt bike riders hope to create a new system of challenging single-track trails.

Click here to read full Summit Voice coverage of the Tenderfoot issue.

By Bob Berwyn

FRISCO — The White River National Forest has hit the pause button on its proposal to develop a new motorized trail system on Tenderfoot Mountain. Before issuing a final decision on the plan, forest supervisor Scott Fitzwilliams will consider the input of a stakeholder group that’s meeting in a process facilitated by the Keystone Center.

The stakeholder group includes Forest Service representatives, local government officials and planners, conservation advocates, motorized users and local homeowner groups. The hope is to find some sort of consensus on the contentious plan, said Peech Keller, who coordinates environmental reviews for the Forest Service’s Dillon Ranger District. The group will meet about every two weeks through mid-June, she added. All the Forest Service documents related to the proposal are online here. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, Dillon Ranger District, Environment, Summit County Colorado, US Forest Service, White River National Forest | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Summit County: Forest Service requests $96,000 state trails grant for OHV management

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
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The grant proposal includes examples of how the funding would be used.

Local stakeholders support idea of summer motorized trail crew

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — The Forest Service’s Dillon Ranger District is applying for a $96,000 state trails grant partly to patrol and maintain a trail system on Tenderfoot Mountain that hasn’t been approved or built yet.

An off-highway vehicle subcommittee heard the grant request earlier this month in the first step of a three-stage approval process.

The grant request has support from the Summit County Commissioners, the town of Breckenridge and several nonprofit stewardship groups in the area. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, Dillon Ranger District, recreation, Summit County Colorado, US Forest Service, White River National Forest | Tagged: , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Copper Mountain eyes new lifts, trail upgrades, wind turbines

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Forest Service launches review with 30-day public comment period

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The U.S. Forest Service is starting to review a proposal to upgrade lifts and trails at Colorado’s Copper Mountain Resort.

*Corrected to clarify replacement of H Lift with a high-speed quad in 2011 as the most recent major lift upgrade.

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — Copper Mountain has proposed a slate of on-mountain lift and trail projects to improve the overall skier experience, enhance teaching opportunities and modernize the resort’s lift infrastructure.

Specifically, Copper wants to replace the Kokomo and Storm King lifts, add a new Union Meadows surface lift and a new terrain park surface lift that will also help enhance Woodward at Copper’s camp operations.

To improve skier and snowboarder flow across the mountain, the resort is also proposing improvements to the T-Rex Connector trail and the Spaulding Bowl runout trail, improved access to the Enchanted Forest area and grading around one of the towers of the Sierra Lift.

The proposal also includes adding two 24-foot vertical wind turbines on Union Peak to generate about  2,000 kilowatt hours per year. The proposed wind turbines will add renewable energy capacity generated by existing turbines installed in 2011. Click here to learn more about kilowatt hours.

This proposal only includes a few elements from an earlier on-mountain MDP, said Shelly Grail, winter sports ranger on the Dillon Ranger District. This plan focuses on improving skier and snowboarder flow on the mountain, and especially on improving service in the beginner area. Grail said. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, Copper Mountain, Dillon Ranger District, Environment, Ski Resorts, Summit County Colorado, Summit County news, US Forest Service, White River National Forest | Tagged: , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Colorado: New snowmobile rules on national forest lands

Posted on January 3, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Winter travel maps detail new closures and designated trails

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New winter travel maps available for national forest lands in Summit County. Click on the image to view, download or print maps for your area.

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — The White River National Forest has started enforcing new winter motorized travel rules on the Dillon Ranger District, including the closure of some areas that were previously open to snowmobiles.

The winter travel maps are available at the Dillon Ranger District visitor center in Silverthorne and also online at this Forest Service web page. Dillon District winter rangers will be educating the public about the new changes, checking snowmobile registrations, and responding to snowmobiles in closed areas.  Anyone observing snowmobiles in closed areas is encouraged to record detailed information and report it to the Dillon Ranger District at 970-468-5400.

Motorized users are responsible for obtaining a map to determine where they can ride.  “NO SNOWMOBLE” signs will not be posted except in key areas. More information is available on the White River National Forest recreation web page. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, Dillon Ranger District, public lands, recreation, Summit County Colorado, US Forest Service, White River National Forest | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Summit County asks for delay on Tenderfoot motorized trail decision and suggests collaborative planning process

Posted on December 23, 2012 by Bob Berwyn
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Can Summit County and the Forest Service find common ground for a motorized trail system on Tenderfoot Mountain? Bob Berwyn photo.

‘Rewarding illegal trail creation is not good public policy’

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — Summit County commissioners continue to express concerns with a U.S. Forest Service proposal to build more than 10 miles of new trail primarily for motorized use on Tenderfoot Mountain, between Dillon and Keystone. All the Forest Service documents for the Tenderfoot proposal are online at this WRNF web page.

In a formal comment letter submitted last week, the BOCC asked the Forest Service to delay making a decision on the project pending a joint collaborative planning process with the county, and offered to come to the table with some funds for maintenance and management of a trail system.

“I don’t think anyone on the planning commission is opposed to finding a place … But I don’t think the Forest Service did its job in looking at other places and saying why they won’t work,” said Craig Suwinski, chair of the Snake River Planning Commission, representing those citizens potentially most affected by noise and other impacts a motorized trail system could have. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, Dillon Ranger District, recreation, Summit County Colorado, Summit County news, US Forest Service, White River National Forest | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Colorado: Forest Service trails plan draws fire from county

Posted on December 4, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

County commissioners see inconsistencies in plan, express concerns about impacts to county services and the environment

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A proposal to increase motorized use on Tenderfoot Mountain is generating controversy in Summit County. Bob Berwyn photo.

*Related stories

By Bob Berwyn

FRISCO — The Summit County Commissioners still have serious concerns about a scaled-back proposal for motorized recreation on Tenderfoot Mountain, including the overall size of the proposal and the projected increase in motorized users.

The county is also at odds with the rationale that past illegal use of the area by dirt bikes is a justification for creation of a legal trail system. The concerns are outlined in a planning staff memo, prepared for the Dec. 4 county commissioner work session.

The planners wrote: “Years of illegal motorized activity should not make it acceptable to allow such activity to continue, nor justify this as an appropriate location.  A long history of off-trail riding and the creation of 29 miles of illegal trails call into question the feasibility of preventing future perpetuation of this illegal activity …” (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, Dillon Ranger District, Environment, public lands, Summit County Colorado, Summit County news, US Forest Service, White River National Forest | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

Summit County: 3 meetings on Tenderfoot trails plan this week

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Forest Service denies request for comment period extension; locals scrambling to study proposal, formulate input

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The Forest Service wants to build 13 miles of new trails on Tenderfoot Mountain primarily for motorized use.

By Bob Berwyn

FRISCO — Summit County officials are scrambling to finalize comments on a Forest Service proposal to build 13 miles of new dirt bike trails on Tenderfoot Mountain after their request to extend the comment period was rejected.

At issue is a controversial plan to add a motorized trail system in the hills east of Highway 6 between Dillon and Keystone. County officials say a vast majority of residents in the area oppose the trail system. Forest Service planners say they are obligated to meet demand from all user groups.

Forest Service officials say new planning regulations adopted under the Bush administration prevent them from extending comment periods on environmental assessments. Conservation groups criticized the rules before they were adopted, saying they could inhibit public participation — and the Tenderfoot trail plan is a clear example of that. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, Dillon Ranger District, Environment, Summit County Colorado, Summit County news, US Forest Service, White River National Forest, wildlife | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Summit County:Forest Service releases Tenderfoot trail plan

Posted on November 15, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Controversial proposal includes 13 miles of new single-track in an area generally zoned for non-motorized use

The Forest Service wants to build 13 miles of new trails on Tenderfoot Mountain for motorized use in an area already laced with trails and roads.

Related stories:

Summit County: Forest Service doing sound tests for proposed motorized recreation trail on Tenderfoot Mountain

Summit County: U.S. Forest Service hits pause button on several projects to assess the cumulative impacts to lynx

Summit County: Tenderfoot trail showdown looming

Summit County: Motorized trails proposed for Tenderfoot

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — The Forest Service has released a scaled-back version of a controversial plan for a new motorized trail system on Tenderfoot Mountain. Under the proposed plan, about 13 miles of new trails on a project area spanning about 1,800 acres already laced by a spaghetti network of roads and trails, including many renegade user-created trails.

In all, the system would encompass about 27 miles of trails (21 miles of single-track). About eight miles existing routes would be rehabilitated, while some other unsustainable routes would be decommissioned. According to the Forest Service, the net result is a multi-use trail system “that would be managed for non-motorized uses (hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding) as well as for single-track motorcycle use.” (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, Dillon, Dillon Ranger District, Environment, recreation, Summit County Colorado, US Forest Service, White River National Forest | Tagged: , , , , | 2 Comments »

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