Dixie Forest gets input on off-road plan

ST. GEORGE — Going "off-road" in the Dixie National Forest will be restricted to authorized roads, trails or other specific areas if a proposed motorized travel plan is approved by federal officials later this year.

"The key point to remember is that this is a proposed action," said Noelle Meier, the Dixie National Forest team leader for the motorized travel plan project. "This plan identifies what we think we should do with the roads. Now we want to get feedback from the public."

A series of public open houses to provide details of the plan began Tuesday in St. George at the Ramada Inn. Other open houses follow today in Cedar City; Thursday in Panguitch; Jan. 18 in Salt Lake City; Jan. 24 in Torrey; and Jan. 25 in Escalante.

Dale Grange, a member of the citizen working group that helped review the motorized travel plan, said conflicts between off-highway vehicle users and the Forest Service are certain to occur no matter what kind of travel plan is approved.

"There are conflicts on every mile of trail. The question is whether they can be mitigated and whether user-created or unauthorized routes will be included in the plan or not," said Grange, who is also president of the Tri-State Off Highway Vehicle Club. "It is going to be controversial. Most of the people I talk to just want to know where they can go (to ride off-road.)"

Wayne Hoskisson, another member of the working group and president of the Utah Chapter of the Sierra Club, said off-road vehicles cause significant damage and should be restricted.

"Agencies like the Forest Service are basically in denial about the impact of off-road vehicles to the environment," he said. "Agencies think there is nothing wrong with allowing vehicles into stream beds, for instance. It's the same problem we've had for 30 years."

The Dixie National Forest began an inventory of every known road, trail and motorized route within the forest in 1996, completing the work in the summer of 2005. Approximately 735,943 acres of the Dixie National Forest currently restrict off-road travel, with another 1.15 million acres open to off-road motorized use.

"We've been working on this for several years and put a lot of effort, time and money into the proposal," said Kenton Call, public affairs officer with the Dixie National Forest. We think it's pretty good, but we need to know if it accurately reflects the needs of both the forest and the people who use it."

A new travel plan for authorized motor vehicle use within the nearly 1.9 millions acres of the Dixie National Forest is a modern-day necessity, according to the scoping document released Dec. 15. The plan identifies roads and trails for various levels of permitted motorized uses and prohibits any off-road travel for unauthorized uses.

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