BRC mailing request.

Dear BRC Action Alert Subscriber,

One of our favorite OHV clubs in Montana, the Montana Trail Vehicle Riders Association, recently sent us word about how the anti-recreation crowd is trying to close most of the epic OHV trails in the Little Belt and Castle Mountain ranges.

This area is located in the Jefferson Division of the Lewis and Clark National Forest and more is at stake than just roads and trails. Some of the best snowmobiling is also located in these ranges and, you guessed it, the greenies are trying to close it to snowmobiles too.

Please take a minute and help our friends in Montana fight for what remains of their access to public lands in the Treasure State.

Thanks in advance for your support,

Brian Hawthorne

BlueRibbon Coalition

208-237-1008 ext 102

WHY THIS IS SO IMPORTANT:

As many of you know, lots and lots of Montanas national forests are already closed to OHV users. The anti-recreation crowd is working hard to eliminate what little recreation opportunity they have left. The green groups have revved up their email alerts and are getting students from campuses all over the west to email the Forest Service (FS). Our partners in Montana are asking for our help in countering the efforts of these anti-access groups.

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:

Send an email to Forest Supervisor Spike Thompson by 25^th of November.

Remember, thats the Friday after Thanksgiving, so do it now!!!

Send your email to:  comments-northern-lewisclark@fs.fed.us. 

Address them to Forest Supervisor.  Be certain to include your name and address because agencies sometimes discard anonymous comments.

The subject line should read "Jefferson Division Travel Plan". 

COMMENT SUGGESTIONS:

* A great way to begin is with a short sentence or two telling Supervisor Thompson a bit about how important OHV recreation is to your family.

* Be certain to tell the FS you strongly oppose the Proposed Action as written. The Proposed Action closes too many roads and trails. It also fails to meet the need to provide for, and properly manage, OHV use.

* Tell the FS you object to the Proposed Action because it closes the Little Belt and Castle Mountain ranges. These trails provide the last and best high-quality trail experiences for thousands of OHV riders from the surrounding communities and beyond. 

* Tell them not to close the Deep Creek, Hoover Creek or Lost Fork areas. These areas have been used by trail bikes for almost sixty years

* Tell the FS the Middle Fork and the south end of the Little Belts should remain open until October 15th each year.

* Be certain to remind the FS that there are already large blocks of non-motorized areas in the Highwoods, Crazies, and Snowies.

* The Little Belts are the premier motorized area for Great Falls, Stanford, Lewistown, Belt, Billings, Bozeman, Townsend, Helena, Livingston, White Sulphur Springs, etc.

* You may want to point out while OHV use is increasing in popularity every year, the opportunities have decreased due to closures by FS. 

* Tell the FS that you object to the lack of public involvement in the Winter usage proposal.

* Tell them that the trails in the Deep Creek /Tenderfoot Area, the Hoover Creek trail complex as well as the Castles and Crazy Mountains should be left open.  

* Dont forget to tell the FS that the proposed snowmobile closures are unacceptable. The Proposed Action would create large blocks of non-motorized winter recreation areas where snowmobiling currently is allowed.  This decision is arbitrary and unfair.

BACKGROUND INFO:

Access the Lewis and Clark NF website for more info: http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/lewisclark/projects/

If you wish to send a snail mail letter, the address is:

Forest Supervisor

PO BOX 869

Great Falls, MT 59403-0869

HELP SUPPORT BRCS PARTNERS IN MONTANA

Montanans for Multiple Use: http://www.mtmultipleuse.org

Citizens for Balanced Use:     http://www.citizensforbalanceduse.com

Families for Outdoor Recreation http://www.ffor.org

Montana Trail Vehicle Riders Association http://www.mtvra.com