Huachuca Mountians-Arizona Road closures Need comments.

[neb]

www.fs.fed.us/nepa/nepa_project_exp.php?project=36560
The Forest Service has proposed closing 150+ miles of roads in the Huachuca Mountains Coronado National Forest. The comment period goes into February and the closures are planned for early 2013. Most closures south of the Huachucas to the border (Unit 35A) are roads that have been present for decades and are used by hunters and Border Patrol extensively. I would encourage anyone with an interest to review and comment on this plan. Absent a dramatic response from those concerned with these closures it will happen. I have been hunting this area since the mid seventies and have seen dramatic closures of access on both sides of the Huachucas from Wilderness designation; Arizona trail closure and administrative blockages by the Forest Service. I would strongly encourage opposition to these proposed closures.
Thanks,
Nathan Beneze

 

[AZhunter]

Thx for the heads up. My family and I hunt that area a lot. Would hate to lose more access.

 

[neb]

RE: Huachuca Mountains-Arizona Road closures Need comments.

We've gotten over 50 responses, all opposed. One of my posts quoting the law regarding FS and roads/trails was blocked from view. We're looking into another (RS 2477) to see which roads qualify. It's been used to prevent BLM and FS from blocking commonly used roads that predated 1976 in Idaho and Utah.
The road closures tthe FS has listed almost look like an overlay of wilderness "Study Areas" the Sky Island Alliance was pushing in 2008.
Makes you wonder who the Forest Service cares about.
NB

 

[neb]

RE: Huachuca Mountains-Arizona Road closures Need comments.

The Hunt units involved with these road closures are 34B, 35A and 35B. Over 4000 deer,javalina and turkey tags are issued for these units. The closures are almost an overlay of the "Sky Island Alliance" roadless plan of 11/2008. I would ask hunters to review the proposed closures and comment on the Forest service website. They are blocking my suggestions at this time, so I think the die is cast and the comments and public meetings are simply a formality as far as they are concerned.

 

[sagebrush]

Pretty amazing. I didn't read every letter in the public comments, but the dozen or so I selected at random all were against the closures. I think the Forest Service would have a hard time justifying the clossures if the vast majority of the comments are against.

I would hope everyone would take just a couple of minutes to post a comment at the link that Nathan put up.

Nathan, please stay on top of the issue and let us know how many comments are being posted. Also, could you contact Peggy Wilson and ask her if she is going to take the comments into consideration before closing the roads? Maybe get her to commit to explaining her course of action in view of all the negative commentary. We might be able to go up the chain of command if the overwhelming majority of the comments are against the closures and she tries to move forward without regard to public sentiment.

Thanks for bringing the issue to our attention.

 

[BBB]

Comment added. I'm so glad the FS exists...otherwise who would protect our natural resources from the evil american citizen!

Let the FS know what you think about the closure.

 

[muleymaniac]

LAST EDITED ON Jan-22-12 AT 07:10PM (MST)[p]NF doesnt give a damn about your hunting etc . they will not open any conversation about rd closeure ..

get used to it and live with it -not a damn thing you can say will make any difference !

its been the same in a lot of arizona national forests -

 

[sagebrush]

muleymaniac

We need to keep trying. If one course of action doesn't work, we need to find another. We will lose access and eventually our hunting heritage if we give up. Please make a comment and give us the ammunition we need to press forward.

 

[neb]

Thanks for the support, every bit helps.
We have a number of us working on this now. There is a meeting in Tucson this Saturday by the F.S. The Sierra Vista coues hunting club voted to oppose the closures. (Huachuca Whitetail Club). I think the FS drew circles on the map to stake out roadless areas for future wilderness designation, then went backwards to justify the closures of those roads (i.e. "erosion, erodible soils, Doesn't meet forest management plans, interferes with bats, Sonoran Salamander, Mexican Spotted owl, Goshawk nests, riparian habitat......"). There is not a dirt road in the entire southwest that could be kept open with the criteria they are selectively applying.
NB

 

[neb]

I thought I would send a follow up note after my contacts with the Border Patrol today.
I called the Border Patrol today and struggled through 3 underlings to get to the ?Public Information Officer? (at 520-748-3000) at the District Office of the Tucson District to ask about the BP input and policy/advisement on the proposed Forest service road closures in the Huachucas and access issues for the ranch road. You?d think I was calling to ask if the were seeing Martians....... the P.I.O. said ? I don't know anything about proposed road closures or the Forest Service plan? and ?This is the first I've heard about this plan? and several times referred me to the Forest Service for any questions. I left my number with her and asked if she could check on this issue and get back to me.
None of the people I talked to would or could give any info at all. The thought that the Border Patrol would not be intimately involved in the closures of 150 miles of roads within 20-30 miles of the Border is mind boggling to me. Maybe I just hit an isolated pocket of unawareness, but of the 4 people I spoke to , none would comment or acted like they knew anything about the proposed road closures.
Nathan Beneze

 

[3point2]

So closing roads will hurt hunting?

 

[neb]

Not if you are 25 and can hike in the rugged Huachucas 5-7 miles, dodging Illegals and drug-runners. Many of the roads they are trying to close have been open for 40-60 years. The Miller Peak wilderness (1985) to the south-east and Fort Huachuca to the north make it very difficult to access many of the areas as it is. White tail are quite a bit different than elk and can be hunted near roads/2-tracks without pushing them 5 miles back into the remote areas. The issues of closing the roads includes the obstruction of long time access to these areas as well as hinderance of the Border Patrol in their access to many areas. The local Whitetail club voted overwhelmingly to oppose this plan. If we thought this would make it a Coues Nirvana, no one would oppose it. Read the comments on the site and you will not find any supporting comments for the closures.
Neb