Road closure impact statement available for comment

A proposal to close 900,000 acres of land in the Bridgeport Ranger District to motorized cross-country travel is the subject of a draft environmental impact statement.

Under the proposal, 210 miles of motorized routes would be added to the 1,290 miles currently managed by the district.

Off the designated routes, travel would be limited to non-motorized backcountry recreation such as hiking, horseback riding, and mountain biking.

"The Bridgeport Ranger District is a great place to explore by motor vehicle," said Cheryl Probert, Bridgeport District Ranger. "This project will help us sustain motor vehicle travel on the District into the future."

The current system of open cross-country travel has led to a proliferation of new user-created routes. These routes can, in the wrong places and at the wrong times, cause environmental impacts. Streams, wildlife, vegetation, soil, and archaeological sites can all be damaged by unmanaged motor vehicle use.

"This environmental impact statement is in a draft stage," said David Loomis, Forest Service Project Manager. "Nothing is written in stone at this point and we are open to ideas about how we can improve travel management on the Bridgeport Ranger District."

The Ranger District manages about 1.2 million acres of lands in Mono County, California, and Douglas, Lyon, and Mineral Counties in Nevada.

The draft environmental impact statement and detailed maps of the proposal are available at

www.fs.fed.us/r4/htnf/projects/bridgeport/tm_bp_index.shtml. They are also available on request on CDs.

E-mail comments on the project are preferred and should be sent to: comments-intermtn-humboldt-toiyabe-bridgeport@fs.fed.us. Written comments can be sent to: Travel Management Team, Bridgeport Ranger District, HC 62, Box 1000, Bridgeport, CA 93517.