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Forest Service to “Obliterate” Roads

September 13, 2017 By sanwpress 7 Comments

Local Forest Service officials have erected signs indicating that 14 roads will be obliterated over the next few weeks. Posted carsonite signs state “ROAD TO BE OBLITERATED IN” with a hand-written time frame and date. Typically the stated time frame is 2 to 3 weeks and the date is late August.

The signed roads were not included in the Forest Service 2010 motor vehicle transportation plan.

Based on conversations with the crew doing the work, it appears that the roads will not be obliterated (in the sense of being wiped out), but instead, will be blocked at one or both ends by large rocks, logs, dirt berms or trenches.

The roads to be obliterated are in the north and south Elk Ridge and the Woodenshoe areas of the Monticello District of the Manti La Sal National Forest. The roads themselves run the gamut from unused and almost totally rehabilitated tracks to good roads that serve useful purposes with little or no resource impacts. In most cases it appears that obliterating the road will cause more resource damage than leaving the road as-is.

San Juan County’s concerns with this project include the following:

  • To our knowledge there has been no public notification or involvement. We found out about the project through information provided by County residents who had seen the signs.
  • The opportunity for public response is constrained by the very short time from the signs being put up to the beginning of obliteration; typically 2 to 3 weeks.
  • As mentioned above, some of the roads serve multiple useful purposes with no observable resource damage. These roads should be candidates to be added to the Forest travel plan.
  • The Manti La Sal National Forest is in the beginning stages of developing a new forest resource management plan which will contain guidance for transportation planning. This would seem to be an inopportune time to be obliterating potentially important and valuable transportation infrastructure.
  • The Forest Service recognizes that more efficient management solutions are needed to meet the increasing public demands for recreation and other use on the forest. Not obliterating potential valuable and in-place transportation infrastructure would seem to be consistent with forward-looking, efficient management.

San Juan County agrees with the closing of the some of the roads in this project. Some of the roads however should be candidates for inclusion in the the forest travel plan and would serve multiple important uses.

Maps

North Elk Ridge Roads
South Elk Ridge Roads
Woodenshoe/Peavine Roads

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Filed Under: Old News

Comments

  1. Cathy Kaech says

    September 20, 2017 at 7:55 pm

    If you close the roads, we can’t fight the fires.

    Reply
  2. Tori Thompson says

    September 20, 2017 at 11:00 pm

    This is completely biased that the forest service is doing this all over. Their motive to me is unknown. If we all stand together as one we can fight against the forest service and keep our public land open.

    Reply
  3. Craig Johnson says

    September 21, 2017 at 11:31 am

    this is sad that our Government is no longer out to serve the people, and use of our land

    Reply
  4. Gary white says

    September 21, 2017 at 10:35 pm

    In today’s world the government has become corrupt the little bit of authority given them has festered. And it is time we took action our first step is to get the professional political people and get them back to working for the people. This is our land and as long as we treat it with respect we should be able to manage it

    Reply
  5. Hayduke says

    September 24, 2017 at 11:54 am

    Not enough budget to maintain roads. Plenty budget to obliterate them and patrol wrongdoers.

    This kind of thing is almost always result of overzealous underlings.

    Elk ridge is (was) wonderful place to drive off and seek solitude.

    Reply
  6. Ted Powell says

    September 24, 2017 at 2:31 pm

    It looks like the USFS are working with the corporate environmentalists to shut down roads in an effort to crate a wilderness area. It is my understanding that if there are no roads, or just a few roads, then it is easier to make a wilderness area out of that part of the forest. By obliterating roads, it gets them closer to their goal of making Manti La Sal Forest a wilderness area.

    Reply
  7. Al Clarke says

    November 7, 2017 at 8:44 am

    Dark Ops, anyone? Or maybe just an injunction.

    Reply

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San Juan County Courthouse
117 South Main,
Monticello, UT 84535
Phone: (435) 587-3223
Fax: (435) 587-2447

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Every 1st and 3rd Tuesdays
of the month, in the Commission Room of the San Juan County Courthouse, Monticello, Utah.  Work meetings begin at 9:00 AM and Commission meeting begins at 10:00 AM.

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