Rescue Tellico! Another attack on out rights to wheel! PLEASE RESPOND!

[Blue Ridge Runner]

Tellico Lawsuit

July 2, 2007
Southern Environmental Law Center files a 60-day Notice of Intent to Commence Civil action at the Upper Tellico ORV Area

On June 28, 2007, the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) filed a Notice of Intent (NOI) to Commence Civil Action under Section 505 of the Clean Water Act. SELC is acting on behalf of the North Carolina Council of Trout Unlimited, the Tennessee Council of Trout Unlimited, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, and the Southern Appalachian Biodiversity Project.

The NOI alleges violations under Sections 301, 313, 401, 402, 404, and 505 of the Clean Water Act; violations of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA); and various violations of North Carolina and Tennessee state water quality laws and standards. In the NOI, the SELC calls for seasonal and permanent closures of trails within the Upper Tellico ORV Area.

Southern Four Wheel Drive Association is keenly aware of this Notice and intends to follow its progress carefully. In conjunction with the United Four Wheel Drive Association and the Blue Ribbon Coalition, SFWDA is preparing a statement and will be providing it to the U.S. Forest Service to support their defense of the claims in the NOI.

The Southern Four Wheel Drive Association was founded in 1987 to promote responsible land use and to keep public lands accessible for motorized recreation. Since the formation of Southern Four Wheel Drive Association the focus and mission is to promote responsible land use and to help keep public lands open for motorized recreation. Southern's commitment along with United's is as strong today as ever. Events such as these magnify the need for what we do as clubs and associations. We ask that you support Southern and United in this effort.

Southern Four Wheel Drive Association: www.sfwda.org

United Four Wheel Drive Associations: www.ufwda.org


Read this: http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200770708015

Then read this, CLICKY PDF LETTER



There is a comment box locate at the bottom of the page. Please comment on this pathetic situation that we will be faced with. Please make your responses in a professional manor. Asheville is a hot bed for enviro-activists so it's important to have our voices heard in that forum.

There is more info located at http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=595745

If you love to wheel Tellico I implore you to get behind The Southern Four Wheel Drive Association. Its time to support your sport!

[jmdave69]

hey jimmy read mine   

i really hate strongly dislike the environmentalist for fighting for the fishes and the birdies BUT good lord fight for the Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airman, and R/T 

[Blue Ridge Runner]

Bravo. Tell your friends about this. 

[sammi_davis]

  I agree that runoff is a problem , but it can be solved and the 4wd community will put forth the labor to fix this issue .

 As trails close and we are herded into ever smaller areas the land will show more impact . The solution to this problem isnt to keep closing areas off , the way to fix it is to open more areas . With more places to ride there will be less impact as the useage is spread out .

 I used to hike and mountain bike a lot , after reconstructive ankle surgery I dont get to go out as much as I used too . With my 4wd I can go to some of the places I used to enjoy  .

  I tread lightly and leave no trace other than a tire print . It is vital to the
4 wd community that Tellico remain a place for OHV users to enjoy .

 I am off the soapbox now

[dadstoybox]

I am off the soapbox now

you cant get off the soap box yet, non of us can or we can all forget having anywhere to enjoy.look at out kids, we are raising them to enjoy the outdoors and the same things we do,by the time they are 20 or so they will not have the freedoms and privlidges we have had to enjoy trails and national parks.
 what good does it do to have a national park that our tax dollars pay for and only be allowed to drive around the very edge of it on a paved highway with a quite exaust with the windows up covered in tint with the a/c on high and the xm radio blaring ? what did you hear, see,smell,what did you share with your kid on that trip ? come on everybody needs a soapbox and a voice.

don

[Whitfield]

Nice disinformation and false hoods. Your publication should check FACTS before publishing this garbage. That rutted area pictured was hardened and filled in months ago. It was fixed in such a way that it should not become a problem again.

There is NO decline in fish population. If you look back the 5 previous years it was on the increase.
THIS YEAR they changed how they counted them and that change is why it shows a FALSE reduction. The previous years they counted fish 2 inches and longer...this year they counted 4 inches and longer. Next year it will again show an increase.

This is just another DIRTY lie propagated by these "Eco groups" to lock the public out of public lands.

[Blue Ridge Runner]

More:

There are so many lies in the article that exist I am surprised that a reputable newspaper would even publish it. There is a new bridge located on trail 5 and there is a new bridge coming to Fains Ford. That evidence alone is proof that the NFS is serious about water quality. The new bridge is not a little log bridge. It is a large well built bridge built using steel. It is a highway quality structure. I am sure it costs well over $100,000 to build. When I was there in June the construction equipment was being moved to Fains Ford so I expect that that bridge will be built soon. I have often heard that the NFS is under funded. The OHV user fee has doubled. I would imagine that is to pay for the bridges since our tax money is not being allocated to the NFS to take care of these problems. If the Southern Environmental Law Center wants to sue then sue the federal government for not funding the NFS rather than suing those that allow us to enjoy it. I am sure those bridges would have gone up years ago had the NFS received the funding they deserve. As usual we the OHV users will pay for it in entry fees. Maybe a $10 per head charge for fishing and hiking in those areas should also be put in place. I am a fisherman also that DOES NOT SUPPORT The Southern Environmental Law Center on anything.

EVERYONE NEEDS TO POST SOMETHING THERE!

Thanks to those here that have already. 

[Joe S.]

i live in Mississippi, and there is no where locally to ride. But rather than doing something irresponsible and trespassing and tearing up private land, my group of offroaders drive (towing our camping gear and ORVs) for 3 or 4 to as long as 20 hours to ride and we rely on places like Tellico to give us a place to go to ride legally. we dont tear up the land. we stay on designated trails. we clean up after ourselves and others. we believe in leaving the trail cleaner than it was when we got there. heck, some events we frequent even offer prizes for the person who picks up the most trash. that is how seriously us offroaders take protecting our environment. we will gladly step up to help prevent environmental damages when needed. there is no need to waste money that could be put to good use for something that can be fixed so that everyone is happy.

[Blue Ridge Runner]

Excellent Joe. 

[Blue Ridge Runner]

Anyone reading the forum?

http://www.topix.net/forum/source/asheville-citizen-times/T6Q9CU9O6BE2CE219

[sammi_davis]

Anyone reading the forum?

http://www.topix.net/forum/source/asheville-citizen-times/T6Q9CU9O6BE2CE219

Yep I read through some of it , the enviros are looking like whackos ... big suprise .

[Blue Ridge Runner]

More lies from the biased media:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20070703/ts_csm/aoffroad&printer=1;_ylt=Ahxs3IELMLmJYS2bpFgYzumOe8UF

Off-road vehicles rev up controversy in public lands

By Mark Clayton, Staff writer of The Christian Science MonitorTue Jul 3, 4:00 AM ET

Off-road vehicles now pose the single biggest threat to America's public lands and represent a fast-growing law enforcement problem.

That's the verdict of a new coalition of former public land managers and rangers, which has formed to bring attention to the problem.

Understaffing, weak penalties, and lack of enforcement of trail restrictions, among other problems, have led to environmental degradation and an increasingly chaotic environment at many popular federal recreation areas that are overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of off-road-vehicles (ORVs), the coalition says.

"These things are just crawling all over the place, unregulated, damaging the environment and wreaking havoc - there's no teeth in any law enforcement," says Jim Baca, a member of the Rangers for Responsible Recreation coalition and a former director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) under the Clinton Administration. "Congress needs to look at this and make sure public land agencies are doing their job."

BLM officials acknowledge the rising numbers of ORVs, but insist the problem is under control.

Use of ORV is legal on designated roads and trails across more than 80 million acres of land overseen by the BLM and millions more overseen by the US Forest Service. But ORV use, especially in the western US, has zoomed off trails into fragile areas, growing far faster than public land managers' ability to police it, the coalition says.

National growth numbers are hard to come by. But the most popular areas risk being overrun, a BLM spokesman in Washington acknowledges. One popular BLM-run recreation area, Imperial Sand Dunes in California, has ORV visits soar to 1.2 million each year, BLM officials say. Both the BLM and US Forest Service are taking steps they say will reign in ORV infractions.

Indeed, conflicts, sometimes violent, appear to be growing between rangers and ORV users who flout trail signs and damage delicate desert and other habitat, or lug alcohol and drugs into wilderness areas, the group says. But a BLM spokesman says law-enforcement incidents involving "off-highway vehicles" (OHVs) actually fell from 5,846 in 2004 to 5,066 last year.

"We realize there has been exponential growth in OHV use, so we know it's a challenge. But we think we're meeting the challenge," says Tom Gorey, a BLM spokesman.

Yet the problem is clearly growing more serious in many locations. At an Easter weekend gathering, 50 federal rangers faced "near riot conditions" with about 1,000 out-of-control ORV enthusiasts at the Little Sahara Recreation Area in Utah. Revelers sexually harassed a number of women among the 35,000 people using the area, federal reports of the incident show. There were 300 arrests and 37 injuries.

"What has been lacking is the assurance of tough enforcement and the backbone needed to bring the runaway problem under control," said Jim Furnish, former deputy chief of the US Forest Service and a member of the rangers' coalition, in a statement. "Folks visiting our public lands expect enforcement that protects natural resources, ensures visitor safety, and reclaims a family friendly atmosphere."

As numbers grow, the environmental challenge is growing, too.

At the Tellico Off-Road Vehicle Area within the Nantahala National Forest in North Carolina, ORV use has been allowed to soar beyond planned limits, critics say. Now, deeply-rutted trails wash silt into once-pristine trout streams that feed into the Tellico River.

In a "notice of intent" letter last week, the Southern Environmental Law Center informed the US Forest Service it would soon file suit on behalf of several trout fishing organizations to enforce the federal Clean Water Act. The letter says that trails close to streams violate the law.

Enthusiasts of ORV riding say the problem nationally is due to a lack of adequate mapping and signage on public lands to show users where to ride, and that new forest service and BLM rules are addressing it.

But as numbers grow, broader rider education efforts are needed, they acknowledge.

"We recognize there are issues with OHV use on public lands," says Jack Welch, president of the Blue Ribbon Coalition, which represents off-road enthusiasts and vehicle manufacturers. "We believe most of these problems can be solved with better signage and map programs. But we also think the ranger group is not really interested in working together with us – they simply want to eliminate motor recreation on public lands."

Coalition members deny they are just out to eliminate motorized vehicle use, but say they want the ORV problem brought under control.

Penalties that are severe enough to deter violators are badly needed, such as forfeiture of hunting and fishing licenses or confiscation of vehicles when off-roaders are caught ignoring the law, they say. A larger budget for more rangers to enforce the law is also required, they add.

"Land management agencies just don't have a lot of enforcement capability right now," Mr. Baca says.

Copyright © 2007 The Christian Science Monitor

[dadstoybox]

gee, look who it is written by. sit down and write them a letter and tell them to back up their facts and they will roll over and play dead. they are about as extreme as It gets and are fanatics.

[Blue Ridge Runner]

The problem is the liars have a voice. 

[Blue Ridge Runner]

This is how SFWDA handles Tellico. What a smack in the face. They clean up after the worthless people that litter the creeks and rivers and then get sued for destroying the water quality by the people that they helped do the cleanup. Here is the SFWDA doing what they do best:

http://sfwda.com/trails/tellico/cleanup20060311/index.html

7th Annual Tellico River Cleanup

by Stefan Roth, March 2006

Member of Southern Four Wheel Drive Association (SFWDA) and other volunteer groups recently spent a Saturday out in the woods on National Forest lands, picking up litter that thoughtless or careless people had discarded on public lands.

SFWDA President Bob Yarbrough, who was out with the work crews picking up trash, said , "It a great way for us to help the Forest Service take care of our public lands. We enjoy the recreational opportunities and we're willing to work to make them possible."

The 7th Annual Tellico River Cleanup Day was held on March 11, 2006. Organized as a partnership between Southern Four Wheel Drive Association, Trout Unlimited, and the U.S. Forest Service, it has grown quite a bit since its inception and the event regularly brings out 200 - 300 people from dozens of recreation groups - hiking and walking groups, kayaking and canoeing clubs, fishing and hunting clubs, 4-wheel drive clubs, and nearby businesses.

The volunteer groups split up into small groups and covered literally dozens of miles of roads, trails, and river banks in the Cherokee and Nantahala National Forests, which border each other across the Tennessee / North Carolina state line.

Mary Jane Burnette of the Forest Service's Tellico Ranger District reported that she had 182 volunteers working in Tennessee. Larry Fox, Forestry Technician with the Tusquitee Ranger District, counted 113 volunteers in North Carolina. This adds up to a grand total of 295 volunteers cleaning up dozens of miles of trails and roads. Of these volunteers, 183 volunteers came from local and regional 4-wheel-drive groups. Everyone should be very proud of the dedication shown by all the volunteers..

For example, Southern Jeeps, out of Atlanta, worked the areas east of the state line in North Carolina. "We had 30 members attend and covered about one and a half miles of trails," says Scott Gregg, President of Southern Jeeps.

Wayne and Joyce Kickles from Smoky Mountain Trail Runners 4WD Club spent 8 hours on Saturday on the cleanup and workday. Wayne wrote us, "We picked up some trash on the way up to the work areas, but got most of what we collected at the top of trail 9. Once we reached the work areas, we spent most of our time cleaning and helping to install the fence at the top of trail 9 (see related story)."

Eric Potts and two friends in his Jeep picked up trash for a mile on trail 6 - until their trash bags filled up. They came up from Georgia to help out because they like to ride at Upper Tellico OHV Area.

JimBob Faulk reports that there were two members from Traxx in Motion, traveling all the way from Nashville, Tennessee. JimBob reports, "We cleaned down along the river on trail 5. The big camping area near the water crossing had a wealth of "crap." Literally, the highlights were nearly 2 dozen small propane bottles, multiple tampons, and someone's homemade toilet (5 gallon bucket with a toilet seat on top). We also worked the area from Big Oak campground to the next campsite toward Tellico Plains."

Scott Correll from Cumberland Off-Road in Cookeville, Tennessee wrote to tell us that their club had five adults and three children working for five hours on trail 9 from the garden below slick rock to the top. They picked up mostly stuff from the "bystanders" area and off to the sides of the trail.

"Nine members from Georgia 4x4 and Off Camber 4WD cleaned trail 1 from the lower trail 2 entrance to the upper 2 entrance and collected 12 bags of garbage - approximately 1.5 miles of trail, " reported Mark Webb, the Director of Land Use for Off Camber 4WD Club from Atlanta, Georgia. In addition, three vehicles from Off Camber 4WD and 5 vehicles from Clemson Offroad cleaned from the beginning of trail 3, up trail 12 over to Pinch Rock on trail 11. Others cleaned up on the entrance to upper trail 2 and surrounding area around the top of lower trail 2.

Ten members Rock Solid Jeep club attending the cleanup day started at State Line and went along Tellico River Road to the road to trail 2. Then they went up the gravel road almost to the top of lower 2 and back down. They continued on up the River Road a couple of miles past the gravel road, where they met members from the Renegade 4WD Club cleaning up along the road and river. Gary Parsons reports that they found the normal bottles and cans, an old chair, and the elastic band from a pair of men's underwear.

Land Rover owner David Russell brought four other members of the Southern Land Rover Society to the cleanup day. David reported, "We did about 2 miles on trail 1 towards Murphy. We cleaned up about 50' off the trail in those hard to get to places. We picked up mostly cans and bottles and filled 2 1/2 trash bags."

Gerald Henderson, President of Rattle Rock 4WD Club, stated that his club had twenty members in attendance. They covered the Upper 2 trail and School Bus hill (trail 12). The most interesting item they recovered was a freezer - what was it doing way out there in the woods?

In addition, members from all recreation groups cleaned up many more miles on the trails and roads along the Tellico River and the North River in Tennessee. Volunteers picked up the trash and left the full bags along the road side, to be picked up by Forest Service personnel who gave up their weekend time to help this worthwhile cause.