Tahoe OHV Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: David Lass, office (530) 587-7110, cell (530) 388-8261, dlass@tu.org
Wild and native trout of the Tahoe National Forest need your help!
Unmanaged Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) use continues to threaten our most beloved fisheries
Truckee, CA (November 18th, 2008) – The incredible fishing resources of the Tahoe National Forest (TNF) are in dire need of protection from unmanaged OHV use. The Tahoe National Forest is asking for public comment and input on Route Designation, a plan with serious implications on wild and native trout species. This is a critical time for sportsmen to step up in support of their favorite trout waters and tell the Forest Service to stop unmanaged motorized abuse.
Route Designation is a process to designate off-highway vehicle routes and determine what routes will remain open and which routes will become closed, or illegal, for future use. For the Tahoe National Forest, this process began in 2004 as part of a Region-wide effort. This process is currently in the Draft Environmental Impact (DEIS) stage of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). This is the last chance for the public to comment on the plan before the final decision is made in early 2009.
Riparian areas and aquatic dependent species are particularly vulnerable to adverse impacts from OHV use. Unmanaged recreation, including impacts from OHV’s, is one of “Four Key Threats Facing the Nation’s Forests and Grasslands.” (USDA Forest Service, June 2004). Sportsmen could very well be the voice that decides the future for our public lands and help stop inappropriate OHV use that continues to impact our most important fisheries.
The last, best places we have to hunt and fish in the TNF are at risk under Route Designation, and therefore need your help. Particularly, the wild trout waters of the Truckee and Little Truckee Rivers, and Prosser Creek are most affected by inappropriate motorized use. Important roadless headwater areas such as Castle Peak and the West Yuba are also serious threatened from encroaching OHV use. Three of the most popular reservoirs, Boca, Stampede and Prosser have turned into OHV playgrounds, and water quality and invertebrate life is being severely impacted.
“Sportsmen need to make sure their voice is well represented during the final step of this process” said David Lass, Field Coordinator and Youth Education Director for California TU. “The Tahoe National Forest has some of the best opportunities for wild trout fishing in the state. Unmanaged and inappropriate OHV use has been identified as one of the largest threats to coldwater fisheries. Route Designation is an unprecedented chance for anglers to do something really special for local trout, with the benefits lasting for decades.”
Outside of Alaska, California contains the most acreage of U.S. Forest Service land and boasts more native trout species than any other state. For sportsmen, this is a special state to call home.
“We need as many anglers and hunters to send their comments to Supervisor Quinn and urge him to protect the last, best places we have to hunt and fish,” said Lass. “This is a critical time to ensure the angling experiences within the forest are protected. If we fail, increased OHV use poses a serious threat to the outdoor sports we love.”
What you can do:
- Send your personal comments to the Tahoe National Forest (address below). Every comment counts!
- Urge Forest Supervisor Tom Quinn to protect the last, best places we have to hunt and fish
- Contact Trout Unlimited to find out more about Route Designation and impacts on local trout fisheries
- Attend a local Trout Unlimited Chapter meeting and get involved.
Comments about the DEIS should be sent to: tnf_rte_desig@fs.fed.us
Trout Unlimited is the nation’s largest and oldest coldwater conservation organization actively working to conserve, protect and restore North America's coldwater fisheries and their watersheds.