Access Issues — Archives
New Mexico
Forest Service
Carson
- NMOHVA and Town of Red River Co-Sign Travel Management Comments
Last Updated: October 2, 2011
The Town of Red River and The New Mexico Off Highway Vehicle Alliance have co-signed and submitted Travel Management comments to the Carson National Forest. These comments are the formal response to the Carson's proposed action which would eliminate motorized use on some of the roads and trails currently used in the Questa Ranger District. Under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Carson National Forest must provide a detailed scientific analysis showing the current conditions in the forest and justify closures. The comments show the Carson has failed to comply with NEPA.
-The Environmental Assessment contains no documentation of damage caused by motorized use. The Forest Service didn't even disclose the number of motorized users currently using the forest.
-The Town of Red River asserts that the economic analysis does not show the real impact to the community from reducing motorized recreation.
-The Carson provides no evidence that more restrictive seasonal closures and elimination of camping corridors are needed to protect wildlife or natural resources.
The Town Council of Red River signed a Resolution on Aug 31 2009, in response to the initial proposal from the Carson National Forest. The Resolution endorsed responsible motorized recreation use in the Carson but that that goal achieved without the elmination of any routes. The Resolution also encouraged increasing the amount of trails and roads available on the Carson to better sustain tourism based in the Town. The Carson's proposed action reduces both the mileage and the seasons available for motorized use but provides no facts, no discussion, and no rationale to justify the restrictions.
The co-signing of comments with the Town expands the partnerships that NMOHVA has encouraged with other organizations. We are a OHV organization but we recognize that we are but a small slice of the public that is negatively affected by the mismanagement of our forests. We have actively aligned ourselves and partnered with a broad swath of multiple use and access advocates including Catron County, the Town of Red River, the New Mexico Cattle Growers Association,Americans for the Preservation of the Western Environment, Coalition of Arizona/New Mexico Counties , and others. We recognize that together, we can do much more.
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