Rich
Mountain Road is closed.
Current Status
In June 2004, the Forest Service essentially chose Alternative 3, permanently
closing and obliterating 1.3 miles of the western section of the road.
The entire road is currently under construction, with the closed sections
to be obliterated and the rest of it to be reconstructed and then re-opened
(with a winter closure). The permanently closed section is at the rock
quarry end. The entire road is temporarily closed during the construction
period.
Yes, we're more than a little bit bitter about this decision, as we feel
that the Forest Service ignored overwhelming public support for keeping
the road open. They apparently did not want to put in the work required
to repair the entire road so it would meet environmental requirements
and caved in to anti-access closure groups.
Here’s a link to the Forest Service's decision letter (approx 12
pages):
Final-RMR-DECISION-NOTICE-06102004.pdf
On Page 2 it states that the first 1.3 miles will be decommissioned
(Segment A).
The next 1.9 miles (Segment B) will be re-constructed to a Level 1
maintenance level.
The remaining 6.1 miles (segments C & D) will be re-constructed
to a Level 2 maintenance level.
The eastern 8 miles of road will have a seasonal closure.
The Forest Service announcement that the repair work has begun:
http://www.fs.fed.us/conf/press/20041203-rich-mtn-rd-repairs-pr.htm
Story and Pictures from Our April 3 Rally
Our rally to deliver comment letters to the U.S. Forest Service on April
3, 2004 was a huge success. We delivered several hundred letters. Click
here for info!
Thank you to everyone who wrote a letter!!!
Background Information
Rich Mountain Road is located in the Chattahoochee National Forest, just
north of Ellijay, Georgia. The road is about 9.3 miles long.
Rich Mountain Road is classified as a "road" by the U.S. Forest
Service and not as a "trail." It is not an ORV trail or ORV
area. It's a road! This means you must have a licensed and street legal
vehicle to drive on it (no dirt bikes, no ATVs, etc). Still, it's a fun
road to drive in a stock vehicle and it's very scenic, especially in the
winter when there are no leaves on the trees and you can see the surrounding
mountains and valleys. Plus, it's the closest place to Atlanta to go riding.
In June 2003, the Forest Service started trying to close part of the
road. Why? The road has been in existence for many decades (possibly as
much as a century) and it has not been maintained in at least 30 years.
Parts of it need maintenance. Recently, the Forest Service "discovered"
that it had clear title to the road (as opposed to it being a county road)
and they realized they needed to fix it. To identify significant issues,
they opened a process called "scoping," where they ask the public
for their comments:
Rich Mountain Scoping
Document
Lots of people wrote in comments, including many members of the 4WD clubs.
We strongly advocated keeping the road open, rebuilding it, maintaining
it properly, and strongly enforcing current laws. Obviously, we volunteered
our efforts in the whole process. We're willing and able to help in the
reconstruction and long term maintenance of the road. Our members have
the track record in many other areas to prove that we can do it.
| Rich
Mountain Road borders the Rich Mountain Wilderness Area and the
Rich Mountain Wildlife Management Area. "Wilderness"
is a federal term that means an area where motorized or mechanized
vehicles (Jeeps, trucks, ATVs, motorbikes, mountain bikes, chainsaws,
leaf blowers, helicopters below a certain altitude, etc) are forbidden.
You can hike in a Wilderness Area, but that's it, period. |
Then in September 2003, Georgia Forest Watch sued the Forest Service
for neglecting the road. Their contention was that the Forest Service
had neglected maintenance on the road in violation of several federal
statutes and that road users (primarily ATVs) were riding off the road
into the adjacent Rich Mountain Wilderness Area (see explanation on right).
Unexpectedly on January 14, 2004, the Forest Service temporarily closed
the road for the winter season and longer-term reconstruction:
Forest
Service Closure Notice
In February 2004, Georgia Forest Watch dropped their law suit. By now,
Forest Service studies and plans were well underway. Unfortunately, their
plans didn't include our desires.
On March 4, 2004, the Forest Service announced the draft Environmental
Assessment (EA) report:
Draft Environmental
Assessment Announcement
The actual Environmental Assessment report is 134 pages. You can download
it from this link:
Draft Environmental Assessment
Report
Frankly, the proposed actions are terrible. Depending on whether you
read the Announcement (which selects Alternative 4) or the actual Report
(which selects Alternative 3), 3.2 or 1.3 miles of the trail will be closed
permanently to any vehicle use. Either alternative effectively ruins the
road for our further enjoyment. It would close a significant percentage
of the road and would create a dead end road at the other end.
Plus, hidden within all the text is the fact that the road would be open
seasonally, a euphemism for a three(?) month winter closure every year.
Since the road is deep in the woods, it is only during the winter when
the leaves are down that you can enjoy the beautiful mountain and valley
views in all directions.
How much influence have we, the user groups, had in this whole process
so far? Apparently little or none. Certainly, our comments submitted in
June 2003 appeared to have no influence on the current proposed or preferred
actions as stated in the Environmental Assessment.
The deadline for submitting public comments in response to the Draft
Environmental Assessment Report is April 8, 2004.
We are requesting that everyone write a letter to the Forest Service
to help keep this road completely open year round.
Discussion Points For Your Letter
The following are important points to make in your letter to help keep
Rich Mountain Road open. They are categorized by topic. Please use your
own words and give your own examples if possible. Write your letter in
a polite, respectful and professional manner! The deadline for letters
is April 8, 2004.
NOTE: If you do not understand some of these terms, download the Draft
Environmental Assessment Report and look up the term in the Table
of Contents (page 4) or the References section (Appendix F, page 128).
NOTE: Since Rich Mountain Road is a "road," ATV use (which
are unlicensed vehicles) is illegal by Georgia state law. This is an
issue for the Georgia Legislature and the Forest Service cannot change
it.
Who can write letters:
- You
- Your husband / wife / boy friend / girl friend
- Your kids
- Your parents
- We encourage anyone and everyone to write a letter. You can all write
the same letter or write your own, but everyone must put their own name,
address, and signature on their letter.
Clearly state your goals and desires:
- Request that "Alternative 2" will be chosen. (i.e., "I
am strongly in favor of Alternative 2 for the future management of Rich
Mountain Road.")
- None of the road should be decommissioned.
- None of the road should be managed as Road Maintenance Level 1.
- The entire road should remain open year round. (do not implement seasonal
closures).
Comment on the recreational uses of the road:
- The road provides a significant motorized vehicle recreational opportunity
near Atlanta.
- You want to drive your stock or near stock vehicle (Jeep, Land Rover,
Toyota, etc) on this trail as an ideal family outing (spouse, kids,
pets, etc).
- The road is used by hunters to access prime hunting areas and this
access should not be reduced.
- Give examples of your recreational use of the road.
- More emphasis should be given to the public's recreational needs when
deciding the future of Rich Mountain Road.
- The road is very scenic in the winter time as the leaves are off the
trees and you can see the mountains and valleys for miles in all directions.
- While the western 1.3 miles of the road may be the roughest part,
you enjoy the entire road as a recreational experience.
- If you belong to a 4WD club, tell the Forest Service about your recreational
trips on the road and your desire to continue to be responsible users
of public lands.
Comment on the proposal to close the western sections of the
road:
- Alternatives 3 and 4 close western sections of the road, making the
eastern sections a dead end road.
- State your opposition to closing any part of the road.
- This will force a lot of two way traffic on a road that is single-lane
for extended lengths.
- The Forest Service could create precarious situations as on-coming
vehicles attempt to pass each other.
- State other reasons why you think this situation is bad.
- The Forest Service generally tries to create loop roads or throughways.
Why create a new dead end road?
Economic impact:
- Comment whether you are likely to use the road more or less if part
of it is closed (likely you would use it less).
- There would be a negative impact to the local economy if you use the
road less:
- less gas purchases
- less restaurant use
- less shopping
- less motel use
- less whatever you do
Road reconstruction issues:
- All segments of the road can and should be reconstructed to Road Maintenance
Level 2.
- During reconstruction there may be temporary impacts to the land,
but the long term improvements to water quality justify the project.
Law enforcement activities:
- Managing the road at Road Maintenance Level 2 will allow more law
enforcement activities on the road, helping to reduce or eliminate illegal
entry into the Wilderness Area.
- You do not believe that someone else's illegal activity (motorized
entry into the Wilderness Area) should eliminate your right to motorized
recreation on public land. Law enforcement activities should be increased
to fight these problems.
- The prohibition of ATVs (when enforced) on the road should eliminate
any further illegal entry into the Wilderness Area.
Archeological sites:
- You would not disturb any archeological sites, even if you knew about
them.
- Adjacent or nearby archeological sites should be closed off rocks
or trees.
Volunteer services:
- State that you are willing to volunteer your services to help maintain
the road:
- Pick up trash
- Repair water bars
- Inspect and replace silt screens
- Build and repair entrance stations, signs, and bulletin boards.
- etc.
- Your 4WD club would be willing to enter into an Adopt-A-Road agreement.
Conclusion of your letter:
- Conclude your letter with a clear restatement of your goals and desires
(from above).
| Address your letter to:
|
Jim Wentworth
Brasstown Ranger District
P.O. Box 9
Blairsville, GA 30514 |
| Send a copy of your letter
to: |
Kathleen Atkinson
U.S. Forest Service
Forest Supervisor
1755 Cleveland Hwy
Gainesville, GA 30501 |
Form Letter
We would much prefer it if you write your own letter, but if you cannot
do so, we have written a form letter to which you can add your name, address
and signature and then send it in. You can also add text to this letter
to customize it however you want.
NOTE: You must add your name, address, and date at
the top of the letter and add your name and signature
at the bottom of the letter! You can also add your 4WD club's
name in the last paragraph. Deadline for the letter is April 8, 2004.
Rich Mountain Form Letter (Microsoft Word
format - you must customize this letter a little bit)
Hint: To download this letter, click the right mouse button above and
then select "Save Target As ..." to save it to your hard disk
Remember where you saved it and then edit the Word document (filename:
richmtn10.doc) and print it. Sign and mail it to the address at the
top of the letter.
| Address your letter to:
|
Jim Wentworth
Brasstown Ranger District
P.O. Box 9
Blairsville, GA 30514 |
| Send a copy of your letter
to: |
Kathleen Atkinson
U.S. Forest Service
Forest Supervisor
1755 Cleveland Hwy
Gainesville, GA 30501 |
Thank you !!!
|