Forest Service implements new plan for Gunnison Basin travel

Rehab roadwork begins this spring

Outdoor recreationists can expect to see roadwork around Cement Creek, Brush Creek, Double Top, and the northern part of Taylor Park this summer. The Forest Service is set to begin implementing the Gunnison Basin travel management plan, beginning at the north end of the Gunnison Valley.

“Gunnison County is first on the list, and one big reason is to do work that benefits sage grouse habitat. That’s why we’re going to Flat Top,” Gunnison District forest ranger John Murphy said.
In preparation for the plan’s implementation, the Forest Service divided 1.3 million acres of National Forest into 26 different zones, planning to work through an average of four or five zones per year to complete the plan over six years. This year, the Forest Service received $125,000 from the forest budget for the on-the-ground work.
“As we put together the long-term plan, we estimated that it would take about $200,000 per year over a six-year period, but it’s really uncertain we’re going to receive that amount of money. If we don’t get what we ask for it could cause us to go beyond that six years,” Murphy said.
The travel plan, released in July 2010, came out of a 2005 directive to all National Forests to evaluate motorized use of National Forest lands. The resulting Gunnison Basin travel plan identified the routes and types of motor use people are allowed to use, and clarified seasonal closures for issues like Gunnison sage grouse protection.
According to Murphy, rehab work will focus on administrative roads, old roads that are not regularly maintained and user-created routes. Forest Service crews will evaluate them for issues like water quality, re-vegetation and signing. Yet even with the emphasis on improvement and public involvement in the environmental analysis of the plan, Murphy said the public is often surprised once actual work begins.
“When we get in there and do the work, it will include emphasis on siding, resource issues scheduled for closure, blocking roads physically using boulders or throwing down slash, removing old drainage,” Murphy said. “Sometimes when the public sees planning on the ground, they become outraged.”
Enforcement of travel plans can also be a challenge. This year, the Forest Service received two grants through the state Off-Highway Vehicle program for enforcement: a short-term law enforcement officer to help enforce the travel plan in the Taylor area for six weeks this summer, and a reserve law enforcement officer to be in place by 2012.
In the meantime, on the ground, work will likely begin in May or June, depending on the weather. The public can contact the Forest Service office for the most up-to-date information on current
work.