Routt Powder Riders   --   Steamboat Springs, Colorado

United States Forest Service Proposal

File Code: 1950-1
Date: July 17, 2009

Interested Parties
Post Office Box

Dear Interested Parties:

The Hahns Peak/Bears Ears (HPBE) Ranger District of the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests is seeking public input on the Columbine Access Project, a proposal to maintain groomed snowmobile access and parking on Forest Service (NFS) lands. Specifically, the proposal seeks to maintain access from Steamboat Lake State Park to National Forest System Road (NFSR) 550 north of Columbine as well as improving parking on NFS lands. The HPBE Ranger District is initiating the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis for the Columbine Access project. The analysis area includes the National Forest Land near the community of Columbine, including public easements.

Background
General public access to the forest in winter is limited to county roads that intersect with the forest boundary, or areas where private landowners have granted easements to the public. Winter recreational activities continue to increase and parking at many access points across the HPBE Ranger District is limited. Just north of Columbine an old gravel pit on NFS lands has been used as a parking lot since the pit was developed. Used in both winter and summer, the pit was not designed as a parking lot; it was created by utilizing a flat area on the side of the road. Winter parking at the pit occurred only when Routt County Road (RCR) 129 began to be plowed to Columbine as year round residency became more common at Columbine. In winter, capacity is exceeded frequently resulting in overflow onto RCR 129. Capacity is rarely reached in the summer months due to easier access to the Forest, however OHV use on FSR 550 overflows onto RCR 129.

Snowmobile trails in the north Routt area have been maintained on the forest by various groups since the 1980s. While maintained routes have changed through time to avoid conflicts, all have provided public access to the Forest. The marking and grooming of trails is currently done by the Steamboat Lake Snow Club (SLSC) under a special use permit from the US Forest Service. Coordination and partnerships among businesses, local outdoor enthusiasts, and residents of the North Routt community have always occurred for the mutual benefit of the community. With this spirit of cooperation, the SLSC was formed in 2001 to address the growing demands of winter recreation in the area for various uses.

A portion of the current permitted route is on NFSR 490 on which the Forest Service has an easement across private lands. Continued use of this segment of the currently groomed route is resulting in social and safety conflicts; and trespass. Changes need to be considered to maintain access for winter recreation. The Routt Powder Riders snowmobile club has voiced their concerns about using FSR 550 for winter travel. Was FSR 550 built to handle winter traffic? Will traveling a gravel road shorten the season? Does the county really need to take on plowing miles of new roads in the snowiest part of the county while considering across the board pay cuts? And what kind of precedent is this setting for the county to plow Forest Service roads? What if the residents near Buffalo Pass decide they want to see that parking area moved miles within the Forest boundaries? Where will it end?

Purpose and Need

The purpose of the proposal is to maintain groomed and marked snowmobile trail access and connectivity from Steamboat Lake State Park to the Routt National Forest area north of Columbine and to improve access to parking on NFS lands away from residential areas.

There is a need to eliminate groomed snowmobile access on the portion of NFSR 490 on private land. The Forest Service was granted an easement and right of way across the private property for both administrative and general public use. The HPBE Ranger District has received several requests for plowing permits from private landowners to access their properties on NFSR 490. Due to existing grooming permit, no plowing permits have been issued. This appears to be in conflict with private property rights, and the Forest Service does not want to prohibit landowner’s access to private property.

Regarding parking, the Forest Service receives several complaints annually about the gravel pit which is adjacent to private property. As more people have built homes in Columbine, it is considered a “residential area” as defined by the Routt County Master Plan. Comments cite noise, disruption, safety and sanitation as issues. There is a need to reduce conflicts with the current parking situation at Columbine on NFS lands.

This project was preliminarily developed and scoped in 2007 through 2008. HPBE staff worked with the SLSC, and other interested individuals to develop the proposed action. Due to the small scale of the project, the project fit into a category excluded from further analysis for additional NEPA documentation. It became apparent to the Forest Service that winter recreation users thought the original proposal may adversely affect their winter recreation opportunities. Some of these comments have been incorporated into the proposed action. Others provided alternatives to be considered and analyzed.

Forest Service Proposed Action - Access trail east of Columbine, west of Hahns Peak

To maintain good public access and minimize user conflicts, the HPBE Ranger District proposes to change the location of grooming currently under special use permit for the SLSC. A new parking lot will be created approximately 1.5 miles north of Columbine on NFSR 550, near its intersection with NFSR 413, and trail 1149. The new parking lot will be approximately two acres in size, designed to accommodate both winter and summer motorized parking.

The proposed groomed trail will be approximately 2.5 miles long, and will connect the proposed parking area with intersection of NFSR 410/490, southeast of Columbine. From the proposed parking area, the route south will utilize approximately one-half mile of NFSR 413.1 and the entire one mile length of NFSR 413.1A. To establish the remaining one mile of the trail, a route will be designed to stay in a forested corridor. Trees will be cut to establish a 20-25 foot corridor for the groomer to pass. Most of the trees to be cut will be dead lodgepole pine, with minor amounts of aspen and fir. A map of the proposal can be found on the Forest Service website at www.fs.fed.us/r2/mbr/projects/rec/adobepdf/WRECNorthRouttUSFSProposedAction.pdf.
Please Note: This document is 2.99MB in size.

To access NFSR 488 and the Trilby Flats area by snowmobile, a new trail connecting NFSR 410 to RCR 129 near Trilby Flats will be marked. Marking a designated route will reduce potential for trespass onto private property.

The terrain east of the proposed trail is commonly known as "Columbine Meadows" a popular area with non-motorized backcountry enthusiasts. Most snowmobilers respect this as a quiet use non-motorized area, and as a result of cooperation, conflict between uses is low compared to other areas on the HPBE Ranger District. The existing voluntary separation of uses in this area will be supported by the Forest Service through information, maps and signs.

Ground disturbance will be restricted to only those areas of steep side slopes. Overall ground disturbance including both trail and parking lot will be less than five acres. The entire route and parking will be on National Forest lands. If overnight camping or overall use warrants, a toilet will be installed. This may result in fees charged for parking. Fee camping and parking is currently available at Steamboat Lake State Park.

Alternatives to the Proposed Action

The following two alternatives will also be considered.

Routt Powder Riders (RPR) Proposal - access trail south of Columbine
At the intersection of NFSR 410/490, develop a groomed snowmobile route along the alignment of the Prospector Trail (Trail # 1156). Approximately one mile of new trail will be designed and trees cut to establish a 20-25 foot corridor for the groomer to pass. Most of the trees to be cut are dead lodgepole pine, with minor amount of aspen and fir.

Total number of trees to be cut is not determined at this time, but based on the distance, appears to be similar to the Forest Service proposal. At the intersection of Trail 1156 and RCR 129, near Trilby Flats, develop a small multi-use parking area. From the parking area north, the groomed route would follow the right-of-way along RCR 129 1.5 miles to the existing Columbine parking area. The existing parking area in the gravel pit will be expanded, and material extracted will be used to build a berm to shield the private property owners adjacent to the lot from noise. This alternative also proposes to plow NFSR 550 300 to 400 feet north to allow for parallel parking on the road. See Map of the proposal at www.fs.fed.us/r2/mbr/projects/rec/adobepdf/WRECNorthRouttRPRProposal.pdf.
Please Note: This document is 2.99MB in size.

Friends of Routt Backcountry (FORB) Proposal – access trail east of Hahns Peak

This proposal uses all existing trails. Steamboat Lake State Park Visitor’s Center will be the main trailhead (fee parking). From the Visitor’s Center use existing Qualey Trail to NFSR 410, turn south on currently maintained trail to behind Hahn’s Peak Village, then east on NFSR 409 to the Forest. The existing Columbine parking area will become parking for non-trailered vehicles. The west slopes of Hahn’s Peak and area west of Columbine on Forest Service lands will be designated quiet use, non-motorized areas. NFSR 550 from Columbine to NFSR 413 will no longer be groomed. See map of the proposal www.fs.fed.us/r2/mbr/projects/rec/adobepdf/WRECNorthRouttFORBProposal.pdf.
Please Note: This document in 2.99MB in size.

Other Alternatives presented:

Two other alternatives have been presented using alternate routes east of Columbine and west of Hahn’s Peak. Each will be considered as variations of the proposed action. They are:

Create a trail close to the forest boundary with parking near the existing Columbine parking area. Parking improvements for the gravel pit area defined in the RPR alternative will be considered.
Uses NFSR 418 to connect NFSR 410 to parking at the NFSR 550/413 junction. This route was permitted previously. The route was moved to the existing route due to a change in grooming equipment, and ease of grooming on NFSR 490.

Forest Plan Consistency

The Routt National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan, 1997 Revision (Forest Plan), identifies goals, objectives, desired conditions, and standards and guidelines to manage the Forest. Levels of detail vary by scope using the following levels from general to site specific:

o Forest-wide level Management Direction (Desired Conditions, Goals & Objectives, Standards & Guidelines)
o Geographic Area Direction (Desired Condition, Standards & Guidelines)
o Management Area Direction (Management Area Desired Conditions, Standards & Guidelines)

Management Area Direction:

Management emphasis within the analysis area and larger geographic areas is distributed among several Forest Plan management area (MA) prescriptions. Application of management area prescriptions and associated standards and guidelines will move specific portions of each geographic area towards the desired condition (Forest Plan p. 3-1). The descriptions of each management area prescription include: theme, setting, desired condition, and standards and guidelines. This information can be found in the Forest Plan Chapter 2, pp. 2-44 through 2-52.

This analysis includes two management area prescriptions:

MA 5.11 – General Forest and Rangelands – Forest Vegetation Emphasis

MA 7.1 – Residential/Urban Interface

Geographic Area Direction:

Analyses at the geographic area level provide a framework for short and long-term projects, for monitoring the effectiveness of Forest-wide goals and management area standards and guidelines, and for achieving Forest-wide goals and objectives. A geographic area (GA) is a piece of land, 100,000 acres or less, in which management is directed toward achieving a specified desired condition. Geographic areas link the Forest Plan to management at a landscape or watershed scale. Application of management area prescriptions and associated standards and guidelines would move the geographic area towards the desired condition (Forest Plan p. 3-1).

The Columbine Access Project is located in portions of both the Sand Mountain and the Little Snake Geographic Areas.

This proposal is consistent with all Forestwide, Geographic Area, and Management Area direction.

Routt County Master Plan and Upper Elk River Community Plan

Similar to the Forest Plan, Routt County has adopted a countywide master plan, and community plans to be used as guides for respecting private property owners while considering the best ways to solve problems for future growth and development of the county. These plans were developed in collaboration with other public agencies including the USDA Forest Service and Colorado State Parks. The plans list goals, policies, action items and recommendations to the other public agencies to assist the county meet its goals.

The Upper Elk Community Plan identifies several policies and action items which may be applicable to this analysis, including creating recreational user parking lots on public land that will not impact defined residential areas. Other policies refer to reducing potential user conflicts in this area.

Preliminary Issues and Concerns

The following preliminary issues and concerns have been identified by resource specialists and comments received by groups and interested publics:

• Access to private land by landowners
• Loss of access to public land
• Trespass
• Disturbance – noise in residential area
• Conflict with mixed uses, public safety
• Cost of road plowing and maintenance
• Sanitation at trailheads

Decision to be made

I will be the deciding official for this project. After the analysis process is completed, a decision will be made that includes the following:

• The selected alternative. The selected alternative could be the Proposed Action as described in this scoping letter, an alternative to the Proposed Action, or a No Action alternative;
• Rationale for the decision; and
• Mitigation measures, design criteria, and monitoring requirements necessary for project implementation.

Implementation

Plans are to complete the NEPA analysis and make a decision whether or not to implement the proposed action or another alternative during the winter of 2010. If no significant issues are identified by the public or Forest Service specialists, the Forest Service proposes to begin implementing this project in 2010-2011.

Public Participation

Scoping is an important part of the environmental analysis process for determining the scope of issues to be addressed and for identifying the significant issues related to a Proposed Action (36 CFR 1501.7). For these reasons, you are encouraged to take the time to consider the proposed action and the other range of alternatives, and to submit your site-specific comments.

The Forest Service will be hosting a PUBLIC MEETING on JULY 25, 2009, 9:30 AM, beginning at the North Routt Fire Station #2, 61915 RCR 129, Clark, CO. Following a brief discussion at the fire station, a field trip to look at proposed parking lot locations and project alternatives will occur.


The 30-day comment period will begin after the legal notice for the Columbine Access Project is published in the newspaper of record, the Steamboat Pilot. We anticipate putting the legal notice in the paper on, or around, July 26, 2009. After receiving your comments, we will identify and analyze the issues raised, finalize a Proposed Action, and if necessary, develop more alternatives to the Proposed Action.

Comments can be submitted on the Web at: comments-rocky-mountain-medicine-bow-routt-hahns-peak-bears-ears@fs.fed.us. When submitting comments on the web, the SUBJECT LINE must be “Columbine Access” to ensure proper routing. Written comments should be submitted to: Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests, Attn: Jamie Kingsbury, District Ranger, 925 Weiss Drive, Steamboat Springs, Colorado 80487. Telephone Number: (970) 870-2299. Fax Number: (970) 870-2284. When submitting your comments, please include your full name and address.

All future documents and information on the Columbine Access Project efforts will be posted at www.fs.fed.us/r2/mbr/projects/rec/ and you are encouraged to use this site for all your participation in the analysis.

Comments received in response to this solicitation, including names and addresses of those who comment, will be considered part of the public record on this proposed action and will be available for public inspection. Comments submitted anonymously will be accepted and considered; however, those who submit anonymous comments will not have standing to appeal the subsequent decision under 36 CFR Parts 215 or 217. Additionally, pursuant to 7 CFR, Subpart B, Section 1.27(d), any person may request the agency to withhold a submission from the public record by showing how the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) permits such confidentiality. Persons requesting such confidentiality should be aware that, under the FOIA, confidentiality may be granted in only very limited circumstances, such as to protect trade secrets.

The Forest Service will inform the requester of the agency’s decision regarding the request of confidentiality, and where the request is denied, the agency will return the submission and notify the requester that the comments may be resubmitted with or without name and address within 10 days.

For more information concerning the Proposed Action or process, please contact Kent Foster, project manager, at (970) 870-2142.

Thank you for caring about your National Forest!

Sincerely,
/s/ Jamie Kingsbury
JAMIE KINGSBURY
District Ranger