"Evening everyone. I just wanted to answer/clarify a couple things...
1) The 2005 Travel Management Rule dictated that all Forests and Grasslands must designate routes that are open to motorized travel. This process included open houses (such as the Boulder Ranger District one) as well as continued public comment farther down the line. The end result of this designation process is the Motor Vehicle Use Map or MVUM. If a route is NOT shown on that map, and is on Forest Service lands, then it is officially closed. The rule is: "Closed unless DESIGNATED open" not "marked open". There is a huge difference there. By placing (or not placing) a route on the MVUM, the FS has officially designated whether or not it is open to motorized travel. That is all they are required to do. Signs are no longer the designation. That is why we list what ranger district the riding areas lie in, so that they can reference the relevant MVUM, found at
www.staythetrail.org/mvum Most MVUMs for the state of Colorado are out, but yes, a few (like the Gunnison and Boulder RD) are still being completed, and will be out next year.
2) Traildamage/Wells/etc... I love the resource of those books, and other websites. I do. However, it is EXTREMELY important for enthusiasts to know that the ONLY TRUE AUTHORITY is that MVUM (or BLM Travel Maps once they start being released as part of the RMP process). That's it, thats final. The majority of the "companion maps" or "trail maps" that are currently found, or are being uploaded to, stt.org are ones that were created with clubs/Ranger Districts. We will be adding additional information (we have a part-time employee who will be focused on the continued development of that database) as we can find it, get it, bribe someone to share it, trade for it, etc. This additional information includes GPS tracks, trail-level maps, photos of the trail and obstacles, contact information, etc. My basic advice to people wanting to continue using Topos, etc is to pull up the
www.staythetrail.org/mvum website once or twice a year and before any big trips into places you haven't been before, and just double check your maps. No one is saying that they are wrong, but MVUMs can change year to year... Forest Maps get reprinted every 5 to 7, books can be a few years, and topos can be awhile too. Just check them against the current MVUM.
3) TiGer Teams... These teams are a part of the Colorado Off-Highway Vehicle Coaltion (original founding partner of Stay The Trail). They have been riding trails and getting GPS tracks so that the historically used trails will make it onto travel maps and MVUMs. This effort is incredible, and should not be overlooked. However, in creating the map that we have on the STT website, we CANNOT use data that is not currently approved, and accepted, by the Forest Service and BLM. Some of the routes that COHVCO has inventoried are not included in that grouping...
4) Stuff missing... We knew it would happen, and welcome suggestions. If there is a trail within one of those systems that people would like to see on this map, then please email the area, trail name, trail number, etc to
justin@staythetrail.org As mentioned above, we have a part-time staff member who is dedicated to the continued development of this as a resource.
5) Trails closed... STT is not an authority, nor should our map(s) be seen as such. We are a resource. As mentioned, the final say comes from the USFS MVUM and the "coming-soon" BLM Travel Maps. If well-used routes (ie-Boulder Carnage) are closed, we do our best to get the information out to where we can.
6) The "no sign means i'm going to drive it" mentality is asking for trouble. The rule is changed. Period... The Responsible Recreation Foundation (STT's parent entity) has been receiving grants to help put signs on the ground to help eliminate confusion, but that is not as a replacement to knowing those MVUMs. To date, that effort has been a little over $150,000 in grants awarded to do this, with signs going to MANY ranger districts and field offices around the state. We recognize that historically it has been signs that have been the navigation tool letting us know whats open and to what vehicles, but times have changed.
In all honesty, our map/website is probably directed more towards the out-of-state enthusiast or newcomer to the OHV community who just wants to know where they can go, what they can/cannot do, and who they can contact for more info... many of the people on the forums are seasoned and know the rules, even if they may not agree with them. They also tend to know that the quickest ways to get a trail shut down is to disregard the rules and/or destroy resources. More information on grants, regulations, MVUMs, and general questions can be found at
www.staythetrail.org/faq
So... in short: Thanks to everyone for their comments. If you would like to provide additional input, please email me with whatever you've got. Especially any clubs/organizations that have produced trail-level maps that we can host as part of this database...
Thanks again for the comments.
-Justin Lilly
justin@staythetrail.org"
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