Forest Plan Focus Forest Plan Focus Forest Plan Focus

Dear Friends,

I’d like to take this opportunity to update everyone 

on where we are in the planning process and where 

we are going.

With the August 1999 release of the draft Forest 

Plan documents, we had an extremely busy fall! We 

had a series of open houses and many meetings and 

presentations with interested individuals and 

organizations. In addition, we extended the comment 

period the comment period now ends May 9, 2000.

In the draft, we recommended Alternative D as our 

preferred alternative. This alternative was developed 

to ensure the wealth of natural resource values are 

sustained as well as to provide for the established 

recreation and tourism benefits for which the White 

River is so well known. This alternative recognizes 

that as our population increases and mountain 

communities continue to expand, pressure on 

National Forest lands will continue to intensify. 

Some constraints on recreation uses may be 

necessary to maintain the health of the land and 

ensure future enjoyment of the Forest.

This recommendation is a long way from a decision. 

We will spend the next three months continuing to 

solicit comments and meeting with agencies and 

organizations to discuss issues that need to be 

addressed prior to developing the final planning 

documents.

The planning process is working we are receiving a 

lot of comments. I encourage everyone to review the 

alternatives and provide written comments on all 

alternatives and topics of interest to you. Your 

comments will help us prepare the Revised Land and 

Resource Management Plan and Final 

Environmental Impact Statement.

Please feel free to contact us if you need further 

information or if you have questions.

Thanks for your time, involvement and concern for 

the future of the White River National Forest.

MARTHA J. KETELLE

Forest Supervisor

Comment Period Extended to May 9!

Based on public and Congressional requests, the Forest has 

extended the comment period on the Proposed Revised 

Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan) and 

the accompanying Draft Environmental Impact Statement 

(DEIS) to May 9, 2000. We recognize how important the 

long-term management of the White River National Forest 

is to many of you, and we feel that the comment period 

extension will give everyone more time to adequately 

prepare their comments.

The most valuable comments are those that contain 

specific information focusing on Forest Plan issues and 

decisions. Comments that identify specific items within a 

certain alternative will help the Forest Planning Team 

write the final documents.

So far we have received well over 2,000 comment letters 

from individuals, organizations, businesses, government 

agencies and elected officials! All the comments we 

receive will be reviewed as part of the content analysis 

process. This task identifies all comments and groups 

those that are similar together. The responses to these 

comments will be in an appendix to the Final 

Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS).

See Comments, page 2

Once a national monument, the Mount of the Holy Cross is now 

part of the Holy Cross Ranger District of the White River National 

Forest.

White River National Forest

Issue 4 February 2000
Forest Contacts

If you have questions regarding the revision process or 

would like to schedule a meeting/presentation with the 

Planning Team, the following people may be contacted 

at the Supervisor’s Office by calling (970) 945-2521:

Dan Hormaechea, Planning Director

Carolyn Upton, Forest Planner

Sue Froeschle, Public Affairs Officer

If you would like to be added to our mailing list or 

need to change your address, please contact Bridget 

Eisfeldt at (970) 945-2521.

Comments, from page 1

If you still need to review the planning 

documents before preparing your comments, 

you may do so at the following locations: any 

White River National Forest office, Forest 

Service offices throughout Colorado and 

local (Forest-wide) libraries. The documents 

may also be viewed on our website 

(www.fs.fed.us/r2/whiteriver/planning.html) 

from your home or library. Full, hardcopy 

sets of the documents are extremely 

limited we are asking organization leaders to 

please share their copies with their members. 

CD-ROMs and the hardcopy Summary of the 

DEIS are still available by calling (970) 945-

2521.

Once you have completed your comments, 

please mail them to: 

Planning Team

White River National Forest

PO Box 948

Glenwood Springs, CO 81602-0948

Comments may also be e-mailed to 

fpc/r2_whiteriver@fs.fed.us or faxed to (970) 

945-3266. Please include your mailing 

address on your comments.

Forest Plan Focus Page 2

800 People Attend Open Houses

In September and October of 1999, 

the White River National Forest 

hosted a series of open houses to 

share information about the draft 

planning documents. Local staff and 

Forest Plan team members from 

Glenwood Springs were on hand to 

answer questions and discuss issues. 

Almost 800 people attended the open 

houses held in Aspen, Avon, 

Carbondale, Denver, Dillon, Eagle, 

Glenwood Springs, Grand Junction, 

Rifle and Meeker.

These informal meetings provided everyone with an opportunity to visit with Forest personnel and talk about 

the Forest Plan and how to best become involved in the process.

Many groups, clubs and organizations have requested Forest Plan presentations in addition to the open houses. 

At least 30 of these presentations were given in the fall and early winter of 1999.

If you are interested in a meeting with the Planning Team, please contact one of the people listed in the box 

below. These presentations are an excellent opportunity to understand more about land management planning 

and to focus your comments on specific details of the White River Forest Plan.
1984 to 1998 Ongoing implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the Forest Plan, as well as 

over 60 Forest Plan amendments.

1997 In the spring, 10 open houses were held in communities adjacent to the Forest to identify areas 

of the current Forest Plan that needed to be updated.

1984 Current Forest Plan approved as required by the National Forest Management Act (NFMA).

1997 In the fall, 10 open houses were held in communities adjacent to the Forest. These ‘‘scoping’’ 

meetings resulted in over 500 comments on what should be included in the Forest Plan revision.

1998 Scoping comments were analyzed and incorporated into a Proposed Revised Forest Plan and 

accompanying DEIS.

1999 The DEIS, with a recommended preferred alternative, and the Proposed Revised Forest Plan 

were released for public review in August. Again, 10 open houses were held to provide information 

to the public and encourage public comment.

2001 The estimated completion of the final documents is mid-2001.

2000 The comment period on the draft documents ends May 9, 2000.

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the 

basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, 

and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who 

require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audio tape, etc.) 

should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202)720-2600 (voice and TDD).

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten 

Building, 14th and Independence Avenue SW, Washington DC 20250-9410 or call (202)720-5964 (voice or 

TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity employer.

Receipt of this newsletter is an indication that you are on our mailing list. If you do not wish to receive 

future mailings, please let us know. Government mailing lists are subject to the Freedom of Information Act 

(FOIA) and may be released to the public under certain conditions. If you do not want your name released, 

you should not be on this mailing list.

Page 3 Forest Plan Focus

The Road to Revision

Numerous stories in Colorado newspapers have focused on the Proposed Revised 

White River National Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan). As a 

result, many people have only recently joined the process. For their benefit and 

others, we thought it would be helpful to review where we have been on this journey 

to revise the Forest Plan.

As the revision process moves along, we will continue to meet with interested groups and individuals to help 

them write detailed and useful comments. After all comments have been analyzed, we will begin rewriting the 

planning documents. We expect to have the final documents completed in 2001. A Record of Decision will then 

be published that documents how your comments were used to make the final decision. Future Forest Plan 

Focus newsletters will keep you informed of the process.
A popular destination on the Forest, Snowmass Lake is in 

the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness.

Forest Plan Focus Page 4

But the Old Plan isn’t Broken...

The current Forest Plan for the White River National Forest was approved in 1984. We will continue to 

implement the current Forest Plan until the Revised Forest Plan is approved sometime in 2001. There are many 

parts of the current Forest Plan that are not broken, and we will be carrying concepts and guidance from the 

current Forest Plan into our Revised Forest Plan.

In many cases, however, the current Forest Plan does not address the situation in which we find ourselves today. 

The current Forest Plan was prepared in the early 1980s based on issues, scientific data and technology of that 

time. We will add to the foundation of the issues and methods found in the current Forest Plan; and, we will 

identify new issues and address them with the best information we have. Since the release of the current Forest 

Plan, new concepts such as biological diversity and ecosystem health have become an integral part of national 

forest management. Other issues not in the current Forest Plan that will be addressed in the Revised Forest Plan 

include mountain biking, ATVs, roadless areas and the Canada lynx. We are also facing new issues with our 

local communities as they grow and urbanize. The increasing pressure from recreation and tourism and other 

uses of the Forest will continue and we need a plan that can address these concerns.

There has also been much concern expressed over recreation limits. The White River National Forest is very 

special to many people. The Forest will continue to supply a large amount of recreation in both the number of 

people enjoying the Forest and in the variety of ways that the Forest is used. The Forest Service has a long 

history of determining sustainable resource-use levels; for 

example, grazing permittees are limited in how many 

cows can graze in an area, and the logging industry is 

offered a limited amount of timber each year. We are just 

beginning to understand that similar concepts of 

sustainable use may apply to some forms of recreation, in 

some areas, during certain times of the year. This would 

be applied with the idea of protecting resources so that the 

Forest can provide continuous recreation use for multiple 

generations. This work is in the early stages and will be 

best developed through partnerships and cooperative 

efforts with local people and jurisdictions.

There has also been a great deal of discussion about a shift 

in emphasis in our Revised Forest Plan away from 

multiple use. This is not our intent. All alternatives 

presented in the Proposed Revised Forest Plan, including 

the alternative that represents our current forest plan 

(Alternative B), are based on the multiple-use philosophy. 

We will continue to produce all of the goods and services 

that we have in the past, but to varying degrees in each 

alternative. After all, that’s what alternatives are mixes of 

outputs and outcomes, based on different emphases. These 

emphases, or themes, include such things as wildlife 

habitat management, recreation, resource production and 

environmental protection.

The current Forest Plan really isn’t broken, it is simply 

missing some pieces and issues that have come along in 

the past decade. We are updating the plan, modernizing it, 

if you will. We have to come up with a plan that will not 

only address today’s issues, but help us address 

tomorrow’s concerns. We hope you will help us in our 

effort to build such a plan.
Page 5 Forest Plan Focus

Travel Management A Separate Decision

As you read more about the Forest Plan, you will find that it is really two plans in one the Land and Resource 

Management Plan and the Travel Management Plan. The Land and Resource Management Plan divides the 

Forest into management areas from pristine wilderness to scenic byways to big-game winter range to ski-based 

resorts. It also provides guidance to Forest specialists through standards and guidelines, goals and objectives on how projects will be done. The Regional Forester in Denver will make the decision on how this final plan 

will look.

The second decision, the Travel Management Plan, will be made by Forest Supervisor Martha Ketelle. This plan 

tiers to the Forest Plan and defines what type of recreational travel will be allowed in a given management area. 

The Travel Management Plan will make decisions on allowable types and seasons of use for all roads and trails.

The most common modes of summer recreational travel are via foot, horseback, bicycle, motorcycle, ATV and 

four-wheel drive vehicle. We are introducing mechanized use in the Travel Management Plan; this primarily 

applies to mountain biking, but could also include emerging forms of transportation like off-road in-line skating. 

Foot and horse use is allowed on all areas of the Forest these uses are not restricted except where there are sitespecific closures for wildlife or other purposes. The most common modes of winter recreational travel are via 

snowshoes, skis and snowmobile. The Revised Forest Plan will identify summer and winter recreational travel 

uses that are appropriate for each management area.

The DEIS for the Proposed Revised Forest Plan contains a lot of travel information that has been difficult for 

many people to understand. The chart below contains information to clarify what is in the DEIS. The current 

situation is most closely represented by Alternative B; the preferred alternative that was identified in the DEIS 

is Alternative D.

Travel Management Alternative

B

Alternative

C

Alternative

D

Alternative

E

Alternative

F

Alternative

I

Summer

Roads open to full-size motor vehicles (miles) 1,777 1,556 1,467 1,861 1,934 1,384

Roads and trails open to motorcycles and ATVs 

(miles)

1,963 1,770 1,602 2,163 2,402 1,493

Roads and trails open to mechanized vehicles 

(miles)

3,818 3,083 2,698 3,451 3,197 2,627

Lands open to unrestricted (off-road) motorized 

use (acres)

141,000 81,000 0 164,000 205,000 0

Lands open to unrestricted mechanized use 

(acres)

1,245,000 166,000 0 623,000 301,000 9,000

Winter

Lands open to unrestricted motorized use 

(acres)

1,092,000 626,000 478,000 842,000 1,065,000 148,000

Designated routes (miles) 34 275 289 149 53 516

Lands managed for non-motorized use (acres), 

including Wilderness, non-motorized areas and 

areas with motorized designated routes

1,182,000 1,637,000 1,796,000 1,432,000 1,205,000 2,114,000

Contact your local White River National Forest office with questions about specific roads and trails that you are 

concerned about. Comments on the Travel Management Plan are due May 9, 2000.
Forest Plan Focus

White River National Forest

900 Grand Avenue

PO Box 948

Glenwood Springs, CO 81602-0948

Inside This Issue

Comment Period Extended

Travel Management

Roadless Initiative Address Correction Requested

Forest Plan Focus Page 6

What about the recent roadless issue?

On October 19, 1999, President Clinton asked the Forest Service to develop a strategy for managing all roadless 

areas in the National Forest System. According to Forest Service Chief Mike Dombeck, ‘‘The values of national 

forest roadless lands are immeasurable.’’ The White River National Forest hosted a public meeting on 

December 6, 1999, to discuss this potential national roadless initiative. At the time of this meeting, the roadless 

initiative was in the ‘‘scoping’’ stage the draft of the proposal had not yet been written and the public was 

being asked what types of things should be included in the draft. The draft of the national roadless initiative is 

expected in the spring of 2000. 

Although the Proposed Revised Forest Plan does have a 

section on roadless areas, the effect of a potential national 

roadless initiative on this plan is not yet known. The 

examination of roadless areas in the Proposed Revised 

Forest Plan was done for one specific purpose to identify 

potential additions to the National Wilderness Preservation 

System. The initiative would not be limited to those 

roadless areas identified in the Proposed Revised Forest 

Plan (those with wilderness characteristics); it could apply 

to more areas of the White River National Forest. Roadless 

maps for the Forest containing all areas potentially 

impacted by a national roadless initiative are available for 

review at all District Offices and at the Supervisor’s Office.

When the draft roadless initiative is made available to the public, sometime in the spring of 2000, the Forest will 

host public meetings. The purpose of these meetings will be to explain the roadless initiative and discuss 

potential impacts on the Revised Forest Plan for the White River. There will be an opportunity for the public to 

review roadless maps at that time.