scott just informed me of this and ask me to post it here for all the az members.

This looks to be the last free-wheeling Memorial Day weekend for off-roaders in the Tonto National Forest. By this time next year, the Tonto and four other national forests in Arizona likely will restrict all-terrain vehicles to fewer than half the areas where they are currently permitted. This is a huge area including...sycamore creek area, saguaro lake area, four peaks and barlet lake area :flipoff:

please read more here
http://www.aztrib.com/index.php?sty=5074


U.S. Forest Service officials will host an open house about proposed off-roading restrictions 4 to 8 p.m. June 2 at the Embassy Suites Hotel, 1515 N. 44th St., Phoenix.

also scott and I are planning on attending the open house next tuesday and I encourage anyone that enjoys our desert to please attend. If your going to be there let me know so we can look for you.

dude, i'm not even there and that totally sucks arse... good luck fighting that.

dude, i'm not even there and that totally sucks arse... good luck fighting that.

thanks, as with everwhere else that gets restricted its due to mostly the bone heads than dont respect the desert. I hope we have a good showing of wheelers to support keeping it open

damn that bits.. just like cali because a few jerks go out and screw up the trails for the rest of us.. i was looking forward to going out to cave and the other places down in phx. if i have the money to get down there we will if not PLEASE make sure yoiu put in a strong word for all of us who cant make it to the meeting

if i could get there, i would. just like i wish we could have been at that bronco rollover lawsuit. we are going to be safety regulated and restricted to our own backyards pretty soon. thats why i want woods and hills when i buy land. i will start my own park if i have to. there is a lake here with an ATV spot for 3 &4 wheelers, but no real vehicles. can you guys give me a link to the places you go in cali that are state parks where they have them concrete steps i saw Bzilla playing on? i want to try to get a place of 2 started here. thanks and i hope you get a good turnout at the meeting, AXE

THis sucks. They ought to be more worried about another US forest service emplyee lighting the whole goddamn forest ablaze like they did last year. Find me and give me ticket. I have been driving in un-authorized areas in AZ since 86. I have been kicked out of our campsites by forest rangers and told to leave other areas since i was 16. They really can be pricks out here, real big pricks. Well, it looks like some fence company will be making out, and same with a larger budget for the AZ forest service to cover more area. Fuggin corrupted tree-police. I get soo pissed off at them. They should be raking undergrowth up there in the mountains, and HELP direct ATVers where to go. Not just make everywhere illegal. Communist sons of beeyotchs. Id like to give a shout out next tuesday. :flipoff: :flipoff:

here is some more info I recived in an email, unforgetnly I was unable to attend due to not being able to leave work at a resonable time, it was a nuthouse



The news article was AGAIN taken out of context........ imagine that!!! I've talked to both Tammy and Art and "what they said" was correct but it was totally "out of context". The meetings scheduled are simply and ONLY the final scoping meetings re the DEIS. There are no roads/trails on the slate to be closed other than a couple of old deadend logging trails ........... "maybe". The closures are simply several of the 5 forests are "closing CROSS COUNTRY travel".............. most of this simply relates to hunters and even they have been at the table over the past couple of years in developing a "plan".......

Sycamore is an entirely different issue from the DEIS within 5 of the 6 forests in Arizona. This has been a recreation area for years......... yes, there has been "talk" of closing this area in the past but Tonto FS is now on the track to make this a designated OHV area with hopes that what I've been telling them for 3 years will work!! (give some of the responsibility back to the users and the respect will increase thusly the "illegal" roads and trails stop, the illegal dumping stops, the rave parties stop ,etc.......)

Tammy Pike is now the OHV Coordinator for Tonto National Forest and she ASSURES me she "has NOT changed her stripes"............. F/S seem to truly be listening to her so other than "keeping a keen eye out for every step taken"............... hopefully she will truly be an asset for our cause. The AZ State Land Dept. certainly didn't "listen to her"!!

The two issues needed to be addressed at the DEIS meetings are:

1: There is some wording from within an "amendment" to the DEIS stating: "Roads/trails are closed unless posted open". Jim Anderson ASSURES me this is not true and will not happen but we MUST INSURE this doesn't show up................. "designating" roads/trails does NOT mean CLOSURE unless it has a sign!!!!! Designation is a combination of a complete and accurate route inventory along with signs and maps.................

2: The DEIS states "a route inventory will be done"................... it has not been COMPLETE to date and with the OHV money in Ariz. gone I'm not sure where they'll get money to complete it but the way I read several of the parts is "if an inventory is NOT complete it leaves a very large LOOPHOLE in the EIS.....

I'm meeting with Tonto personnel early tomorrow prior to the Phoenix meeting...................... guess we'll see what happens.

Any update? That would be sweet if sycamore was a designated OHV park. Then we could give the paintball warriors the boot, same with the jackasses who fire off a billion rounds at cactuses and leave there spent shells everywhere.