[RC] Appeal of Horse Restrictions to Designated Trails in Southern NF - Jim Holland
On April 29th, 2004 the Back Country Horsemen
of East Tennessee and Back Country Horsemen of America filed an appeal of the
Forest Service Plans for the CherokeeNational Forest in Tennessee
and the Chattahoochee and OconeeNational Forests in Georgia. The Georgia appeal
contended that “Given the overbroad restriction on horse and pack stock
activity pursuant to FW-127, the lack of sufficient environmental analysis
related to the alternative containing that restriction and the other reasons
set forth herein, the Regional Forester’s decision was arbitrary,
capricious and not in accordance with applicable law”.
FW-127 in the Chattahoochee/Oconee LMP
restricted horses to designated trails and trailheads and numbered FS
roads. In addition, the land manager for the Chattahoochee/Oconee NF
imposed the additional restriction of no NEW trails…..fixing the
available trails to 262 miles in 865,000 acres. Only one of those trails
is over 10 miles. The Brasstown Ranger District (where I live) has NO
designated horse trails in the entire district. There are also no designated trails
in the 9,476 acre Rich Mountain Wilderness nearby.
On July 25, 2006 the Chief Forester issued a
Record or Decision (ROD) on the appeals for the Cherokee, Chattahoochee, and OconeeNational
Forests. The decision (for the Chattahoochee and Oconee) stated that:
“The Regional Forester is
directed to either demonstrate that the analysis exists to support implementing
Standard FW-127, or to conduct additional site specific analysis,
including public involvement, regarding the need for and impacts of the
decision to restrict horse and pack stock to designated routes. Until
such analysis is provided or completed, Standard FW-127 may not be implemented,
and is subject to modification depending on the outcome of the analysis.
The instructions regarding
implementation of Standard FW-127 apply equally to horse and pack stock use
within designated Wilderness.”
This means that for the time being, horses in the
Chattahoochee, Oconee, and CherokeeNational forests are again
considered “foot traffic” and (for now) are not restricted to
designated trails, trailheads, and Forest Service Roads for riding and
camping.
We are extremely grateful to the Back Country
Horsemen of America, Mike McClelland, President of Back Country Horsemen of
East Tennessee (packhorse@xxxxxxxxxxx
) and Kenny Higgins, Vice-president of Southern Appalachian Back Country
Horsemen (khiggins@xxxxxxxxx) who put
together the team that filed the appeal. FW-127 not only impacted our
right to ride the National Forests of Georgia, but could have had a severe
impact on land values and the equine industry as a whole. For future reference,
be aware that the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the Governor’s
office SUPPORTED the FS decision to implement FW-127. If you live in Georgia, keep that in mind when you talk to your
Georgia
elected officials and vote in the upcoming elections. The horse industry in Georgia
contributes over $750 million dollars to our economy each year..
This should be a wake-up call for all
equestrians. It is hoped that the equestrians who ride our Southern
National Forests will use good judgment when recreating there, practice “Leave
No Trace” principles, and be considerate of other users. It is important
that we built a strong state-wide trails organization and make every effort to
be good stewards of our public lands. Note that as stated in the ROD, the
FS could still implement this restriction if subsequent additional analysis
justifies this action. Let’s make sure it doesn’t. If you live in Georgia or Tennessee and would like to support BCH, we
would welcome your membership in one of our affiliates. You can download
a membership application from the appropriate website.
Back Country Horsemen of North
Georgia – www.bchng.org
Back Country Horsemen of Middle and South Georgia – www.bchsg.org
Southern Appalachian Back Country Horsemen –
www.sabch.org
Back Country Horsemen of East
Tennessee – www.bchet.org
Jim, Sun of Dimanche+, and Mahada Magic
Richard T. "Jim" Holland
Secretary – Back Country Horsemen of North
Georgia
Webmaster – Southern Appalachian Back Country Horsemen
