Shoshone National Forest released its proposed travel management plan late last month prompting opinions by those preferring wheels and those preferring hooves/feet.

The 30-day public comment period on the proposed plan opened May 27.

There are 36 total miles of motorized roads and trails added in the proposal, said Kristie Salzmann, Shoshone National Forest public affairs officer. That’s 13 miles in the north district or Cody area, including 6.4 miles of new constructed motorized trail and 6 miles of non-groomed snowmobile trail.

“I feel like the Forest Service has done a pretty good job of trying to accommodate several different groups on this travel management plan,” said Bill Lyke, Shoshone Backcountry Horsemen president.

The Backcountry Horsemen voluntarily clear 100 miles of trails per year in the Shoshone Forest, said Bruce Fauskee, Backcountry Horsemen member.

Most of OHV (off-highway vehicle) riders’ requests were granted in the proposal, Lyke said. However, a motorized loop trail in the Aspen Creek area in the Wood River drainage was not included in the proposal.

Northwest Wyoming OHV Alliance Inc. is pleased with some of the additions Shoshone Forest has proposed, but concerned about limited access for non-licensed drivers, said Dana Sander, Alliance Board of Directors chairman.

The alliance will suggest additional options to legalize non-licensed riders to travel more Shoshone trails, Sander said.

Five spurs off Forest Service roads will allow access to dispersed campsites by OHVs, Salzmann said.

A dispersed campsite is a non-developed campsite.

The proposal to allow roads to dispersed campsites doesn’t allow unlicensed riders to access those sites, Sander said.

“Camping is a family thing,” Sander said. 

Motorized recreation is the fastest growing recreation in the United States, Sander said. More than 45 percent of the households in Wyoming and surrounding states enjoy it.

Shoshone Forest began designating motorized routes in the mid-1980s.

The only alternative to traditional vehicles then were motorcycles, Sander said. Since the 1980s, OHV use has grown rapidly.

The Alliance wants the Shoshone Forest to OK more trails where the unlicensed can legally ride, Sander said. They don’t want to wait another 25 years.

“Now is the time they need to address it,” Sander said.

Find information and maps at tinyurl.com/ShoshoneTravelPlan.

Wheeled worries

Backcountry Horsemen are concerned about Little Sunlight Creek Campground. The campground has facilities for horses, but is overwhelmed by OHVs, Lyke said. The Backcountry Horsemen asked Shoshone Forest personnel to build a campground a few miles upstream of the Little Sunlight camp.

“That’s something we’ll look at outside the travel plan process,” Salzmann said.

Illegal roads to dispersed campsites have been made legal in the proposal, Lyke said. Making illegal roads legal appears logical, but it also rewards prohibited behavior, Lyke said.

Lyke asked if additional illegal actions will lead to more privileges.

Northwest Wyoming Off-Highway Vehicle Alliance Inc. is trying to do the right thing, Lyke said.

But those are not the ones that concern him, Lyke said. More than 99 percent of motorsports riders will not travel off road or off trail. His unease stems from the small percentage who will not respect the land. He also wonders how personnel can enforce compliance when budget cuts are the norm.

Shoshone’s south zone in the Dubois and Lander area are overrun with OHVs, Lyke said. If the north zone gives a little now, how much more will be claimed by the next travel management plan, he asked.

The Backcountry Horsemen want to limit motorized access to the national forest. “The Shoshone is one of the last holdouts for quiet recreation,” Fauskee said.

Comments accepted

First Shoshone will accept public comments and consider alternatives to the proposal, Salzmann said. Then it will develop environmental analysis in spring 2017, which the public will be able to comment on. A draft record of decision will be released in spring 2018.

Email comments to travel_management_comments@fs.fed.us. Written comments can be delivered to the districts’ supervisor offices. Mail written comments to Rob Robertson, Washakie District Office, 333 E. Main St., Lander, WY 82520.