Forest road plan to be outlined

Copyright © 2008
Gallup Independent
By Bill Donovan
Staff Writer

GALLUP — U.S. Forest Service officials will be at Tuesday’s meeting of the McKinley County Commission to give details of plans to reduce the number of roads open to motorized travel in the Cibola National Forest area.

The federal agency has been talking for months — and holding public meetings in McKinley and Cibola counties — about recreation and roads needed in Cibola National Forest — because of a federal law that requires all national forest areas to come up with a road and travel management plan.

The new rule is the first that addresses the advance of progress and increased travel in the national forests.
Doug Decker, public information officer for the county, said the meeting is for discussion only so the county is not being asked to pass a resolution in support.

The commission’s only position on this issue, said Decker, was made some time ago when members supported management of the park but said they did not want to see any of it reverted to wilderness area, since then that portion would not be open to the public.

Decker said the county has been told that the travel management plan will reduce open roads from the present 1,100 or so to about 650. The good thing, he added, is that the public will still be able to hike in those areas not open to motorized vehicles as well as camp and picnic.

This will not be a public hearing, he said, so people shouldn’t come to the meeting to voice their objections. “There will be public hearings set up by the Forest Service for that,” he said.

A spokeswoman for the Cibola National Forest Ranger office said Friday that public hearings in both McKinley and Cibola counties are being planned.