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Lead slinger
Posts: 449 Officer
BICY Secondary Trail Closure
Lead slinger
Posts: 449 Officer
Here's heads up before you go out this weekend when it reopens to general public on the 1st.
Links in the press release are not active! I included two for your reading pleasure though.
http://www.nps.gov/bicy/parknews/orv-trails-open-following-2014-60-day-closure.htm
http://www.nps.gov/bicy/planyourvisit/designated-trail-implementation.htm
Off-road vehicle (ORV) use for swamp buggies, street legal 4x4s, ATVs, and UTVs will resume within Big Cypress National Preserve on Friday, August 1, 2014. This will mark the end of the annual 60-day recreational ORV closure.
When the 60-day closure is lifted only the designated primary trails in the backcountry will be open to recreational ORV use and access. All secondary trails will remain closed on an interim basis for an additional 60 days. This closure will be made pursuant to Executive Orders 11644 and 11989, 36 CFR 1.5(a), and the Final Recreational Off-Road Vehicle Management Plan Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement in order to facilitate the National Park Service efforts to resolve a lawsuit brought against the agency related to the process in which the secondary trails were selected and analyzed for inclusion into the designated trail network.
The secondary trails are being analyzed in an environmental review currently being undertaken by the NPS. This current review effort will more clearly identify suitable trails that may be included within the designated trail network. Information on this review process can be found by clicking here.
This closure does not affect landowner's permitted trails that provide access to their private property for themselves, their guests, or their lessees.
During this closure action, a network of primary designated trails will remain open. This network of trails will include:
Bear Island Unit: 21 miles of primary ORV trails open to street legal 4x4s, swamp buggies, ATVs, and UTVs.
Turner River Unit: 126 miles of primary ORV trails open to swamp buggies, ATVs, and UTVs.
Corn Dance Unit: 65 miles of primary ORV trails open to swamp buggies, ATVs, and UTVs.
Stairsteps Unit
Zone-2: six miles of primary ORV trails open to swamp buggies, ATVs, and UTVs.
Zone-3: three miles of primary ORV trails open to swamp buggies, ATVs, and UTVs.
Zone-4: 57 miles of primary ORV trails open to airboats.
The most recent information on trails within each unit of the Preserve can be found by clicking here.
Links in the press release are not active! I included two for your reading pleasure though.
http://www.nps.gov/bicy/parknews/orv-trails-open-following-2014-60-day-closure.htm
http://www.nps.gov/bicy/planyourvisit/designated-trail-implementation.htm
Off-road vehicle (ORV) use for swamp buggies, street legal 4x4s, ATVs, and UTVs will resume within Big Cypress National Preserve on Friday, August 1, 2014. This will mark the end of the annual 60-day recreational ORV closure.
When the 60-day closure is lifted only the designated primary trails in the backcountry will be open to recreational ORV use and access. All secondary trails will remain closed on an interim basis for an additional 60 days. This closure will be made pursuant to Executive Orders 11644 and 11989, 36 CFR 1.5(a), and the Final Recreational Off-Road Vehicle Management Plan Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement in order to facilitate the National Park Service efforts to resolve a lawsuit brought against the agency related to the process in which the secondary trails were selected and analyzed for inclusion into the designated trail network.
The secondary trails are being analyzed in an environmental review currently being undertaken by the NPS. This current review effort will more clearly identify suitable trails that may be included within the designated trail network. Information on this review process can be found by clicking here.
This closure does not affect landowner's permitted trails that provide access to their private property for themselves, their guests, or their lessees.
During this closure action, a network of primary designated trails will remain open. This network of trails will include:
Bear Island Unit: 21 miles of primary ORV trails open to street legal 4x4s, swamp buggies, ATVs, and UTVs.
Turner River Unit: 126 miles of primary ORV trails open to swamp buggies, ATVs, and UTVs.
Corn Dance Unit: 65 miles of primary ORV trails open to swamp buggies, ATVs, and UTVs.
Stairsteps Unit
Zone-2: six miles of primary ORV trails open to swamp buggies, ATVs, and UTVs.
Zone-3: three miles of primary ORV trails open to swamp buggies, ATVs, and UTVs.
Zone-4: 57 miles of primary ORV trails open to airboats.
The most recent information on trails within each unit of the Preserve can be found by clicking here.
Replies
Will they continue to pass the buck?
Will they continue to sell us out , the Fl huner?
People better get on board and recognize this as a wake up call.
But some think deer tags are the solution!!!!!!!
The normal closure of 60 days, is an illegal closure imposed on the people a number of years ago. The stated reason is to have a cooling off period where the wildlife would not be bothered during that time. It also happens to coincide with the summer months, when most children are out of school and would have otherwise had an opportunity to spend time in the woods on a buggy with their family and friends. The secondary trails were checked, rechecked, and were permitted by the ORVAC - a committee started and directed by NPS and Pedro Ramos to ensure that they were created within the guidelines set forth by NPS. The ORVAC is comprised of hunters and non hunters, environmentalists and staff. The reason they are being changed now is because of lawsuits files by the ANTI EVERYTHING ENVIRO WHACKO MOVEMENT. It should also be noted that many of the NPS administrative personnel are members of said organizations and have insight that most others would not. The Big Cypress should be allowed dispersed use, as it was for decades (at least a century), until it can be proven that it should not be so, as opposed to closing everything and then figuring it out. This is being done now, at the onset of deer season, so as to make hunting and traditional uses more difficult for hunters, as we do not conform to the NPS mentality. I have said it before and still believe it to be true, THE NPS DOES NOT WANT NOW OR EVER, HUNTERS or CONSUMPTIVE USE, and because the enabling legislation said it should be allowed they can not just end hunting. So hunting is still legal, but if you make access and mobility difficult and continue to restrict the users, eventually they will get tired and frustrated and leave, which is their end game. Ultimately there is a term for what they are doing, it is called CULTURAL GENOCIDE.
The FWC is complicit in all of this, if they weren't they would do just as you said, stand up and take charge. They will tell you to your face that they are fighting for our cause, but actions speak louder than words. They gave away 30,000 acres and received nothing in return. We are told Addition lands will open this year, but dont hold your breath. They are so intertwined with the federal government that they can not afford to go against the grain. They have too much to lose, like their precious PANTHER PROGRAM, which hinges on cooperation from NPS, USFWS, and DOI. In other words the FEDERAL ALPHABET AGENCIES far outweigh the Florida resident taxpaying hunters, in money,power, and influence. The FWC employed biologist released his annual report of Big Cypress last year. There is very alarming data on the report suggesting that the deer heard in Big Cypress is on the brink of disaster. It has been a couple of years since they closed parts of Stair Steps to hunting because of the lack of deer, and NOTHING has been done other then just restricting hunting. The deer counts declined for 10 years straight, to the point where they counted only 16 deer, and AGAIN NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE. But yet still they spend $50 million a year on panthers, fly a plane three times a week to track panthers. THEIR PRECIOUS PANTHERS NEED A FOOD SOURCE, maybe if they worked to protect and grow that food source their panthers would do much better. FUBAR
You think this is bad, wait until the FEDS finish their Headwaters Refuge and own most if not all of undeveloped central Florida, and FWC has to start asking their permission for hunting and season dates.
Yes, they will continue to sell us out, until we are too few to matter anymore.
Panthers Pay big bucks. Grants, Tags for the Benz , Helo and Fixed wing rides, Life long Research jobs...
Hunters pay squat to the Feds.
No need for a Camp and a Buggy that has to meet Collier county building codes if'n there's no deer or Hogs anyways
Plus Buffy likes the furry Cats.
We're Toast....
NPS took easy way (sell)out and closed them all scrapping 5 years of folks hard work. Man, did a few of us waste a lot of time or What.
Someone asked if FWC would help? Ans: No since FWC is in a cooperative agreement with NPS which we asked for and beyond that FWC don't run the Big C NPS does.
Committee Members,
Hope you are all enjoying the summer and finding some time to relax - whether at the beach, swamp, or a nice air conditioned area!
Today, we will be issuing a press release announcing the end of the 60 day recreational ORV trail closure period. The part of the announcement that will get people's attention is that all secondary trails will remain closed for an additional 60 days.
As you all know we are currently in litigation that focuses on the secondary trail network. The judge in the case issued an order in May that caused us to take a much closer look at all possible scenarios available to resolve this conflict. All secondary trails will remain closed for an additional 60 days to allow us time to consider how to best resolve the disagreement that exists regarding secondary trails.
Please share this and the press release with others that may be interested so that we can make sure all interested people are aware of our current trail status.
Thank you very much and looking forward to seeing you all in October.
Pedro