The Forest Service values public participation. Communications from the public regarding this project, including commenters' names and contact information, will become part of the public record. Comments, including anonymous comments, will be accepted at any time. However, comments posted after the close of a designated comment period may not be able to be given full consideration. Anonymous comments and comments submitted after the close of the final designated comment period will not provide the commenter standing for administrative review. Comments, or in some cases other expressions of interest, along with respondent's contact information, submitted during the comment period may be necessary to establish a respondent's eligibility to participate in an administrative review for this proposed action. Interested members of the public should review the proposal's information to determine the applicable administrative review process and the eligibility requirements for that process.
Scoping Period
The Inyo National Forest is initiating the environmental analysis process for the proposed Over-Snow Vehicle Use Designation Process. The proposed action designates areas and trails on the Inyo National Forest for public over-snow vehicle (OSV) use, consistent with the Travel Management Rule, Subpart C. About 305,000 of the 2 million-acre Inyo National Forest would be designated for OSV use. About 1,400 miles of non-groomed OSV trails would be designated (over NFS roads and motorized trails), for transportation purposes. The proposed action also includes grooming up to 107 miles of OSV trails, and a requirement of a minimum snow depth of 12 inches of supportable snow for cross-country OSV travel. There would be no minimum snow depth for on-road OSV use, but adequate snowfall is defined as the amount of snow needed to prevent damage to the road surface. The proposed action also includes management actions to minimize effects to natural resources, as well as conflicts between different recreation uses.
For an online interactive map where you can zoom in to specific locations, and turn layers on and off, go to:
https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/5af526cb263b44ac81d1c9851422c8cb/
PDF maps and other supporting documents can be found in Pinyon Public on the project website.
The Inyo National Forest has been soliciting and discussing many stakeholders' concerns, issues, and desires for over-snow vehicle use across the Forest over the past few years. We considered this input when developing the proposed action. In general, we have heard that current OSV management has few natural or cultural resource impacts, and our work over the past few decades to minimize impacts to those resources and other recreational uses has been generally successful. There are some local exceptions to this. Therefore, our proposed action is similar to current OSV management on the Forest, with some modifications.
We plan to complete an Environmental Assessment, to determine whether there are significant effects that would require us to prepare and Environmental Impact Statement. This project is subject to comment pursuant to 36 CFR 218, Subparts A and B. Only those who submit timely project-specific written comments during a public comment period, including this scoping period, are eligible to file an objection. Individuals or representatives of an entity submitting comments must sign the comments or verify identity upon request.
The proposed action is currently available for a 45-day public scoping period. With this scoping notice we would like to invite your comments regarding issues, opportunities, concerns, and suggestions for the proposed project. Input from the public and analysis of effects will help us determine on which resources to focus our analysis and whether there are reasonable alternatives to the proposed action. Please submit your comments on the project website by clicking on the “Comment/Object on Project” link on the right side of the page. We estimate that the next comment period, which will be a review of the Environmental Assessment, will occur in Fall 2024. We expect the decision to be made in early 2025.
Please contact Erin Noesser at erin.noesser@usda.gov, or (760) 920-3048 if you need more specific information about how to provide comments on the project.
Erin Noesser
