Feds are making rural parking regs now.....

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

I just recieved this email from the CFFU group today:

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Hi Everyone:

On 8 October a number of us sportsmen (sports persons) attended a meeting at the Placerville Library regarding the new rule being imposed by the Forest Service that vehicles may only park within one car length of the road.


For all you people that like mountain fishing on federal managed land, here is something you have to look forward too. Let me add it has already started in some areas and I'm sure that it will be in effect in all areas by next spring and summer.

Let me add it sure looks like this will make it easier for vehicle brake-ins along with being harder to find a parking spot for your favored fishing hole. For all you people with disabilities? Well that was not addressed, or maybe one should say you most likely will be out of luck!!

You may or may not know that rifle deer season opened at the end of September. And the Forest improved campgrounds are now closed for the winter at this time, so hunters have had little choice but to camp in unimproved sites. This new rule will subjects your vehicles to vandalism, noise and dust, plus would require tent camping from a car rather than use of your RV. Additionally, the Forest Service has been placing large boulders closer than the one car length (wide) in many areas where you could have safely parked off the road. Many unimproved camp sites that have been available for use up to a century now have now been closed to our use, and others will require packing in all of your equipment to the unimproved site.

You may want to consider commenting to the FS Travel management Team and let's not forget ALL your Congressional Representatives on this issue if you are planning a spring or summer fishing trip into Federal managed land.

Who knows, but I'm fairly sure from what was said at the meeting that by then it will affect a fair amount of all federal FS land through the state. Just look at the pack-in trip we may have to the water line at Lake Davis just to name one place. (As some people say so goes California so goes the nation)

Happy fishing!!!!

Jim Ford

[Ed Wahl]

The Route Management Plan in the El Dorado Natl. Forest isn't a new thing. It's been an ongoing process for years now. There have been meetings, open houses, conference calls with public participation, focus groups,etc. during the whole time. Anyone using the Eldorado National Forest during that time would have had to have known about it. Myself and many other anglers have had our suggestions and comments recorded by the forest service for consideration since day one.

I've got to give the plan a thumbs up so far. When the USFS first closed all the unofficial roads, trails, and campgrounds there was an immediate decrease in the amount of garbage littering these areas. Some clean up work my us fishermen made it even better. It also stopped a lot of the damage being caused by the off road crowd, four-bys, atv's, and motorcycles.

I haven't noticed any significant increase in vehicle break-ins where I go but I'm sure if anyone wanted to find out they could get that info from either the county sheriff's or the forest service.

Ed Wahl

[RobK.]

That sound bad to me bill !!

Too many darn regs as it is .

Nothing wrong with being able to do a little ruff camping and doing so for free .
All the places i camped in California where on un-improved dirt roads and camp grounds . Like the area we took some young men in our church fly fishing to , on the Rubicon river . They closed the road down to the river where we camped . It was a short dead in road , that went down to the river , There was no reason for closing it but they did .


I have been spending at least 2 nights a week ( weather permitting ) camping along the Logan river all this summer and fall . They have some pay camp grounds , but most of Logan canyon area you can camp for free . I'll drive up into the Logan canyon spend the night with my Lab ( Cody's temp replacement ) then come back in the morning . I will give the people here credit , there is almost no trash anywhere , the Logan Canyon is spotless . All the roads here in Cache Valley area (almost) trash free . I think its a shame everything is getting closed down there .