Three chances left to speak on Colville travel plans

The Colville National Forest is winding down months of public involvement in developing travel routes on roads and trails for off-road vehicles.

Hikers, bicyclists, equestrians, ORVers and other forest users will have three more chances to offer their opinion on where motorized recreation should be allowed before the Forest Service moves into the next management phase, said Debbie Wilkins, the forest’s coordinator for recreation strategy.

More than 150 people have attended meetings in Stevens, Ferry, and Pend Oreille counties to share information on their favorite trails for various uses, she said.

“The conservation community has attended almost all of the meetings,” said Derrick Knowles of the Northwest Ecosystem Alliance in Spokane. “We found there’s a ton of agreement all over the forest on designating routes, and that’s what we’ve been focusing on.

“It’s good to see conservationists, ATVers and horse people working to agreement on hundreds and hundreds of miles of routes.”

Three final meetings are scheduled at 6 p.m. as follows:

•May 3, Stratton Elementary School in Newport.

•May 4, Republic Elementary School in Republic.

•May 18, Bureau of Land Management Office, 1103 N. Fancher Rd.

Although people who have been working together to map proposed and existing routes in northeastern Washington, people who have not attended previous meetings are welcome, Wilkins said.

“The next step in the process is to present maps to forest personnel in mid-May to make recommendations to the forest on what trails and areas the public would like to see designated for all-terrain vehicle use,” she said.

“These groups have been working hard to come to a consensus on which routes would meet the needs of recreation users,” she added. “We are grateful for their insights in helping us develop a comprehensive trail and road system that will benefit all users.”