SUBJECT: COMMENTS ON THE UPPER TELLICO OHV AREA

To whom it may concern,

I have used the Tellico OHV for many years now. It is one of my favorite ares to go trail riding on. I have spent many dollars in the Tellico/Murphy area. This includes gas, parts, tools, food, lodging, and entertainment dollars for the local economies. If the OHV is closed I will have no reason to return to this area. My dollars will be spent elsewhere. The fine folks in the surrounding areas that will be affected by a closure will have only you to blame for this.

Closure is NOT management. The forest supervisor's statement that his personal choice to effectively end access in the Tellico OHV is unjust and unprofessional. The OHV discussion should be one of MANAGEMENT not CLOSURE. The listed reasons for closure are trite and unsubstantial. Little to no proof exists that OHV usage is the prime contributor to unsubstantiated claims of soil erosion in the water. Other activities in the area are far more likely causes of this problem such as logging and construction. These activities cause a great deal more destruction to the surrounding environments and I find it hard to believe that anyone can dispute that.

In closing, a possible closing of OHV access in the Tellico area would be a travesty that is both unjust and unconscionable. Gross mismanagement of funds and resources by the USFS (ie ridiculous bridge on trail 5), continued hindrance of volunteer efforts in the area by the USFS (such as SFWDA and supporting groups efforts to reduce trail erosion), and now unprofessional conduct by Forest Service leaders in this comment period indicate that the USFS has lost touch with its user base and does not fully understand how to MANAGE this area at all. Perhaps the USFS prefers CLOSURE because it CANNOT MANAGE the area it is responsible for.