USFS Ticketing on Bald Rock - help needed

[J-Ru]

What is their motivation? I do not understand.

[Cocoapuffs1000]

What is their motivation? I do not understand.

I second that. Is there another side to this? Because from my chair here this looks they are trying to piss people off.

[woodchuck008]

Yup, nothing the county or area need to do more important than to discourage tourism and land use, people who spend money in area, etc. Senseless it sounds. Is there a new administration of the forest service behind this?

[captain static]

I do not know what the basis for the ticketing is and will contact the DBNF, Cumberland Ranger District as soon as I can this week to find out. A portion of Bald Rock Road to the west of Spring Hollow does cross into the National Forest. Interestingly, Bald Rock Road is not shown on the Motor Vehicle Use Map 2013, Daniel Boone National Forest, Cumberland Ranger District - http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOC ... 276512.pdf - (See Map Index 26). Bald Rock Road, however, is clearly shown on this Lee County Road Map published by the Kentucky River Area Development District - http://www.kradd.org/Transportation/Cou ... ntyMap.pdf.

[Ascentionist]

What is their motivation? I do not understand.

As a transportation planner for Powell and Estill Counties this is something I'm trying to get to the bottom of myself. It's not clear.

[Shannon]

Since I had previous contacts with the Forest Service, and I didn't want to get a ticket, I went in and sat down with the USFS District Ranger, Dave Manner and Patrol Officer, Kim Kipp for an hour at the main USFS DBNF office in Winchester today, March 12. We looked at several maps, USFS, county, PMRP, topos and discussed in depth all concerns, from location of county roads, what is legal and illegal on county roads, tickets to drivers on county roads, supposed gates closing private land to closing of county roads, even the Narrows.

No county roads are closed to street-legal vehicles. Bald Rock Road, Fixer, Big Sinking, Little Sinking, Cave Fork are all county roads. They are all open to street-legal vehicles. County roads that pass through the National Forest are open to street-legal vehicles.

Off Highway Vehicles (OHV) that are not street legal are NOT permitted on county roads. The USFS has the authority to issue citations “for unauthorized use” by OHV (non-street-legal vehicles) operating on a county road. They also have authority to issue citations for OHV travel on the National Forest. They also have authority to issue citations for unlawful operation of street-legal vehicles on county roads, such as, driving under the influence. All vehicles traveling on county roads must be licensed, be insured and obey all state traffic regulations.

The gate put up off Little Sinking Road was NOT erected by the USFS. It was erected by the private land owner whose land is surrounded by USFS land after conferring with the USFS and receiving their permission. It was removed by unknown parties, presumably local travelers in the area, intent on entering and crossing the private landowners land and National Forest land without permission. The gate has not been replaced.

The USFS will be making the exact location and circumstances surrounding the citations in question available in the next couple of days which will posted.

The local counties are interested in promoting four wheeling, off-road recreational travel, jeep touring and other undeveloped-road vehicular travel in Lee, Powel, Wolfe and to lesser extent Estill and Menifee. The USFS interest is in protecting the National Forest from unauthorized and illegal OHV activity due to adverse environmental impacts.

Shannon

[Josephine]

Thanks Shannon!!!

[Wolf]

Thanks Shannon. So, do I understand correctly that the gate on Little Sinking was actually on a road off of Little Sinking?

[Shannon]

On a USFS map, the District Ranger, Dave Manner, pointed to a disconnected road entering National Forest land crossing private land off of Little Sinking and said that the USFS had approved a request for a gate to be placed across the road by the land owner. He said the USFS did not erect the gate and it has since been taken down by others (not the land owner). On the county map the Bill Strachan posted the link to here http://www.kradd.org/Transportation/Cou ... ntyMap.pdf the road Dave Manner pointed to is shown as a short road, seemingly going no where, ending on National Forest listed as Cave Hollow Rd. It appears that the Sheltowee trace follows Cave Hollow Raod off Little Sinking, enters the National Forest, the road ends and Sheltowee continues on heading south until it joins New Virginia Ridge Road. But there is no contiguous county road between Little Sinking Road (aka KY 1036) and New Virginia Ridge Road according to the all the maps we consulted.

I will follow up to make my understanding is correct but that is the information I was given and supported by the county road maps.

[captain static]

I spoke with Mr. Manner Tuesday morning but haven't had a chance to post on here until now. The bottom line is that the USFS is ticketing for illegal OHV use. So if you are driving between the Sore Heel and Coal Bank tracts of the PMRP on Bald Rock/Fixer Roads in a street legal vehicle there should not be a problem.