Eureka, CA – Representatives from several Humboldt County-based OHV groups and the BlueRibbon Coalition/Sharetrails.org met with staff from the Six Rivers National Forest to review the importance of collaboration and partnerships between users and the agency.
The Six Rivers National Forest is approximately 1 million acres in size and is home to many high quality, dispersed recreational opportunities which include driving for pleasure on forest roads, OHV use on designated routes, hunting, fishing, sightseeing, mountain biking and camping.
Many regions of the forest were impacted by numerous wildfires last year that burned areas containing backcountry adventure roads, single-track motorcycle trails and ATV routes.
Merv George Jr., the Forest Supervisor for the Six Rivers National Forest, stated, “Partnerships with local stakeholders including OHV groups are a key factor in helping the agency address post-fire impacts to dispersed recreational opportunities. Having a robust trail volunteer program will help us keep important trails open for public use.
As a Humboldt County native who grew up recreating in the forest, I am committed to working with interested parties who want to help the agency provide access to high quality, dispersed recreational activities on Six Rivers,” George Jr. concluded.
Don Amador, Western Representative for the BlueRibbon Coalition, stated, “I think the forest leadership team and recreation staff should be commended for their efforts to engage the recreation community via a renewed commitment to cooperation, in the spirit of collaboration, to better care for the land, wildlife and recreation.”
I thought the field trip to the Mad River Ranger District to tour the impacts of the 2015 Route One Fire Complex also highlighted the need for a substantive volunteer program that can help maintain trails impacted by recent wildfires,” Amador concluded.
