USFS CAET
Attention: Roads
PO Box 221090
Salt Lake City, UT
84122

April 28, 2000

Dear Sirs:

	I am writing this letter to comment on the proposed rules for the 
National Forest System Road Management and Transportation System. It 
appears to me that motorized recreation interests are not adequately 
addressed in the proposed rules.

	If Level 1 and 2 roads are decommissioned as no longer needed, that 
would mean the elimination of over 287,000 miles of roads. If these roads 
are decommissioned along with another approximately 60,000 miles of 
nonsystem roads, then the total of decommissioned roads would amount to 
347,000 miles, or 77% of the roads in existence in our forests. This loss 
of roads would result in increased use of the remaining roads resulting in 
a much higher impact in those areas. The ultimate result of the massive 
road closures would be resource damage which would probably result in even 
more closures.

	The roads which are identified as unneeded could easily be removed 
from the roads inventory and added to the trails inventory. This would 
result in several benefits for the public that uses the forests and the 
managers of the forests. There would be a greater variety of recreation 
opportunities resulting in a lower impact to areas, thereby resulting in 
less maintenance necessary by our forest managers.

	Creating more roadless areas in effect creates "defacto wilderness 
areas". The forests are already 38% wilderness, and it has been shown that 
only about 2% of the users of our forests use the wilderness areas.

    
	Recently the USFS reached a settlement agreement with the United Four 
Wheel Drive Associations in the UFWDA vs. Glickman lawsuit. The agreement 
has not been fully implemented in the proposed rule and it must be done. 
In order for the public to adequately comment on the proposed rule I am 
requesting that the comment period be extended at least 120 days. The 
settlement in the above mentioned lawsuit and the lack of availability of 
the Environmental Assessment and  Roads Analysis have made it very 
difficult for the public to comment in a timely fashion.

Sincerely,


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