Document text
January 10. 2015 12:01AM Our view: Protect Ashland's crown At first glance, a proposal from the U.S. Forest Service to modify the maze of trails in the mountains above Ashland makes sense. Some of the changes are long overdue, as the trail system has expanded willy-nilly and the number of people using it has soared. There are undoubtedly some tweaks that could be made in the proposed alternatives, and we hope the Forest Service is open to that, but it's hard to argue with the motivation behind the plan. The collection of trails, which draws a roughly estimated 50,000 hikers and cyclists annually, has turned into a spider-web of tracks up, down and across the mountain. A number of those trails — many of them unauthorized, created by users — are too steep, too prone to erosion or too close to sensitive areas and have been proposed for closure. With the mountains serving as a crown for this environmentally attuned community, that only makes sense. The Forest Service's preferred option, called Alternative 3, would close 9.9 miles of unauthorized trails and create 7.4 miles of new trails. No doubt the closures will rile some users, but it's important to keep an eye on the bigger picture: Abuse of the mountainside will lead to more environmental degradation and, ultimately, more restrictions on use. Taking action now will preserve its use for current and future hikers and cyclists. The Forest Service plan is likely not perfect and officials should be open to adjustments. But it's an important step for protecting the mountain that rises above us. http://www.dailytidings.com/article/20150110/NEWS/150119993 © 2015 Copyright © 1995-2011 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Statement -->