February 15, Cam Hooley, Project Leader Hermosa Creek SMA Plan P.O. Box 439 Bayfield, CO 81122

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1 February 15, 2016 Cam Hooley, Project Leader Hermosa Creek SMA Plan P.O. Box 439 Bayfield, CO Reference: Hermosa Special Management Area (SMA) Plan comment Dear Cam Hooley, This is a huge undertaking for you to be the leader in developing a management plan for the Hermosa. I know the country is complicated on the ground; planning would be the same. Good luck! This is my background that supports credible views of the Hermosa the may help with this planning. My experience in the Hermosa starts in At that time I worked to cook, wrangler and guide for a number of hunt outfits; and rode the cows/monitored for the Dutch Creek Grazing Allotment. Today I hold a USFS summer-use horse outfitter permit (includes East Hermosa), do range monitoring for the Dutch Creek Grazing Allotment and work my horses for other outfits during fall hunt. I produce beef and hay and raise horses on the Animas River near the confluence with Hermosa Creek since Big game wildlife is a ranch management challenge that caused me to attend monthly meetings for the San Juan Basin Habitat Partnership Program (HPP) that began in HPP is funded by big game hunting license sales administered by Colorado State Parks and Wildlife. I serve as a committee member today. I think a lot about big game management all over the San Juan Basin. HPP strives toward a balance so everything is happy; the forage, the animals, the people. We support projects for big game wildlife so they are tolerated on private lands during the winter months. We support projects to enhance migration routes and habitat so these animals utilize public lands spring thru fall. I and other ranchers welcome the deer and elk in the Animas Valley during the winter months when public land is their permanent address the rest of the year. The USFS, HPP and Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation have partnered to accomplish habitat improvement projects in the Lower East Hermosa to support this. You should know I feel steamrolled by the Hermosa Creek Workgroup process that began as a discussion group for river protection that later morph into land protection. The group anointed themselves to be knowledgeable and their diligence created momentum to pass legislation. I was shocked to read the workgroup's draft report and meeting minutes. The minutes showed there was no discussion for understanding big game wildlife in the Hermosa. They discussed trout. It was not fun to have to use my big mouth in the 11th hour in front of 120 people so that big game wildlife would at least be mentioned under "other" in the final report. No one in the meeting room wanted to hear me say that it will suck th'.' oxygen out of the East Hermosa for the other uses, if you increase people's recreation opportunity there. This concern was rebuked by this statement added in their final report; that their interest is to be able to recreate in the way one wishes to (on certain trails, in quiet-use situations, in motorized situations; using equipment that one! 1

2 wishes to, etc. etc.)!t's clear to me the workgroup's prioi'ities were trout habitat, recreation opportunity and a wilderness designation. How far this group's energy carries into planning; it remains to be seen. So quickly the Hermosa is going down as not so beautiful. Why are too many people not enough? The Hermosa was the best kept secret close to Durango; relatively unchanged for a very long time. Now the Hermosa is nationally rec~gnized and too many people want to visit. Dispersed camping along FS Road 576 was banned in The volunteer effort to help create the Lower Hermosa Campground will soon be a fee area. The elk may likely move to Rico while too many spoiled bears remain to eat garbage. The East and West Hermosa is one-country to me and for big game wildlife too; seen by the way they travel and inhabit the place.!twas my view the Hermosa should be designated all wilderness or none at all. What's left for me to say now is YES to answer your question 1 "Should a Wilderness Management Plan be considered at the same time as the SMA Plan?" Question 2 Are there specific problems that should be addressed in the Hermosa Creek Plan? My answer is YES; two problems. Problem 1 Too much recreational activity in East Hermosa will displace big game wildlife. The elk calve in the East Hermosa, not in the steep country on the west side. The Hermosa was generally used seasonally June November way back when before Then the sport of mountain bicycling began. They call their use historic but it's not. I first saw Dan Feller ride a mountain bike on the Hermosa Trail in He was a local farmer's son who built bikes. Enclosed is a study that supports my concern for too much recreation activity occurring in critical big game habitat titled "Behavioral Responses of North American Elk to Recreational Activity." The Durango area has exploded with bicycle riders; they ride the streets and in the back country. Bicycle makers can't develop bikes fast enough to feed the appetite of people who constantly need a new bike challenge; skinny tire, fat tire, snow bikes, downhill bikes, whatever. The back country should not be the place to appease malcontent people. Photos 1-3 were taken July 16, 2011 on the Big Lick Trail (a!so confusingly known as the Elbert Creek Trail). This blockage is evidence there are people don't care about others. In this case its bicycle people. In a short time we have gone from no bicycle use in Big Elk Canyon and the Little Elk Trail to considerable use and too early in the spring. Elk calve here in June. Photo 4 was taken June 16, 2013 on the Little Elk Trail just below the Little Elk Cabin. I was only there to monitor the water resources to assist the cattlemen in making critical decisions for grazing in a dry year; otherwise cattle grazing rarely impact this area before mid-july. It is my understanding the Little Elk Trail is not a USFS system trail; cattlemen and hunting outfitters maintain the trail. At this time the trail is not well-suited for bicycle use; the photo shows they can't stay on the trail. More importantly, people need to stay out of these areas so elk can peacefully give birth. :n 2015 Trails 2000 posted on its website a Trail Conditions report for everyone to know that in February the Hermosa Creek trail was in fair condition but open (a girl posted a picture of herself off her bicycle in mud and snow). Trails 2000 is the driver to cause recreational use to occur year round in the East Hermosa. If they would simply stop advertising it would at least slow the momentum for this exploding use. I sent a letter to Trails 2000 in December, 2015 to suggest this. 2

3 A lot of money has been spent on projects to help keep big game wildlife on public lands in the Hermosa. I recommend a seasonal closure to keep people out of the Lower East Hermosa area from December 1-May 15 each year in support for big game wildlife habitat and elk calving. Problem 2 In 2011 the USFS used heavy equipment to cut ditches on the road at the Goulding Creek Trail head that eliminated truck & trailer turn around and parking there. A new sign was installed to let more people know about the trailhead. Today there are more parked cars for hikers. I have to risk damaging my truck & trailer to have access to go to work with horses. A bigger drain was made across the road. It is an extreme dip that will smash the tailgate of a pick-up truck puliing a trailer. I talked to the District Ranger. I was called a whining special interest. Later he told me he talked to the cattlemen and they don't have a problem. I talked to the cattlemen. There was no discussion with them. Why lie? I talked to Pete Merkel at a RAC meeting in He said he would check it out and get back to me. Nice guy but no answer. I have offered to do a site visit with someone. I have offered to a file of photos to show the concern. What more can I do. I have an outfitter permit and I work for the cattlemen in the East Hermosa. Goulding Creek is one of three access points for the east Hermosa to get work done. The trail head has been compromised and nobody cares. Question 3 Are there changes to motorized, mechanized or non-motorized travel management that you would like to see? Include summer and winter. Changes you ask? If the East Hermosa was mine to manage, I would only allow motorized trail use on these trails; the entire length of the Hermosa Creek Trail, and the Jones Creek Trail to the Pinkerton Flagstaff trail then down and out the Mitchell Lakes area. This is now only a dream. This is a request likely impossible to implement; limit the number of motorized riders that travel in a group. I've encountered 3 groups in recent years, two on the Hermosa Trail (14 riders and 15 riders), and one in Jones (7 riders). The bigger the group, the greater the noise, dust and exhaust plume. This does not compliment the wilderness area very well. Winter Use I reiterate that I think it is prudent to maintain a seasonal closure for wildlife December 1-May 15 in the Lower East Hermosa that includes these trails; Hermosa Creek Trail, Elbert Creek Trail, Big Lick Trail, Little Elk Trail, Dutch Creek Trail, Pinkerton-Flagstaff Trail, Goulding Creek Trail and Jones Creek Trail. Over snow use at Purgatory, Hermosa Park, Relay Creek Road, Cascade Divide Road, areas toward Hermosa Peak, etc. seems acceptable. I don't know what the lynx think about this. Summer Use I attended the August 21, 2015 USFS field trip that took us along the entire non-motorized stretch of the Dutch Creek Trail. I was surprised motorized users were absent. USFS Don Kelly spoke for them to say motorized users prefer loop experiences. Here is my list of arguments against motorizing this upper section of the Dutch Creek Trail. 1. Over the years I have read most all the travel management documents produced by the San Juan National Forest. I kick myself for not knowing the travel management document that sounded very reasonable to say efforts will be made to choose motorized trails that use canyon bottoms so the noise 3

4 is contained; and not allow motorized travel in areas where they can go off trail in open parks. I think this is reasonable criteria for everyone to accept. The non-motorized portion of the Dutch Creek Trail runs on top the main ridge between Dutch Creek and the Animas River. This stretch of trail goes through the biggest open parks in the Lower East Hermosa in Dutch Creek. 2. Don Kelly stated that motorized users prefer loop experiences. If the non-motorized stretch of the Dutch Creek Trail is motorized, it connects these people to the start of the non-motorized Little Elk Trail at the Strawberry Patch. What will keep these people who prefer loop experiences from not riding a loop using the non-motorized Little Elk Traii? Photo 5 taken on August 1, 2014 just below the Little Elk Cabin, shows that motorcycle riders are already illegally using the non-motorized Little Elk Trail. Why make a decision that will enable the rule breakers more? This illegai use increases the risk that vandalism is likely to occur to the Little Elk Cabin. 3. If the non-motorized Dutch Creek Trail is motorized, the end of Eibert Creek Road (Strawberry Patch) trail head will become the most attractive site for motorized users to camp. Currently this trail head fills weli beyond capacity at times during the hunting seasons. Elbert Creek Road becomes most narrow between Elbert Creek and the Strawberry Patch in Line Canyon. Did you know that a truck and trailer with horses rolled off Elbert Creek Road on a steep open hillside in Line Canyon last summer? The Strawberry Patch is a rudimentary trail head with dispersed camping. If you don't want to drive on mud and grass in wet conditions, there is barely room to turn a truck and trailer around. The USFS recreation budget is shrinking. More services will be cut. Sites are being decommissioned. Why would you want to open a can of worms at the Strawberry Patch? 4. This is an observation that supports a winter trail closure. The Lower Hermosa Trail head is at 6563' elevation. If you go up the motorized Jones Creek Trail, I have marked a GPS waypoint where I first met snow on the trail at 8,626' on June 25, If you continue up the Jones Creek Trail to the Pinkerton Flagstaff Trail and then to the head of Jones Creek, the elevation is 9,850. Photo 6 is the Pinkerton Flagstaff Trail at this elevation where it breaks over the divide between Jones Creek and Stony Gulch. We term the area the Deep Freeze because snow piles up early in the fail and melts out late spring. Unlike other recreation users, motorized users can travel much greater distances in a day outing. Photo 6 is dated June 23, This is evidence that motorized travel that begins in dry conditions at the Lower Hermosa Trailhead will be traveling in snow/mud conditions an hour later. It doesn't get better as they trave! further up the Pinkerton-Flagstaff Trail that generally runs above 10,000'. The Strawberry Patch Trail head is 10,400' elevation. A May 15 trail opening date at the Lower Hermosa Trail head may be ok for motorized use on the Hermosa Creek Trail. The date is not late enough for the other trails when motorized users can reach these higher elevations in an hour. 5. An USFS staff person who works in this non-motorized area of the Dutch Creek Trail spoke off the record to me to say it should be motorized because they are already using it (illegally). Photo 7 dated July 16, 2010 shows very well there is a long history of illegal use on the non-motorized Dutch Creek Trail.!f this stretch becomes motorized, it's a guarantee the end of Elbert Creek Road and Upper Dutch Creek will become a zoo. If it remains non-motorized, rule-abiding folks wili at least turn away keeping use at the reasonable level we have today. Is it the culture at the USFS that if a group does something illegally long enough, they eventually get their way? I heard that the USFS is obligated to replace motorized trails when these users lose trails to the wilderness designation in the West Hermosa. Why? I would like to understand more about this obligation. How do notorious rule breakers maintain their buddy system or receive increased 4

5 opportunity from the USFS? The San Juan National Forest Columbine District trails program has a long history of receiving GOCO motorized recreation grant funding for trail work. Let's not forget that other funding has been provided to support big game habitat in the East Hermosa. A significant elk calving area in Scaffold Timber is an open park away from the non-motorized Dutch Creek Trail. Do you think motorizing this trail will benefit elk? 6. Everyone can agree that American society is increasingly more violent, aggressive, behave unpredictably; whatever you want to describe it. More and more I see people traveling around in their vehicles in the back country very late at night. Why? Drunk? Drugged? In the back country it's commonplace to go to bed and rise with the sun. Today it's concerning to be stuck in a sleeping bag in the back country when there are others going about late at night. As an outfitter responsible for people's safety, I've kept a watchful eye on these changes. Photos 8 & 9 were taken on the Cascade Creek Trail on July 6, These attitudes concern me. These people vandalize, break rules and are disrespectful. How does the USFS accept this behavior and then feel obligated to maintain or increase this user group's opportunities for motorized trails in the back country? 7. Photo 10 was taken July 18, 2013 to show the trail work recently done in a meadow on a motorized stretch of the Pinkerton-Flagstaff Trail near Stag Draw where the Dutch Creek Trail connects. This is the ugliest repair work to a motorized trail I have ever seen. It took a lot of effort (money} to bring this material into this open park. If we have to deface the back country to maintain a motorized trail, then there should not be motorized trails. This is ridiculous. 8. Photos 11 & 12 were taken October 26, This is a motorized section of the Dutch Creek Trail going up from Bondurant Canyon. It shows how bicycles and ORVs wear on the trail. They are scratching/eroding the uphill side of the trail; my guess is to avoid rocks and the water bars. There is evidence out there that shows this undermines the end of the water bar and widens trails. There are plenty of examples on the Jones Creek Trail too; my point being trails for these users are expe'1sive to maintain. 9. last but not least, I set a summer camp in Upper Dutch Creek for non-motorized visitors. If the nonmotorized section of the Dutch Creek Trail becomes motorized, this camp is greatly diminished. It is depressing to have to explain to visitors/clients why the San Juan National Forest has become riddled with motorized use on trails. People are appalled. Question 4 How should we address the small slivers of SMA land on the west and southwest sides of the wilderness? Please, please leave well enough alone. This is rough, steep country that no man has gone and should not go. Trails 2000 people have their eye on building a trail there. It is past time this group is told NO for once. Too much is not enough for some. 5

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