Over the past year or so the Forest Service has been enlisting our help and input for the Uwharrie trail system through a series of meetings and focus groups that some of us attended. We recently received the following letter from them as something of a next phase in the process. There are instructions in the letter for how to submit official comments. There is also a link to the information that they obtained through all the meetings - once you click the link look for "Trail Strategy Documents, Presentations and Maps" towards the middle of the page. It all sort of hard to decipher and weed through but I wanted to share the letter in it's entirety just to make sure I didn't leave anything out. Basically in a nutshell you can go on the website and look at the maps and information etc that were gleaned from the focus groups and then follow the steps outlined below to make comments if you want. Feel free to ask questions if any of this is confusing. I will try to answer as best I understand it all myself. 


Dear Uwharrie National Forest Interested Party:

Over the past eighteen months the Uwharrie National Forest has been involved in a process of engaging trail users in an effort to evaluate trail systems and assess user satisfaction. A Trail Strategy process was developed to identify the optimal trail system that is sustainable, meets user needs, and reduces user conflict. While motorized trails were already required to be on designated routes, the 2012 Uwharrie National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan requires a designated trail system for equestrian and mountain bike trails as well.

Our first meetings involved interested users of mountain bike, equestrian, hiking, and motorized trails. We introduced the concepts of the trail strategy and sustainable trail design. After the initial meetings, we identified working groups for each user-type to evaluate trail condition and user satisfaction using the Forest Service trail assessment program.

From this information the working groups and Forest staff developed trail system preferences for each use-type. Each working group suggested ideas for which trails should remain on the trail system, which trail segments needed reroutes, and which trails should be decommissioned. The working groups also identified the need for new trails, connector trails, and new or improved trailhead facilities. These suggested trail system changes have been compiled on maps for each area of the Uwharrie National Forest; some are conceptual trail routes, while others are site-specific changes to facilities, trail locations, or use designations.

All trail strategy maps and documentation have been available on the Forest website for public review since December 2015. An email was sent to participants notifying them where to find this information and how they could comment on proposals. The information is located at the following link: 

(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)

This letter is to outline "next steps" in the trail strategy process and initiate scoping on the programmatic assessment. Please review the maps and documentation, and provide comments on the proposed designated trail system. This is a fluid process and although the trail strategy effort provides a picture of user and agency preferences, we understand that members of the public who were not able to participate in the process may have additional comments. If there are critical needs, connector trails, or issues we missed, please provide those in your comments.

As part of this programmatic assessment, the Uwharrie National Forest will prioritize projects and locations for trail facilities, trail construction, relocation, and/or decommissioning for the final trail system. Although this process will designate trail uses on the existing trail system, future environmental assessments for each group of projects will be ongoing with an implementation schedule tied to prioritization and available funding.

Ultimately, our goal is to provide a trail system for each user group that minimizes user conflict, and creates a diverse trail experience that is both high quality and sustainable from an environmental and financial perspective. It will take many years to implement these proposals for the entire trail system on the Uwharrie National Forest. Please continue your involvement, and together help us reach our goals for an improved trail experience.

How to Comment

Specific written comments as defined by should be within the scope of the proposed action, have a direct relationship to the proposed action, and must include supporting reasons for the responsible official to consider. It is the responsibility of all individuals and organizations to ensure that their comments are received in a timely manner. To establish standing for objection eligibility, the designated opportunity for scoping comments to be received is September 2 to October 31, 2016.

Comments received in response to this solicitation, including names and addresses of those who comment, will be considered part of the public record and will be available for public inspection. Comments submitted anonymously will be accepted and considered; however, anonymous comments will not provide the agency with the ability to provide the respondent with subsequent environmental documents. A 30 day Notice and Comment period will be provided at a future date. Only those who respond to this request for comments will remain on the mailing list for this project.

Specific written comments must be submitted by October 31, 2016 to the following:

Deborah Walker, Uwharrie District Ranger

Uwharrie National Forest

789 NC Hwy 24/27 East Troy, NC 27371, fax # (910) 576-4171, office # (910) 576-6391

The office business hours for those submitting hand-delivered comments are: 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. Electronic comments must be submitted in a format such as an email message, plain text (.txt), rich text format (.rtf), or Word (.doc, .docx) to

[email protected].

An objection period, if required, will follow the regulation found in *218.7. For objection eligibility (sS21 8.5), only those who have submitted timely, specific written comments during any designated opportunity for public comment may file an objection. Issues to be raised in objections must be based on previously submitted specific written comments regarding the proposed project and attributed to the objector, unless the issue is based on new information that arose after a designated opportunity to comment (P 1 8.8(c)).

Please state "Uwharrie National Forest Trail Strategy Project" in the subject line when providing electronic comments, or on the envelope when replying by mail.

Additional information on Uwharrie National Forest Trail Strategy Project is also available on the webpage: (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)

If you would like more information or have questions relating to this proposal, please contact:

Theresa Savery, District Recreation Staff

Uwharrie National Forest

789 NC Highway 24/27 East Troy, NC 27371 [email protected]

Sincerely,

DEBORAH L. WALKER

District Ranger, Uwhan-ie Ranger District

I can only get the first one to work. Can't figure out the second one.

Can someone in the know about this process give a summary of what trails (if any) are proposed to change designation to allow mountain bikes in the wood run area based on the focus group input?  Any new mtb trails, routes or connectors proposed?  What should we focus our comments on that the mtb focus representatives have already been pushing for?  That would be helpful to know.

I'm wading through the maps and documents so if I run across answers to my own questions I'll post up.

That's it Will.  Hit it right on the nose.

I just spent 30 minutes tryig to find the materials on the USNF links and came up with nothing! Very unfriendly site (and prolly a blind user).

Thanks Tom, much appreciated.