Let IDL know we want trails for everyone

North Idaho has some wonderful recreation opportunities available to all types of recreationists, motorized and non-motorized. We are all lucky enough to have agencies like the Idaho Department of Lands willing to work with recreationists to provide access to their lands. In Brad Smith’s letter (April 30, Daily Bee), he mentions that the motorized recreationists should spend their money elsewhere, other than in Hayes Gulch, building a parking lot and installing a toilet.

First off, let me give you a little history about the Hayes Gulch area. Mountain bikers, hikers, ATVS and motorcycles used to access the Hayes Gulch state section from the gravel pit up the old logging road on the south side of the section across Stimson land for more than 35 years. Recently, the Stimson land was sold and recreation access was lost, leaving a need recreationists wanted filed.

As a fellow recreationist, we should be praising the OHV community for their gracious support of a trail system that is soon to be signed, maintained and sustainable. The installation of a new parking lot and toilet is soon to follow, recreationists will be parking on a sustainable surface and will not have to find a tree when nature calls. Please join with me and let IDL know how appreciative we are of allowing continued recreation use on working endowment lands.

As an OHV enthusiast, I am happy that IDL has utilized OHV funds to provide trail-based recreation opportunities for all recreationists, both motorized and non-motorized. When IDL decides they need to log the area, I am in support of rebuilding any trails that need to be repaired.

Not only do non-motorized recreationists have trails exclusively available to them, they also have the use of the OHV trails available to them. In Smith’s letter, he mentions that there is another trail head available down the road. That access is an additional three miles down the road and is for non-motorized use only.

Recreation access to Hayes Gulch is valuable to all forms of recreationists, from hunters to OHV enthusiasts. Unfortunately when I talked to IDL, they were not able to find a viable route to retain ATV use on this section of land that did not require access through private land, so that use was lost.

Prior to the new parking lot you saw developed, all recreationists parked across the street from the new parking lot and accessed the trails from there. The new parking lot and toilet will support the use.

What Smith doesn’t mention is that the Trail 3 trail head is only available for non-motorized use. What he doesn’t point out is that he wants to use OHV recreation monies for trail repair, but he does not want them to use the trails they maintain or put funding into … how convenient.

There have been four trail mix meetings that changes to the Hayes Gulch (Gold Hill area) has been mentioned for changes. I do not remember you coming to any of those meetings and expressing your concern. I am sure when the state applied for a toilet, they announced in the paper that they were pursuing a grant for a toilet.

On the work day, IDL had to work on trails, mountain bikers, motorcyclists and a couple of hikers all worked side by side improving the sustainability of the trails.

PAT GUNTER

Sagle