The U.S. Forest Service has released its environmental assessment and proposed action for Tracy Ridge on the Allegheny National Forest — a shared use hiking and biking trail for 12.5 miles of the 34-mile trail system.
The environmental group Friends of Allegheny Wilderness sent out a news release, along with the environmental assessment and proposed action, on Friday. In the release, FAW Executive Director Kirk Johnson called the report a “lump of coal for Tracy Ridge.”
Johnson said, “The fact that the Allegheny National Forest chose such an inconvenient, low-profile time to release their Tracy Ridge Mountain Biking On Hiking Trails Project to the public speaks volumes about the legitimacy of this overtly anti-wilderness, anti-North Country Trail project.”
Along with the environmental assessment report was a cover letter penned by Bradford District Ranger Rich Hatfield. “The purpose of the Tracy Ridge shared use trail project is to address maintenance needs on the Tracy Ridge Trail system; better utilize the 34-mile trail system; stimulate new volunteer partners for the trail system; and provide additional high quality mountain bike opportunities on the forest.”
The letter indicated the person responsible for a decision on the project is Forest Supervisor Sherry A. Tune.
The proposed action will include a Forest Plan amendment, as the current Forest Plan prohibits bicycle use on the Tracy Ridge National Recreational Trail.
“Use levels of the trail system are relatively low,” reads the report with the environmental assessment. “Use data gathered this summer and fall confirm what is quite evident throughout the trail system: with the exception of the the main travel corridors — Tracy Ridge, Johnnycake Run and the North Country Trail — many of the trail segments are lightly used.”
Expanding the use to mountain biking “would allow the area to be enjoyed by another recreating user group.”
Among the concerns of the non-profit Friends of Allegheny Wilderness were that the Forest Service had determined years ago that “mountain biking at Tracy Ridge … has long since been determined by the agency itself to be untenable;” that the forest plan “should be amended to establish the entire highly-qualified 9,700-acre proposed Tracy Ridge Wilderness as a Wilderness Study Area;” and that a full environmental impact statement should have been prepared before moving forward.
Regarding the environmental impact of the proposed change, the Forest Service indicated in the assessment report that little impact is expected, as the area has been a trail for 20 years already. Seven issues were spelled out under potential environmental consequences: Possible user conflict, the ability to provide various trail/recreation opportunities, character and quality of the trail, impact on North Country Trail, potential future suitability for wilderness designation, impact on wildlife and plants, and impact on erosion and water quality.
The report indicates user conflict hasn’t been a problem on other shared use trails on the Bradford Ranger District, and the Forest Service doesn’t anticipate that to be different here.
Trail and recreation opportunities are not expected to be a problem either, the report noted, as the Allegheny National Forest offers nearly 160 miles of hiking and backpacking. Mountain biking, however, is very limited within the ANF.
The shared use is not expected to change the character and quality of the trails, the assessment indicated, but there is a potential for more volunteers to help maintain the trail, which would be a positive impact.
While public commenters raised concerns over mountain bikers trespassing on the North Country Trail if allowed on the Tracy Ridge Trail, the Forest Service said that potential would be mitigated by several factors. The trail would have signs, and the Forest Service would coordinate with local bike clubs for education. Buffers would be in place as well, also minimizing the potential for trespassing.
Regarding the question of a potential future wilderness designation, the Forest Service indicated it “has no direction that mandates the area be managed consistent with wilderness objectives.” Addressing the question directly, the report read, “It is not clear how shared use trails in the Tracy Ridge area would disqualify the area for wilderness designation.”
Opening the trail to mountain bikes wouldn’t require extensive modification, and there’s no evidence it would degrade the trails either, the assessment noted.
The impact on flora and fauna would be negligible as well, the assessment read, as the trail is already well established. Research did not indicate mountain bikes would cause concern with water quality or erosion either, the report read.
Individuals who wish to provide written comments on the environmental assessment should mail them to the “Tracy Ridge Project,” USDA Forest Service, Allegheny National Forest, Bradford Ranger District, Attention: Rich Hatfield, 29 Forest Service Drive, Bradford, PA 16701. For those submitting hand-delivered comments, Bradford Ranger District office hours are 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding the holidays. Submit oral comments via telephone at 814-363-6098, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and by fax at 814-362-2761.
Email comments must be sent to comments-eastern-allegheny-bradford@fs.fed.us, and have the project name in the subject line, your name, and mailing address in one of the following formats: e-mail message, plain text (.txt), rich text format (.rtf), Word (.doc) or any software supported by Microsoft applications. If no identifiable name is attached to an electronic message, a verification of identity will be required for objection eligibility. A scanned signature is one way to provide verification.
The environmental assessment is available on the Allegheny National Forest website.
