USFS outlines planned C.O. wilderness quotas

(Update: Adding public announcement, comments from trail, industry officials, expected timeline)

The U.S. Forest Service on Wednesday released a proposal to enact a seasonal, limited-entry permit system at dozens of trailheads leading into the Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Washington and Three Sisters wilderness areas, starting in 2020, to limit the impacts of overuse.

The Central Cascades Wilderness Strategies Project was launched last year in an effort to reduce recreation-related impacts and preserve the wilderness character of five wilderness areas, also including Waldo Lake and Diamond Peak.

After public comments on a range of options, the Deschutes and Willamette national forests chose “Alternative 4 Modified,” proposing seasonal limited-entry permits for three of the wilderness areas, at 30 trailheads for day use and all trailheads for overnight use.

Free self-issue permits would continue to be required at the remainder of the trailheads, Deschutes Forest Supervisor John Allen and Willamette Forest Supervisor Tracey Beck said in their draft decision letter, dated Nov. 7.

The details of the proposal are outlined in a 40-page draft decision notice posted Wednesday for public review and objection by parties that already have submitted comments after the earlier, initial proposal.

You can download and view the document here: https://data.ecosystem-management.org/nepaweb/nepa_project_exp.php?project=50578 under the ‘Decision’ tab.

The plan also would set an elevation campfire ban at 5,700 feet for the three affected wilderness areas and 6,000 feet in the Diamond Peak Wilderness. Several other site-specific limits, such as camping setbacks, would continue or new ones be imposed.

The two forest supervisors said the proposed visitor use management system would be “data-driven and adaptive,” requiring long-term monitoring through a variety of methods. The planned limits could be modified if there are unexpected results “or monitoring shows a need to respond to growing use/degradation,” the letter states.

“We believe the selected alternative strikes a balance between providing access, providing a quality recreation experience, and preventing further degradation of wilderness character – it best meets the purpose and need to manage visitor use to reduce recreation-related impacts and to protect and enhance wilderness character,” the supervisors wrote.

A total of 79 trailheads on the three wilderness areas would have limited entry for overnight use during the permit season, and a total of 30 for day use during that season, which would run from the Friday before Memorial Day to Sept. 30.

They would switch to unlimited, free self-issue permits from Oct. 1-31, and free self-issue permits would be required from the Friday before Memorial Day through Oct. 31 at all trailheads that are not limited-entry.

There would be no overnight camping zones in any of the wilderness areas, and the entry limits would be trailhead-based.

An appendix to the document lists proposed group trailhead quotas for overnight use, such as 14 for Green Lake/Soda Creek on the Three Sisters Wilderness, and day-use individual permit quotes, including 80 for the same trailhead. The numbers would be 16 groups overnight at Devils Lake/Wickiup and 100 day-use individuals under the quota for that location’s trailhead.

But the quota listed for Todd Lake is much lower – three overnight groups and 12 day-use permits for individuals.

“We also heard from a lot of people that the ability to get a permit on the day of a hike or the day before a hike is very important,” the draft decision stated.

As a result, the document says, “it is our intention to provide a proportion of limited entry permits the day of (or day before) a trip. The exact proportions have not yet been determined. The details of this will be outlined in the fee proposal that will be made available to the public in the spring of 2019.”

There’s a related key footnote in the decision document: “There are a number of permit system details that will be determined through the fee proposal process and through implementation planning and coordination with the National Recreation Reservation System (NRRS) (for example, the ability to track and re-issue unutilized permits). “

A 45-day objection period begins when legal notices are published in area newspapers, but the process is open only to people or organizations that submitted written comments during the earlier 30-day comment period, the agency said.

Following resolution of any objections, the forest supervisors expect to issue a final decision in February and begin implementation in 2020, the Forest Service said in a news release Thursday announcing the move.

The agency’s announcement also included supportive comments from two local trails groups and a local tourism industry official for the new permit proposal, which is scaled back some from a more extensive option discussed earlier.

“We are delighted to see that a portion of same-day and next-day permits will be available for people who want to head to the wilderness on the spur of the moment,” said Kim McCarrel, spokeswoman for Oregon Equestrian Trails. “Many equestrian trail riders are concerned that the soaring popularity of our wilderness trails is having a detrimental effect on the wilderness experience. While not everyone agrees a permit system is the right answer, most of us believe that steps need to be taken to limit the damage.”

“While members of the Deschutes Trails Coalition, a homegrown collaboration between local trail user groups, conservation organizations and business, may differ on preferred solutions, we all understand that portions of the Cascade wildernesses like Three Sisters have seen unacceptable impacts to the land, wildlife and wilderness experience,” said Brad Chalfant, chair of the Deschutes Trails Coalition.

“The staff of the Deschutes National Forest are to be applauded for taking a methodical, open and thoughtful approach to developing solutions to ensure that the Wilderness, its resources and experience will continue to be there for our children and generations to come.”

Visit Bend’s CEO Kevney Dugan said, “We’ve all felt the pinch of increased recreational use of public lands resulting from record growth across the Pacific Northwest, and as community members raising families in Bend, we’re heartened by the Forest Service’s efforts to ensure future growth and associated wilderness use will be managed with both user experience and wilderness health in mind.

“The Forest Service’s move to help preserve our wilderness areas is aligned with shifts Visit Bend has made in recent years to support a more sustainable model for enjoying Bend’s outdoor spaces,” he added.

Depending upon the outcome of the final decision, the forests said they will complete the required processes for additional public engagement on permits and any potential fees through the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act.

The initial proposed action went out for public scoping in late May of 2017. The draft environmental assessment was released in April 2018 and considered five options, including the “no action” alternative.

Before and during the comment period, the two forests hosted four public open houses in Bend, Salem and Eugene, and attended numerous stakeholder meetings. Hundreds of public comments were received, as well as nearly 5,000 form letters, the Forest Service said.