Colville Trails Coalition

Purpose Statement:
To build a coalition of non-motorized recreation and conservation organizations and other community stakeholders to advocate for the protection, maintenance, and expansion of non-motorized recreation opportunities on the Colville National Forest (CNF) during recreation planning and forest plan revision processes.

Need:
The CNF, which manages hundreds of miles of non-motorized trails and 650 miles of recently designated off-road vehicle routes, is seeking public participation and comments as they continue to develop a network of motorized routes for off-road vehicles and as they revise the forest plan that will direct management of the forest for many years to come. With growing pressure from some motorized recreation interests to expand off-road vehicle use throughout much of the forest, non-motorized recreation groups and conservationists need to work together with ATV and dirt bike riders to ensure that we protect adequate acreage of non-motorized recreation areas for hiking, horseback riding, biking, hunting, primitive camping, as well as for wildlife habitat, to meet the needs of future generations in our growing region.

Goals:
The coalition, represented by individual coalition members, will work together to achieve the following goals by coordinating efforts to attend public meetings, write letters to agency and elected officials, and engage members of their organizations to submit comments:

1. Protect existing non-motorized trails, trailheads, and campgrounds from being designated as motorized recreation areas.

2. Propose non-motorized trail extensions, loops, and linkages that could recreate many historic trails by converting some old forest roads back into trails.

3. Recommend new non-motorized trail construction and trailhead facility development in locations that wouldn't disrupt sensitive environmental areas.

4. Support maintenance of existing off-road recreational vehicle closures for many scenic forest roads that provide passenger vehicle access to non-motorized trails, campgrounds, and historic sites.

5. Support increased monitoring and enforcement of motorized recreation and signage improvements to avoid user group conflicts.

Colville Trails Coalition Members: Chewelah Trails Association, Conservation Northwest, Inland Empire Chapter of Backcountry Horsemen, Inland Northwest Trails Coalition, Mountain Goat Outfitters, Northeast Washington Chapter of Backcountry Horsemen, Pacific Northwest Trail Association, Sierra Club, Spokane Mountaineers, The Lands Council