Kapka Butte SnoPark Update 4-16-2012

[RickBND]

4.12.2012
Kapka Butte Update;
This is the link to the Federal Resister which gives the most current information
regarding Kapka and the new situation that is developing. We are in contact and
are providing information to David K. Kennedy, Environmental Program Manager,
Federal Highway Administration, regarding information pertaining to the proposed
Kapka Butte sno‐park project.
https://www.federalregister.gov/arti...snopark‐
construction#p‐3 (Reference only)

The Federal Highway Administration is issuing this notice to advise the public
that the FHWA is officially designated as the Joint‐Lead Agency pursuant to 23
U.S.C. 139(c)(1) for the Kapka Butte Sno‐Park Construction project which is being
studied in an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) under the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

According to the Federal Highway Administration there are no further funds
available at this time for the Kapka Butte Sno‐Park project. Now this doesn't
mean that the Forest Service will not come up with another source of funding. The
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is also apparently not aware that the
proposed project has doubled in size due to the addition of a “Dog Park” on the
west side of the highway. Our personal estimates of total project costs looks to
be around 2 million dollars. Now with all due respect to all parties we are
hoping to bring all the information we have collected on Kapka since 2004 and
make it available to the FHWA. It already seems that some of the critical
information my have been overlooked. FHWA was not aware that we collected close
to 1000 signatures against the project. The Forest Service (as of the last TUG
meeting in March 2012) has decided that they will only count the 1000 as (just a
few) because they all came in from the same source. The majority of signatures
that were collected came from users at Dutchman and Wanoga sno‐parks.

At this point we have decided not to try to get the Forest Service to listen. We
will focus or attentions to David Kennedy and the FHWA in hopes they have a more
realistic concept of listening to the public.

Our country is going broke at a very fast rate and we all must agree that this
project will do nothing to resolve our local issues. We conclude that moving
forward with Kapka would only be a waste of tax payer dollars. It will still
leave the same problems at the top of the mountain at Dutchman sno‐park and
Tumalo Mountain.

Just to restate the facts, Oregon State Snowmobile Association, agreed to give up
Dutchman sno‐park after Kapka sno‐park was built. We are not positive what their
stance is now and in fact it really doesn’t matter. An agreement letter was
written by the Executive Director of OSSA and that is what the back‐country
skiers are sticking to. The skiers are not going to give up without a fight. This
is just a stepping stone for the closure of Dutchman sno‐park and Tumalo Mountain
in its entirety to motorized use. We have been fighting these issues for many
years and we believe that the only way we can save Dutchman from the chopping
block is the stop the entire project and reevaluate the proposal and start over
from scratch.
For more information on the proposed closure.
http://www.bendbackcountry.blogspot.com/p/tumalo.html (reference only)

The FS keeps changing the rules and plans as they move forward. Sadly we are not
moving in a direction that works to resolve any real issues. As a matter of fact
there are fewer issues with the “real” local users than with the extremists who
make all the racket. We have way too many user groups and not enough public land
that is open for all.

We want to thank everyone who has stuck with us on this issue. Please feel free
to contact David Kennedy. kapkasnopark@dot.gov He stated to us he would like to
hear people’s opinions on this issue prior to the new DEIS coming out in June of
this year (2012). Please remember he is the new guy so try to be kind so we can
break him in slowly.

Our main goal is to STOP any further action on the Kapka Butte Sno‐Park project
until we can clear all the old issues and start with a clean slate. We must
develop a project that will work for the “real” users of this area.

We can't stop the large extremist groups from putting pressure on our local
officials. They always come at the Forest Service with hundreds of comments from
people who live elsewhere and are only in favor of closing all the forest. It is
time for the FS & FHWA to listen to the local users that are actually using the
affected area.

Here are two web sites you may want to check out for background information.

http://www.wfl.fhwa.dot.gov/projects/or/kapka/ This rambles on about the same old
“want and need” that was created by the FS. (Reference only)

http://data.ecosystem‐management.org...?project=11086
This is the FS newest site. (Reference only)

Make it clear we do not want Kapka Butte Sno‐Park.

Thank You again

Dutchman@4Bend.com / http://www.expanddutchman.com/
ExpandDutchman@bendbroadband.com
Dutchman Task Force / Expand Dutchman

[dlynn]

Thanks for the post. Just another war zone we are all fighting to save our PUBLIC lands from those who think it belongs to the few. Even in this battle they (the Forest Service) have tried to play it out in hopes the people would get tired and go away. That didn't work. Then it becomes class warfare between the groups and that didn't work and now it's "add a dog park" to the sno=park so we can bring in another group to out weigh the BAD SNOWMOBILERS. Does REVOLUTION begin to come to mind!