Senator Crapo's Collaborative Effort on Public Roads

  There are currently two undertakings which may or may not restore public rights of way regarding historic roads near Yellow Pine.

The first is a lawsuit brought by Valley County,  private citizens and affected business owners against the US Forest Service. The lawsuit claims,  among other things, that the Payette National Forest Management violated federal law by declaring roads closed in a  unilateral fashion with little or no public input.

The second half of said lawsuit says that Valley County has existing rights of way under outstanding RS-2477 historic state and county declarations.

The second panel or collaborative group is one organized by US Senator Mike Crapo,  in an apparent effort to settle disputes of affected parties outside of the courtroom.

I only recently learned of the collaborative meetings or that they are supposedly open to the public.

When the Forest Service unlawfully closed my driveway a few years ago,  Senator Crapo and Senator Jim Risch sent representatives to come up with solutions other than lawsuits to keep the half mile of road to my property under county and local control. I am looking forward to attending the next public meetings,  yet to be announced.

Associates of mine who have attended the meetings thus far have noted that they are generally positive and are expecting a good outcome for all. Albeit at an extended date in the future.

If you are familiar with Sugar Creek Road and other public roadways in the vicinity of Yellow Pine,  within the Payette National Forest,  I encourage you to contact

Senator Mike Crapo
251 East Front Street, Suite 205
Boise, ID 83702 
Phone: (208) 334-1776
Fax: (208) 334-9044

http://www.crapo.senate.gov/contact/boise_office.cfm

Below is the letter I wrote to US Senator Mike Crapo:

Senator Crapo,

I apologize for not attending collaborative meetings on behalf of Yellow Pine for the proposals which will ultimately be submitted to your office. 

Until recently, I was unaware of the Collaborative and only aware of the lawsuits filed by Valley County against the US Forest Service. 

Please accept my somewhat belated input toward how I feel the US Forest Service has had a very negative impact on the local community. 

Nine days ago,  I put together a website to alert the public the the US Forest Service and governing regulatory agencies would be closing the Sugar Creek Road into Cinnabar,  along with other local roads which undoubtedly affect the already struggling community of Yellow Pine. 

See website here: 

http://usfspayettenationalforest.blogspot.com/2016/06/usfs-set-to-destroy-sugar-creek-road-to.html?m=1

In only nine days,  more than 18,000 people have viewed the website and I've had a lot of positive feedback from the public that they believe the road should be saved for public use.

Additionally,  I am aware of Valley County and private citizens suing the Forest Service for violating NEPA and other federal laws by declaring the road closed without holding any required public comment periods. Similar to how the Forest Service unlawfully closed my driveway in 2010, by holding public comment sessions in Boise, 152 miles away from the nearest affected community as required by law. 

I have watched the town of Yellow Pine and Valley County go from a a thriving community, pumping billions of dollars into the American economy in the 1980s:

to a vacuum where massive amounts of taxpayers money goes to die, as currently is the  case.

Likewise,  I've seen the overall health of the nearby National Forest go from stellar to decrepit and dying in under three decades. 

It certainly appears that laws passed under the Clinton Administration in 1993, intended to improve the quality of the Forest, certainly have had the exact opposite of the desired affect. And that what the Forest Service would now like to see as the status quo is certainly doing nothing or very little to improve the overall quality of the Nation's Forests.

Mismanagement and good intentions are turning our Forests into hell on earth. And in short fashion. 

The Forest Service blames a few atv riders and a lack of funding for the dwindling quality of our National Forests. They also are quick to blame mining and logging,  which have been essentially nonexistent in the area  since 1996.

Every year the Forest Service seems to get more funding to fix the Forest that they didn't manage correctly with the taxpayer money they were trusted with in previous years. Similar to the EPA creating a thousand fold disaster in Colorado than they claimed to be restoring. 

I believe that the management is best that manages locally. I have a lot of faith in our county and state leaders to best manage local forests for the good of all.

In fact,  if you look at  Bayhorse State Park, managed by the State of Idaho,  I  believe it to be a perfect example of local government managing federal lands for the good of all.

Bayhorse State Park managed by Idaho Parks and Recreation can be seen halfway down here:

https://parksandrecreation.idaho.gov/parks/land-yankee-fork

Obviously,  there are private property concerns regarding Cinnabar. And there are environmental concerns similar to those of Bayhorse. 

The Forest Service and Tribes are using skewed bias data to  overstate the environmental impacts and to skew the socioeconomic impacts as I have outlined in the website above. 

The Forest Service and tribes look the other way and literally drive past millions of tons of mercury and arsenic containing sediments dumping into the river every year. Resulting from poorly managed wildfires the Forest Service let ravage 850,000 acres of private and public lands during the 2007 wildfire season and subsequent years. 

The Forest Service has gone so far as to post signs along the heavily burned South Fork Road,  claiming sedimentation from wildfires supports fish habitat and enhances aquatic species. The same Forest Service officials,  which post signs claiming millions of tons of sediment annually flowing into rivers from burned areas, now claims that Sugar Creek Road needs to be destroyed because it deposits approximately 28 tons of sediment per year into the local river system. 

The same Forest Service that claims it doesn't have  $70,000 to build a  bridge across Sugar Creek at the ford,  miraculously seems to come up with millions of dollars every year for reopening dozens of miles of closed roads abandoned in the  1950s(Cow Creek Road). Ripping out every culvert long since naturally rehabilitated. Then hundreds of thousands of more dollars trying to replace the vegetation destroyed by the Forest Service traveling down a road which hadn't been used in over 60 years.

Of course,  the sediments the Forest Service disturbed on Cow Creek are naturally radioactive,  high in arsenic,  mercury, antimony and other elements the countryside is known for. 

In summary, the Forest Service has long been known for railroading over the top of local communities. Wasting hundreds of millions of dollars that I have witnessed over the last 30 plus years. And has failed miserably at their stated mission "to care for the land and serve people ".... on both accounts. 

Thank you for your time and consideration in reviewing my comments once again.

Scott Amos, 

A concerned taxpayer tired of seeing my money wasted on frivolous projects by the Payette National Forest. 

208.297.0634

Families Lives Destroyed by Forest Service

It takes a black heart and a black soul to intentionally burn down somebody else's home. Especially when some of those homes have been in certain families for over 100 years.

The Forest Service is full of the perfect people with no hearts. Because it is apparent anyone will any sort of any conscience could no longer work there when the job description became kicking little old ladies out of their homes and then burning them while the families stood by helpless and powerless.

US Forest Service Destroyed Cabin Creek

 Why did the Forest Service waste millions of dollars destroying nearly everything at Cabin Creek? Only to waste even more money later to rebuild the airstrip and some structures they had previously destroyed?

Dewey Moore Cabin unlawfully destroyed by the US Forest Service in Big Creek, near Cabin Creek. 

*Although the top cabin shown reportedly survived US Forest Service pyromaniac tendencies, dozens others were unlawfully destroyed. Few photos exist of the cabins the Forest Service chose to destroy at Cabin Creek. Above photo is typical of the ones destroyed but does not represent a particular cabin destroyed by the Payette National Forest *

"There are some men running government who shouldn't be allowed to play with matches" --- Will Rogers, US Congressman and Famous Actor

I will try to explain the Forest Service mindset to you in the same way as I would explain a toddler repetively sticking metal objects into electrical outlets: most aren't smart enough to figure out what they are doing ultimately hurts them the most.

 The Forest Service's main goal is the implementation of UN Agenda 21, which is designed to force all people to live in cities. And to reduce the world human population to less than 550 million. 

Most people who work for the Forest Service have never read the UN Agenda 21 Treaty George H. W. Bush signed in 1992 and have no clue what the end game seems to be at the agencies they work for. *Again,  see toddler sticking forks in the electrical outlets reference above *.

The average capacity of the typical Forest Service employee mind is not far beyond that of a toddler, alligator,  crude beast. It doesn't know why that it wants or does not want. And is driven more by instincts than free, intelligent thinking. 

Most Forest Service employees are driven by one basic instinct:  that they enjoy locking people out of public lands which are supposed to belong to everyone. Followed by the pleasure sensors of their tiny, reptilian type brains which seem to enjoy burning down families' homes or helping destroy local economies.

Remember Jurassic Park where the tiny brained reptiles figured out how to open door handles? Or Godzilla using his fire breathing to burn up entire cities (which Forest Rangers are undoubtedly jealous of)?

In similar fashion, pea-brained Forest Rangers have figured out how to operate matches. And seem to have unhealthy obsessions with them.

Again,  pure instinct driven, Forest Service rangers feel compelled to light matches in hot, dry conditions in the same manner moths are instinct driven to fly into flames. Or lemmings jump off of cliffs.

    USFS unlawfully burning cabin at Big Creek.  Photo courtesy of T.G. Many dozens of family homes at Cabin Creek were destroyed in similar fashion by the Payette National Forest Management. At Chamberlain Basin, the Forest Service unlawfully destroyed archaeological important artifacts without doing studies required under section 106 of the National Historical Preservation Act. 

They don’t know,  or have any real capacity to know why they do it. But are instinctually driven to do so without rational thought given for what the consequences might be.

In fact,  the typical Forest Service employee brain is incapable of understanding causal relationships, much like a fish has no idea why biting a hook will end its life in short fashion. But I digress.....

What the Forest Service did at Cabin Creek epitomizes UN Agenda 21. The Forest Service destroyed the only access road to a town of roughly 50 people. The Forest Service then used eminent domain or made landowners "an offer you can't refuse" to force them off the lands. The Forest Service then at great taxpayer expense flew a bulldozer into a remote landing strip one piece at a time, since they had already ripped out the road to the tiny town.

The Forest Service,  at great expense to the public,  reassembled the bulldozer and used it to destroy the entire town with the exception of a tiny portion of the town, including at least five buildings listed on

the National Register of Historical Places.

 The Forest Service then destroyed the air strip so that recreational fliers could not use it, leaving no way to get the bulldozer back out either.

At much taxpayer dollars wasted, the Forest Service used the bulldozer to dig a very large hole and then drove the bulldozer into the hole. Sabotaged the engine. Covered it over with hand shovels, then walked out.

But the waste of taxpayer money did not end there, unfortunately. A few years later,  the Forest Service decided that the airstrip would benefit them the most so they went back in and rebuilt it. It just isn’t possible to have much foresight with brains the sizes of squirrels and lizzards.

*I apologize if this offends squirrels and lizzards, which seem to be much more intelligent than your average Forest Service planner*

Around 2001, the Forest Service used the airstrip as a base for firefighters to put out a wildfire approximately 30,000 acres.

Remember those five cabins on the National Register of Historical Places? 

Senior PNF leaders were in charge of the small army of professional fire fighters who successfully just put out a very large raging wildfire. 

According to the criminal investigation into the unlawful destruction of the five historical landmarks at Cabin Creek,  senior PNF leaders were burning garbage to clean up the fire camp as the army of professional firefighters were leaving their campsites. *See instinctually driven to light matches reference above*

Supposedly,  hot ambers from that burning garbage escaped and "accidentally " burned down at least five cabins in excess of 120 years old, with no other witnesses to counter the official account.

Leaving only a very few of the original buildings in place, that escaped the "burning garbage" PNF officials intentionally lit on fire.  Which the Payette National Forest will undoubtedly "accidentally" intentionally set on fire the next time the opportunity presents itself.

Mind you,  these are the same people responsible for burning dozens of historical homes on both public and private lands, including Jim Adkins house on private lands at Stibnite. As well as destroying thousands of miles of public rights of way that taxpayers have been using to access their forests for over a century. 

If a group of professional firefighters is so careless and incompetent that they can't even control burning garbage,  should they really be in charge of a fire crew? Or be trusted with public dollars? So that they can rob the American people of even more national treasures listed on the National Register of Historical Places?

Scott Amos
208.297.0634

What has happened to the United States Forest Service?

What has happened to the United States Forest Service?

By: Mr. Shannon Poe

President, AMRA, American Mining Rights Association

I remember growing up watching TV and the commercials showing a happy Smokey the Bear reminding me that only I "can prevent forest fires."

  He was there to help remind us it is our lands and we need to protect them.  I also have positive memories of interactions with Rangers growing up in Oregon while hunting and fishing and can honestly say I don’t remember one single incident which was unfavorable.  They were friendly, kind, and seemed to truly enjoy working in the forests protecting our lands.  Yes, our lands. 

 The USFS was created way back in the 1870’s and its primary mission was to administer the Federally managed lands for the people.  Their motto is “Caring for the land and serving people".

Many of the Rangers back in the day were prior farmers, ranchers, loggers and miners.  They were people who worked the land, understood the land and understood the public’s fundamental right to use their lands.

Fast forward to today and we find many within the USFS with starkly different attitudes towards just whose land it is and how they interact with the public who pays their salaries.  Now, mind you, we have many friends in the USFS and not all are bad people.
  My personal experiences with the USFS firefighters are 100% positive and I must say, I think they are actually tougher than us miners. 
 There are many similarities the miners share with the firefighters.  
We typically carry heavy packs, it’s normally hotter than hell when we are hiking, we bust through brush and most of us are pretty adept at using a chainsaw.  But these women and men are at a level above extreme and they should be recognized for that.
  Even some of the District Rangers today are still very approachable and respect the public and their use of our lands.  We even know of one Ranger who owns a 4” dredge here in California.  However, there seems to be a monumental shift about 8 years ago with the LEO’s (law enforcement officers) and even some Geologists and Forest Supervisors.

By now, most of you have probably heard of, or read about the incident three of our AMRA members had last year in the Stanislaus NF where two young USFS LEO’s approached the members panning and running a sluice in a creek near Coulterville CA on their validly held mining claim and verbally demanded to see ID so they could see who was “in their forest”.  This incident ended up with one member saying he didn’t need to show ID as he was doing nothing wrong and the LEO pulling out a Taser and pointing it at his face demanding ID be produced or else.

  This then led to us uncovering about a dozen more incidents with these two LEO’s, and one additional one randomly stopping vehicles on gravel roads, telling the driver and passenger to get out, put their hands on the hoods (sometimes with very small children) and then proceeding to search the vehicles illegally.  

We still have a 4^th Amendment don’t we?  After presenting this evidence to the Mariposa County Sheriff, he pulled their LEO capacity from his county, and we believe rightfully so. 

 This investigation and complaint was conveniently swept under the carpet by the Commander of the LEO’s.

Now we see the Supervisor of the Nez Perce NF in Idaho concocting a scheme to just ban suction dredging on the SF Clearwater where AMRA has stood up to the EPA for two years.

  This is over the EPA’s unconstitutional threats of citing miners $37,500 per day fines and literally a hundred years in jail if they dredge their mining claims, which they have been doing without harming one single fish for 50 years.  

The issue with the EPA and their authority has been challenged recently by many lawsuits and many of these suits have reigned in the authority, or over-reach of the EPA.  The Nez Perce NF Supervisor has just decided to limit the number of dredges which can operate on the SF Clearwater to a maximum of 15 per year.  

Factual science and accredited studies on suction dredging is ignored and flawed and faulty science by them is introduced.  Hundreds of people oppose this idea, and just a dozen or so agree with it, but the Supervisor is jamming this proposal through anyway.  

Supervisor Cheryl Probert was asked in a public venue recently why she hadn’t arrested the suction dredgers for dredging last year and she stated “they haven’t done anything wrong yet”.  

Why is Supervisor Probert so focused on stopping the only effective and environmentally safe method to mine this river?  Ideology? Political influence?  This isn’t about fish, because if it was, they would ask us to dredge. 

 Back in the 90’s, the USFS used to call around to local gold clubs and ask these people to “come and dredge to bring the fish back” after large fires because they knew back then that dredging creates habitat, not hurt it.  There is not one single instance of a dredger harming a fish, other than an absurd study which intentionally tried to hurt fish by sucking them up a dredge hose….not one.  

The hose we use is the same hose the Department of Fish and Wildlife uses to stock ponds, rivers and streams.  I’ve been dredging for 40 years and can honestly say I have not sucked up one fish, ever with my nozzle. 

 They are too smart, too fast and are quite content with watching me work knowing a little morsel will be dislodged shortly they can quickly snatch up.  Most of us dredgers know when we start a dredge hole, there are no fish.  After the hole is punched, it seems most fish within a mile come and live in that hole. 

 They like the cool water the hole creates and the safety the deeper water provides from overhead raptors.  Not to mention the fact they get many, many free meals with the constant bugs which are stirred up from the activity.

Just a week ago, we received an email where a man was cited for gold panning on public lands.  The facts are still rather cloudy, but this is the kind of thing we are now seeing almost on a weekly basis.  

From Montana to California, regulatory and management agencies paid for by the people, to manage the people’s land are turning against the very people who entrusted them to take care of their lands.  The LEO’s, (law enforcement officers) are garnering an “us vs them” attitude and frankly, it is alarming.

This seems to be the norm with some USFS Supervisors and other Government regulatory agencies.  If they don’t like something, regulate it to death.  Sound familiar?  Many of these agencies and members of our government cannot overcome congressionally passed laws protecting people like miners, so they revert to regulating it to death.  

Take guns and ammunition.  We all know how one side of the political spectrum feels about guns and ammo.  So what do we see?  Increased regulation, taxing bullets, manufacturers, restrictions on lead, casings and brass.  They are even attacking the primers for cartridges.  Hillary Clinton is even backing the idea to allow for gun manufacturers to be held liable and face litigation for anyone who harms another using one of their firearms. 

 What’s next?  Sue the car manufacturers because some drunk kills someone? Sue Mattel because some kid clobbers his sister with a Barbie Doll?  Are they going to allow someone to sue Ames shovels because someone buried a body after killing them?  The absurdity of the ideology is nothing short of stunning.

USFS Supervisor Probert doesn’t like suction dredging and doesn’t like miners, that much is abundantly clear.  It is either that, or she’s so deathly afraid an enviro group will sue that all of her decisions are influenced and dictated by the actions of a very small group of people. 

 Sound familiar?  Perhaps this analogy will put it into perspective.  In today’s environment, if I feel I identify as a woman today (which I most certainly am not), I can use the same restroom as a 12 year old girl in Target. 

 An extremely small minority is dictating public policy.  This is the state of our public lands, and the tremendous influence a bunch of agenda driven environmental groups have on public land policy.

We just attended a conference call with the Nez Perce NF which was supposed to give the public the ability to voice opposition to the draft proposal to limit the number of dredges to just 15 on the SF Clearwater.  What we learned was this is just theatre intending to give the public the illusion they have power over the very agency who supposedly works for them. 

 There were about 40 people, business owners, miners, ranchers and even State elected politicians in opposition to this proposal and two environmental groups in favor.  I guess we will find out soon how the USFS decides to vote on this proposal based on a 20 to 1 opposition.  Had we packed that meeting with 400 people, I guarantee this meeting would have had a different outcome.

So what can we do about all this chaos?  You must get involved.  Do not remain silent any longer.  Think of a politician for a minute.  What do they fear the most? Not getting reelected.  Today’s US politicians become instant millionaires shortly after election to office.  

They have a huge staff, never buy meals and can spend your money like it is going out of style.  They don’t want that gravy train to end, no matter what.  They get insider information and literally make millions with this information, you, the lowly public doesn’t have access to. 

 If a politician hears from 30 of his/her constituents and 28 of those are from environmental movement groups, what is that politician going to do with a particular matter?  They vote where the wind blows.  If that same politician had 200 calls and 170 of them were angry miners, hunters, hikers, fishermen and the like, that very well might influence their stance on a given matter.  Ask any miner when the last time they called their Representative to oppose a bill.  Better yet, ask them if they even know their Representatives name.  This is the primary problem we, as a small mining industry face.

One of the reasons the environmental groups are effective is they are organized and they are well funded.  They are constantly engaged in sue and settle litigation and get paid millions by our government in legal fees (yes, our tax money).  We must be just as well organized and funded to combat this.  Think of where you typically receive your information about a new bill to close a million acres of land you like to mine on.  How do you hear about that?  An email from a buddy who has forwarded it to you in which he received from a buddy of his?  That is quite common and unfortunately, by the time it reaches many of us, it is too late.  The window to oppose such a bill has timelines and all the government has to do by law is publish it in the Federal Register, which is nearly impossible to follow.  We encourage you to join an active club or join a group on Facebook like AMRA, Miner’s Communication Network or another.  We constantly post what is happening to your public lands and what you need to do to oppose bad bills.  Get involved, get informed and get vocal. 

A little over a year ago, my good friend Robert Guardiola, President of GPAA’s Delta Gold Diggers and AMRA hosted a large meeting in Sacramento called the “Miners Meeting”.  We invited Presidents, VP’s and other management staff of every gold club in the state.  We invited every manufacturer and retailer in the state and it was a huge success.  We are in the final planning stage of another set of meetings, one in Sacramento and one in the Los Angeles area.  These are likely going to be late July or early August.  Our goal is to eventually take these meetings to other states, not just California, but Washington, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and others.  The meeting’s purpose is to educate the leaders of these groups, business and clubs on how to get involved, what they can do to help stop the insanity we are all witnessing.  We will also accept some outside individuals if they are not a part of a club, association or business.  Think of your last gold club meeting.  How many times has someone brought up a new bill closing lands and what happened?  It is likely people got angry and once everyone left, a few people may have written a letter in opposition.  What if that same group used the first 15 minutes and passed out notepads for everyone to write a letter in opposition?  Now you have something which has an impact.  It is things like this we intend to focus on in the meetings.  We also plan on addressing the legal aspects of what is going on in California with the Water Board and SB637, Brandon Rinehart’s case and mining law in general.  An informed and educate industry is a powerful industry.  Our goal is to give the miners the knowledge we all have.  

These meetings are costly, but we believe the payoff is significant.

Another thing we need to focus on is the propaganda coming from the opposition.  Perhaps you have heard this saying from Joseph Goebbels, the man who is responsible for the deaths of millions of Jewish people during Hitler’s reign of terror:

If you repeat a lie often enough, it becomes the truth.    Joseph Goebbels

This is precisely what we see today, lies and propaganda about suction dredging and mining.  Because of television, most who don’t know anything about mining at all think all miners use D-10 Cats and rip up the lands.  We all know that is not true and many of the TV shows are filmed in other countries which do not have the same strict environmental policies America does.  Thankfully, most internet news groups and publications allow for comments and miners are pushing back by calling out the lies, propaganda and outright attempts to demonize mining.  Publicly demanding a retraction is something most news agencies hate, but are forced to do if they are caught.  Catch them.

We are at a turning point in America.  Our government has become so large, so bloated and so powerful, they no longer fear the people.  We have an important Presidential election coming up, and while we do not endorse any candidate in politics, we encourage you to dig through the clutter and read each candidate’s plan, then decide.  Then get your entire family to vote.  This next election will determine if America is converted into something it was never intended to be, or we hopefully have a return to our Constitutional roots, one where the country is for the people, by the people.  Where people have rights, granted by God and cannot be taken away.  It is long past time we remind them of our rights.

AMRA is a National 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Small Mining Advocacy Association based in Coulterville California.  Donations can be made directly on their website and all donations are tax deductible.

AMRA offers access to their more than 60 exceptional gold claims all across the west for a small donation which is used for legal challenges, education and assisting small miners.

Website: https://americanminingrights.com/

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/pages/American-Mining-Rights-Association/477397529020995

Mr. Shannon Poe

President/CEO

American Mining Rights Association

americanminingrights.com

Krassel District Ranger Anthony Botello Response Sugar Creek Road Inquiry

From:

Anthony Botello,

Krassel District Ranger

To:

Scott Amos

Good afternoon Scott,

Thank you for your question about the Sugar Creek Road.  I understand there is some confusion over the status of this road.  I have had lengthy discussions with Valley County Commissioners, Midas Gold and the BCYP Collaborative about the issues surrounding Sugar Creek, the unauthorized use and the deteriorating condition of the road.  Unfortunately you missed those discussions and our field trips up there to discuss solutions.

The road is not on our Motor Vehicle Use Map, therefore not open to general public use.  The best we can tell, the Sugar Creek Road hasn’t been open for general public use for over 15 years.  This is not a recent decision, and by this project, we are not closing this road, we are planning to do maintenance and restoration on the road to prevent impacts to Sugar Creek.   Sugar Creek is home to three ESA listed fish species and designated as critical habitat by the ESA.  Known unauthorized use of the road is having unacceptable impacts of listed fish and habitat.

Our Forest Service Travel Rule and Forest Plan allows special use of closed road for legal, outstanding rights (mineral, tribal, private land access, etc.) but even authorized use of the road cannot have impact on ESA listed species.  This road is not planned for decommissioning or other long term restoration at this point.  For legal and authorized access needs, the road will remain drivable with the exception of the ford crossing Sugar Creek after the restoration project. However, we are working with local land owners on the project, and access to Cinnabar can be made from the Thunder Mountain Road #375 which is open to the public. 

The Sugar Creek road crosses multiple parcels of private land to which there is no public easement and Cinnabar is private property. 

Because of road counters put up last year, we know that there is a fair amount of unauthorized use on the road, and that Cinnabar seems to be the destination of some of that use.  Cinnabar is known to have elevated levels of mercury contamination, and EPA, the Forest Service and the landowners discourage use in the area due to known human health risks. As a part of this project we will reinforce our MVUM by installing barriers to prevent unauthorized use across the restored ford.

I understand there has been some confusing information about this project, and appreciate your seeking clarification.  I am also in receipt of your email of today asking if private citizens can build a bridge over Sugar Creek at the ford.  Please give me a call or lets set up a time when we can meet to discuss all of your questions.

Anthony B. Botello District Ranger Forest Service Krassel Ranger District Payette National Forest, p: 208-634-0601  c: 208-634-9286  f: 208-634-0634abbotello@fs.fed.us 500 N. Mission Street  McCall, ID 83638www.fs.fed.us  Caring for the land and serving people

USFS SET TO DESTROY SUGAR CREEK ROAD TO CINNABAR

Apparently,  the USFS is set to destroy Sugar Creek Road to Cinnabar, Idaho.
Between 1995 and 2008, the Forest Service unlawfully removed Sugar Creek Road from Motor Vehicle Use Maps with zero public input, violating federal laws including NEPA and the 2001 Roadless Rule in the process.

36 CRF, Section § 212.52 Public involvement.

(a)General. The public shall be allowed to participate in the designation of National Forest System roads, National Forest System trails, and areas on National Forest System lands and revising those designations pursuant to this subpart. Advance notice shall be given to allow for public comment, consistent with agency procedures under the National Environmental Policy Act, on proposed designations and revisions.

Update: Forest Service admits to arbitrarily removing Sugar Creek Road from the public domain and violating federal laws:

http://usfspayettenationalforest.blogspot.com/2017/05/forest-service-admits-arbitrarily.html?m=1

Also: Forest Service uses endangered species as political tool:

Read more: 

http://tinyurl.com/USFS-RED-HERRING

If you want to stop the Forest Service from destroying the road to Cinnabar,  please write Senator Mike Crapo or submit your public comments to Anthony Botello, Krassel District Ranger for the Payette National Forest.

His email is:

abbotello@fs.fed.us
Or:
comments-intermtn-payette-krassel@fs.fed.us

Phone number:
Office: 208.634.0601
 Cellphone:     208-634-9286     
 Forest Office: 208.634.0700

 FOREST SERVICE BLOCKED SUGAR CREEK ROAD USING BOULDERS

 Cinnabar, Idaho is one of the most historical and intact ghost towns in America.
   Even though it is mostly on private land, the US Forest Service has unlawfully destroyed several buildings which were registered under the national list of historical places at Cinnabar, Stibnite, Roosevelt, Chamberlain Basin, Cabin Creek   and the surrounding areas.

Which is a clear violation of the 1966 National Historical Preservation Act.

Among other things, the act requires federal agencies to evaluate the impact of all federally funded or permitted projects on historic properties (buildings, archaeological sites, etc.) through a process known as Section 106 Review.

  It is believed by many that the Forest Service destroying the road to Cinnabar is just the first step in the Forest Service bulldozing the town. Afterall, they closed the road for a short while in 1992 then bulldozed three historical cabins behind locked gates, hoping the public and private landowners would not notice.

 Similar to what the Forest Service did to the entire town of Cabin Creek around the same time period.
 The Payette National Forest Management Team stated they "accidentally" burned five historical landmarks and over 35 once privately owned homes, businesses to the ground at Cabin Creek.

 

Read about the unlawful destruction of Cabin Creek here:  http://tinyurl.com/Forest-Service-Tiny-Brains

   To be clear, all 40 or more buildings were destroyed by fires intentionally set by current Payette National Forest Management Team members. Five of the buildings at Cabin Creek were on the National Register of Historical Places.

No Payette National Forest Management Team members were ever held accountable for their transgressions against the American people as the official report of the matter deemed it an "accident "(aka, "incompetence").

BOULDERS PLACED AT START OF SUGAR CREEK ROAD BY PAYETTE NATIONAL FOREST

UPPER ROAD IMPASSABLE ON 06/20/2016

*Forest Service has unlawfully placed giant boulders closing Cinnabar Road. Upper road is "open" by the Forest Service but is unsafe to travel or snowed shut for the majority of the year *



Below is the letter I recently wrote regarding the unlawful closing of Sugar Creek Road to Cinnabar: *RESPONSE *

Anthony,

For obvious reasons, there are many of us who feel that the Payette National Forest management team has been nothing but dishonest about their intentions to destroy Sugar Creek Road into Cinnabar. 

I would like some clarification,  and some reassurance that the rumors are not true? 

And if they are, what we as concerned members of the community can do to stop you from destroying one of the most historical routes in all of Idaho?

HISTORY OF MISLEADING 

Forgive my mistrust. 

You may remember how the PNF misled the public regarding unlawfully closing my driveway a few years ago,  violating NEPA by holding public comment sessions in Boise. 152 miles away. Instead of  "the nearest affected community "(Yellow Pine 1 mile, McCall 50 miles, Cascade 62 miles, Donnelly 82 miles, Clear Creek  84 miles, Smith's Ferry 95 miles, Horseshoe Bend 121 miles.....etc) as required by law. 

Nearly 400 people flooded your office with letters as a result of that breach of public trust by your office. In fact,  Krassel District Ranger  Joe Harper stated "if you don't like it then sue us" regarding the unlawful closing of my driveway and Sugar Creek Road by the Payette National Forest. He seemed to want a showdown between the public and what is now your office. 

Which prompted more than 400 public 

Comments [more than 650 pages, 260 pages of which] you can see here:

http://tinyurl.com/CITIZENS-ORDERED-TO-SUE-USFS

ARE YOU CONTINUING JOE HARPER'S "SO SUE ME" MANNER OF DEALING WITH THE PUBLIC?

The Sugar Creek Road is far more important to the public than my driveway ever was. The only reason your office hasn't been flooded already is that very few people know about your plans for destroying Sugar Creek Road. 

FOREST SUPERVISOR DISRESPECTS ELDERLY HANDICAPPED COUPLE 

The environment that the Payette National Forest Management Team has created with the public is a very confrontational one.

I attended nearly every meeting during the public scoping period for the Big Creek and Yellow Pine Travel Plan. I was there when very teary eyed wheel chair bound elderly citizens were told by Suzanne Rainville "maybe you should live somewhere else if you can't hike the six miles into Cinnabar ". Incredibly insensitive words spoken by the Payette National Forest Supervisor Suzanne Rainville  to Jim and Viola Earl, who have been using Sugar Creek Road into Cinnabar since the mid 1930s.

I will never understand the level of disrespect high level Payette National Forest officials have shown upstanding citizens of the local community who also pay taxes which pay your wages.....but I digress.....

At the same time,  a representative from the regional office pointed his finger at the crowd (in condescending fashion) stating "you people think that you are more important than fish,  but that's not always the case".

IGNORING THE INTENT OF LAW

I have thoroughly read the 2001 Roadless Rule along with NEPA,  The Clean Water Act, the Wilderness Act.

Each one of those laws puts "socioeconomics" and "public opinion" in at least equal consideration with the environmental aspects of the subsequent laws. Your unlawful closing of Sugar Creek Road demonstrates you don't put much thought into thinking about what the public wants? 

USING FALSIFIED DATA TO FURTHER YOUR AGENDA

Clem Pope knowingly and willfully falsified the socioeconomic study he conducted on behalf of the Payette National Forest for the Big Creek and Yellow Pine Travel Plan,   stating  "one job" would be affected by the road closures you are enacting. 

It has been pointed out repeatedly that there are in fact 16 or more businesses based in and around Yellow Pine. Yet the Payette National Forest continues to knowingly and willfully use deliberately skewed information it knows works in the favor of the Forest Service agenda for closing roads.

YOUR EXCUSE "WE CAN'T BUILD IT" DOESN'T HOLD WATER

I and several members of the public have often volunteered to assist the Forest Service with my finances, blood, sweat and tears. To date, the Forest Service,  or at least the Payette National Forest,  seems unwilling or unable to work with a very large group of volunteers for the purpose of keeping roads the public overwhelmingly wants open. 

Scoping Meetings:

Former District Ranger Joe Harper stated (during scoping meetings) that "nobody uses Sugar Creek Road "  so "we can't justify spending the money " to "build a bridge " that  "nobody will use".

*Your own emails I recently obtained through FOIA show that an average of 43 or more vehicles per day (possibly hundreds of people per day) travel Sugar Creek Road to Cinnabar*

After the crowd finished erupting with dismay at Joe Harper's assertion "nobody uses the road ", several of us offered to  raise funding and volunteers to build the bridge. 

He of course dismissed our offers of help, seemingly already have made up his mind to destroy the road and to further anger and ever increasingly larger segment of the public. 

You seem to be continuing Joe Harper's "so sue me" attitude towards public outcry over closing Cinnabar Road?

I THOUGHT WE HAD AGREED TO DEAL WITH ROAD CLOSURES IN A PROFESSIONAL MANNER?

When you and I finally settled the differences over my driveway,  we agreed to work together on these types of issues. 

That's why I'm reaching out to you now with an olive branch. Before turning those 400 angry letters to your office into 4,000.

The public is not going to accept the destruction of Cinnabar Road just because Payette National Forest Management would like them to.

Scott Amos
208.297.0634

http://usfspayettenationalforest.blogspot.com/2016/06/what-has-happened-to-united-states.html?m=1