Comment to National Parks Service on Wilderness Designation -- United Hunters of Florida (UHF)

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Date Posted: 09/23/09 7:44:57am
Author: Jim (Very Important - Action Required)
Subject: Comment to National Parks Service on Wilderness Designation

Either print the following off and mail to the address below with your name and info, or use the link to comment online...But please comment by Sept. 30th. DO NOT LET THE PARK SERVICE DECLARE THE ADDITIONS AS WILDERNESS!!
Thanks,
Jim
___________________________________________________________

BIG CYPRESS NATIONAL PRESERVE ADDITION LANDS
COMMENTS TO ADDITION GMP, WILDERNESS AND ORV PLAN

Wilderness Designation:
Note- If you AGREE with the NPS, put a check mark next to NPS after the 1 or if you agree with A �F, check the appropriate spaces next to the COMMENT

1. NPS_____The National Park Service considers up to 110,000 acres of the 147,000 acre Addition Lands suitable for Wilderness consideration.
COMMENT A __X__ The NPS is only required to do a wilderness suitability study. The NPS is not mandated by any rule, law or policy to formally propose any Wilderness Area within the Addition Lands. Wilderness designation violates the intention of the act to establish Big Cypress National Preserve and the Big Cypress National Preserve Addition Act.
COMMENT B __X__Prior to closure of the Addition Lands by the NPS in 1988, the area was heavily trammeled by man including Farming, Ranching, Logging, Oil Exploration, Hunting Leases, Private Property Hunting Camps etc. going back to the 1940s and beyond. This past activity alone makes this area inappropriate as Proposed Wilderness.
COMMENT C __X_ The Addition Lands are split down the middle by 1-75 [Alligator Alley] a major Interstate four lane highway, making the area inappropriate for Proposed Wilderness.
Comment D __X__ All areas between ORV trails are de facto Wilderness areas, making a formal Wilderness designation unnecessary to protect the resource. All areas between ORV trails are accessible only on foot.
COMMENT E __X__Wilderness designation would make Adaptive Management impossible, as well as severely restrict management activities including controlled burns, fire suppression, removal of exotics, animal tracking, controlling reptiles of concern [Burmese Pythons] etc.
COMMENT F __X__ All of the Addition Lands should be designated Backcountry Recreation, allowing traditional uses including, Hunting, Fishing, Fogging, Dispersed Camping and full ORV access.

ORV [Off Road Vehicle] Access:
Note- If you AGREE with NPS, check the space next to NPS after 2 or if you AGREE with A-D check the appropriate spaces next to the COMMENT.

2. NPS_____ National Park Service proposes a maximum of 140 miles of Primary ORV trails in the
Addition Lands.
COMMENT A ___X_ The INTENT of the 1974 Preserve legislation and the 1988 Addition Lands legislation
was to allow reasonable ORV access to ALL of the Preserve and Addition Lands. Arbitrarily limiting total
ORV trail mileage with no regard for overall ORV access was not the INTENT of the original Preserve or
Addition Lands legislation.
COMMENT B __X__The NPS proposes [improperly] the Addition Lands be under a separate Management
Plan from the existing Preserve. I object that A more restrictive ORV trails to acreage formula is being applied in the Addition Lands. 140 miles of designated ORV trails in the 147,000 acre Addition Lands equals one mile of ORV trails per one thousand acres. 400 miles of designated ORV trails in the 582,000 acre
existing Preserve equals one and on half miles of ORV trails per one thousand acres.
COMMENT C __X__ All units of the existing Preserve including the Addition Lands must be connected by
numerous inter connecting ORV trails. The INTENT of the Congressional Act creating the Preserve was
not to end up with a half dozen individual Preserves, isolated from each other.
COMMENT D __X__ ORV access must be provided in all of the Addition Lands strip along SR. 29. Both
Wilderness and Backcountry Primitive is inappropriate for these areas.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS attached Yes _____ No_____
I support the Florida Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Commission�s position.
I thank you in advance for your consideration of my serious concerns above.

SIGNED First Name_________________Last_______________________0rganization _____________
Address: Street__________________________ City___________County_______STATE______ZIP
SIGNATURE________________________________________
EMAIL____________________________
Date: __________________________
Electronic comments accepted 09/30/2009

Mail postmarked no later than 09/30/2009
National Park Service Attention: Big Cypress Preserve Planning Team, DSC-P
P.O. Box 25287 Denver, CO 80225-0287
Form format by Big Cypress Sportsmen�s Alliance- Copying by public permitted

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