“I'd say 90 percent of the people in here have lived here most of their lives,” Irwin said. “They love this country and if they felt like they were really hurting the lands, they'd be the first ones to quit it. They're woodsmen.”
Irwin himself spent 34 years working for the Bitterroot National Forest fighting fire, cruising timber and running a dozer.
This second meeting on a proposal to update the Bitterroot National Forest's travel management plan, which decides where people can run their all-terrain vehicles or escape from them, was a decidedly quieter affair than the first go-round.
Last week, many of the same old-time Bitterrooters crowded into a meeting hall in Darby and gave the U.S. Forest Service an earful about the gates that have already been locked and the potential for more.
Some advocates of quiet recreation said they were intimidated by the crowd. Some said it verged on being out of control. Others called it downright ugly.
Bill Grasser, a longtime valley resident, was there.
“People wanted to vent,” he said. “I think the general public wanted to let the Forest Service know that they wanted to stop road closures and they wanted some to be reopened that have been closed.
“They're limiting our freedom and they want it stopped and reversed,” Grasser said. “A lot of us are getting older and we can't get out and hoof it like we used to.”
The Bitterroot National Forest released its initial proposal - they called it a starting point - last September. It offered the public a look at the agency's initial ideas to begin the long process of updating the travel management plan.
Among all the challenges the Forest Service faces these days, there's not any more controversial than seeking to balance motorized and non-motorized recreation on public lands.
The last time the Bitterroot forest took this step to update its forestwide travel plan was in 1978.
Bitterroot Forest Supervisor Dave Bull knows it's not going to be an easy task.
“People have already gotten pretty excited,” Bull said. “We're hearing from those who feel like there have already been plenty of roads closed down already and there shouldn't be any more.
“And there's a whole lot of folks who feel like we need to close down a lot more,” he said.
Following the contentious Darby meeting, the Forest Service opted to change its strategy in Hamilton. It extended the hours for the meeting and set up tables so people could take a look at maps that depicted what the agency was pondering.
For the first few hours at least, the tables were busy as people gathered in close to have a look and offer suggestions. Others sat down and wrote out comments on sheets provided by the agency.
There were quite a few questions that arose at Darby that indicated people didn't fully understand what the agency was suggesting. Bull hoped this different format would give people a chance to ask questions and see for themselves.
Plans call for holding another public meeting sometime in the next couple of weeks in Stevensville. In February, the agency plans to host a public hearing type of meeting, where people will have a chance to get up and voice their opinions on the issue, Bull said.
“We'll have enough of visible official presence to ensure that it's a safe environment for folks wishing to express their views,” he said.
Adam Rissien of Wildlands CPR hopes the Forest Service won't be intimidated by the angry crowd at Darby and step back from its proposal to close some roads to motorized travel.
Rissien said there currently are 1,500 miles of roads open for motorized travel on the Bitterroot Forest. He believes there should be some opportunity to create the kind of loops all-terrain vehicle enthusiasts enjoy while preserving areas for those who crave quiet recreation.
“We know there are a lot of people who have an ideological difference of opinion with us,” Rissien said. “We know they feel they should be able to drive anywhere they want.
“We feel that all roadless areas should be non-motorized - and just because there's a line on the map doesn't mean that people are even using those trails for motorized travel,” he said. “If they're not going there now, they don't need to be open.”
The Forest Service's inability to handle law enforcement issues that arise in conflicts between different user groups is an issue dear to the Sierra Club's Bob Clark.
Clark was recently run over by a motorcyclist illegally traveling on national forest road closed to motorized traffic. He believes the agency should take its lack of adequate law enforcement resources into account as it makes decisions on which trails remain open or closed.
“They need to do a better job of managing travel and ensuring people are using the roadways and trails as designated,” Clark said.
Max Stamper of Hamilton considers himself to be a responsible motorized backcountry traveler. He's careful to stay on trails open to motorized traffic, and he washes his motorcycle before heading to the hills to ensure he'll not spread noxious weeds.
He's hoping the process to update the travel management plan will help heal some old wounds, but to get there Stamper believes the Forest Service needs to be as forthright as possible.
“I believe the Forest Service has an agenda and it's something that they need to let know what it is,” Stamper said. “I think there are criteria that they have to follow that all of us aren't totally aware of yet.”
The agency has its own set of rules that it's required to follow, and people don't really fully understand what that involves, he said.
“I hope this process that we're working through will restore some faith in the public process,” Stamper said. “I hope it will restore some trust in the Forest Service. There's not a lot of that in the room right now.”
Barry Sanderson, another lifelong Hamilton resident, said people feel like they've given up a lot to the Forest Service without getting much in return.
“The locals just feel like nobody is listening,” Sanderson said. “I really like to hope that they will listen this time. ... The actual Bitterrooters have been beat up enough.
“You look around this room and look at the age of these folks,” he said. “These aren't your 22-year-olds. They're all upset with the idea that decisions seem to be made hundreds of miles away by people who don't even know this place. By somebody back East who's never ever seen a pine tree.”
Reporter Perry Backus can be reached at 1-800-366-7186 or at pbackus@missoulian.com.
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