>>2803496>Why should the public be allowed to cut a trail through it?the trails were already there before private land ownership and precedent is a thing...but hence the need for a land swap.
"The public has a right to access each of these trails. When the Northern Pacific Railroad deeded its sections of the checkerboard land to private parties, on both the west side and east side of the Crazies, an easement for “public use” of these four existing routes across the property was expressly reserved in some of the sections.
Furthermore, each of these four trails was built, maintained and mapped by the USFS well before private land ownership occurred in the region. These four trails have been maintained and continuously used by USFS employees and rangers for administrative purposes (timber sales, grazing, public access) and members of the public to access National Forest lands in the Crazies for hunting, hiking and other recreational pursuits. This maintenance and use are well documented by the USFS.
During the 1987 forest planning process and, more recently, upon issuance of the 2006 travel plan for the Crazy Mountains, all four of these trails were analyzed, mapped and included in the 2006 travel plan as public trails (and roads) open to public access."
