For weeks muddy conditions on the Bighorn National Forest have been the norm. Some roads have become impassable, exacerbated by irresponsible motorists. It has become all-too-familiar to witness or hear about travelers and recreationists stuck on muddy mountain roads, despite the warnings from the U.S. Forest Service.
Repairs necessitated by these incidents can strain limited resources, resulting in longer closures that impact everyone’s access to the forest. Moreover, travelers risk damaging their equipment and personal property, potentially requiring assistance from search and rescue teams if they become stuck overnight.
We get it. The winter was long, the spring was wet and cold, and now that the calendar says it is summer, we are all itching to get out and enjoy ourselves.
But don’t let your desire to enjoy the Bighorn National Forest do long-term damage to this wonderful resource that was set aside for the benefit of all of us.
An abundance of snow melt and spring rains created unusually soft, muddy roads and trails in the forest. And while we would like to report that after observing these conditions, motorists turned around, that was not always the case. Some drivers attempted to drive vehicles or ORVs through some very tough conditions and wound up getting stuck and causing very real damage to roadways.
Photos posted by forest officials to Twitter and Facebook show pickup trucks and off-road vehicles up to their axles in mud. The damage caused by vehicles on saturated roads exacerbates the problem. Deep ruts and trenches not only hold more water but also impede drainage, leading to water-filled holes and washed-out culverts. The force exerted while attempting to free stuck vehicles further displaces soil, resulting in increased erosion. Repairing these routes can be expensive and may require longer closures.
In many places, users left the roadway and drove cross country, causing surface disturbance — surface disturbance damages vegetation and can create conditions that allow invasive species to take root.
In response, Forest Service officials have closed roads to prevent further resource damage while roads dry out. Other roads are closed as repairs are completed.
But even road closures and barricades haven’t been enough to dissuade all forest users. And it’s not just out-of-staters who are disobeying the closures. There have been more than a few locals who have required a tow truck to get out of a mudhole. If you see a barricade or one of those bright orange “Road Closed” signs, it is not just a suggestion for those “less experienced” mountain motorists. It is meant for you.
Now officials fear that if additional stretches of roadways are damaged or incur even more damage, the Forest Service won’t have the manpower or the funds to repair those roadways before winter.
The Forest Service has a very limited road maintenance budget — about $50,000. For comparison, Johnson County’s road and bridge department’s annual budget is just north of $2.6 million.
As Forest Service officials have pointed out, locals need to lead the way on this and demonstrate the best and most ethical behavior, that includes observing all forest signage and obeying all road closures.
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