[Alan06SUT]

Well, chalk up another win for the mis-informed tree huggers! Tellico will be closing on Jan. 1 and I doubt it will be reopened again (despite what the forest service claims). Even though the place was a logging road and totally clear cut years ago, and now its just a few trails over a large area, they claim silt is getting into the streams and killing brooke trout. BS. The brook trout populations are doing fine in the area and the USFS is just looking for an excuse to get rid of the off roaders. I am a fly fisherman as well and can tell you that fishing pressure from local rednecks who keep fish has a far greater effect than silt from off roaders. Ther are only two major stream crossings up there and one of them now has a brand new bridge to keep the ORV's out of the streams. Oh well, I guess private land parks are the only hope. And I heard in California they are trying to pass an ordinance to stop orv's from running on PRIVATE land!!! Sounds pretty communist to me.