Christensen Creek Summary

The Christensen East Bench Ranch has been enrolled in the Block Management program for approximately 20 years. In 2018, after management of the ranch transferred, a gate at the private land/forest boundary was locked on FS RD 924. The Forest Service sent a surveyor to the gate to find that it is approximately 100 yards on the private land side of the actual boundary. FS RD 924 continues on past this gate for approximately 3 miles, through one more small section of private land, to a trailhead. Currently, only the private land owners are able to access this trailhead with a motor vehicle, which provides a main point of access to approximately 40,000 acres of public land. Public access is restricted to walk-in only during hunting season, leaving these public lands unreachable nine months out of the year. Both landowners continue to access the trailhead with motor vehicles, giving them an approximate 6 mile advantage from the general public which must walk-in (no horseback) from the highway.

FWP and FS have both been contacted about this issue, but lack of a travel management plan in this portion of National Forest, along with conflicting recreational use documents, makes navigating this issue complex. The travel management planning process is scheduled to start this fall. The travel planning process goal is to identify a transportation system that is environmentally and financially sustainable. PLWA hopes to participate in this process in hopes of finding a resolution to the lost motorized access in this area.