ocala forest is closed (mostly)

edit: ocala forest hunt camps are closed (mostly). i would like to bring to your attention that the hunt camps are closed or closing, and the forest service has a project to "prevent their use as season-long residences."

soooo, anybody heading south for warmer climes, whether to gather or just escape the snow, please be advised that the ocala forest is undergoing renovations. many hunt camps are CLOSED with chain link fences around them. lots of forest have been cut - we talked to a guy working in the woods and he told us they were 'reseeding the forest', although i could have swore he said 'receding the forest'.

feel free to check out the Schedule of Proposed Action (SOPA) at http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/florida/projects/documents/sopa/FY07_4th_qrt.pdf or call the Project Contact : Rick Lint 352-669-3153, ext. 5501 rlint@fs.fed.us

here's some project details for ocala:

Unmanaged Recreation in Designated Primitive and Hunt Camps Description: Review designated primitive and hunt camps. Propose actions to provide a safer and more structured setting; promote their use for recreational purposes; prevent their use as season-long residences; and change the general gun season camping pass. Location: UNIT - Seminole Ranger District, Lake George Ranger District. STATE - Florida. COUNTY - Lake, Marion, Putnam. Various dispersed primitive camps throughout the Ocala NF that have been used by the public for both recreational and non-recreational purposes. Lacota Forest Health / Wildlife Improvement Project Description: Intermediate thinnings for forest health in slash and longleaf pine stands, remove off-site species before longleaf pine restoration, and reduce brush to increase herbaceous groundcover for wildlife and improve fuels condition in the urban-interface. Location: UNIT - Seminole Ranger District, Lake George Ranger District. STATE - Florida. COUNTY - Marion. LEGAL - Vicinity of Township 14 and 15 South and Range 24 East. Compartments 52, 53, 54, 69, 70, 71, 96, 219, 220, and 221. This area is located in the west side of the Ocala NF on both sides of SR 40 and around the forest communities of Lacota and Lynne.
Florida Scrub-jay Pipeline Description: Harvest about 3,000 ac. of sand pine and crookedwood to establish early successional scrub openings suitable for Florida-scrub jays and other rare species. Location: UNIT - Lake George Ranger District. STATE - Florida. COUNTY - Marion. Compartments 25, 26, 27, 31, 42, 45, 49, 50, 57, 58, 84, 85 and 86.
Big Scrub Description: Timber harvesting, site preparation, reforestation, wildlife improvements and prescribed fire. Location: UNIT - Seminole Ranger District. STATE - Florida. COUNTY - Lake, Marion. Compartments 255, 270, 271, 272, 273, 274, 275, 276, 277, 278, 279, 281, 282, 283 and 284.
Lake Dorr South Description: Restoration and maintenance on about 553 ac. of sand pine, longleaf pine, and slash pine. Location: UNIT - Seminole Ranger District. STATE - Florida. COUNTY - Lake. Compartment 292.
Aerial Application of Fire Retardant Description: The Forest Service proposes to continue the aerial application of fire retardant to fight fires on National Forest System lands. An environmental analysis will be conducted to prepare an Environmental Assessment on the proposed action. Location: UNIT - All Districts-level Units. STATE - All States. COUNTY - All Counties. Nation Wide.

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ps - this thread is NOT to begin another ocala gathering, permit, a-camp, road dog conversation/bash fest. i am only attempting to bring to light some info for those people who may not know what's going on here. so far, we know (through talking with the locals, i am not going out into the woods to verify this info) that farles lake, buck lake, disappearing creek, freek creek & lake dorr are closed. if anybody else knows what camps are closed, please post.

 

If your going to bring light..... Bring the TRUE LIGHT.

Please dont LIE to Family. It's like giving poison to a loved one (Words from Ram Dass). Can you say BAD Karma?

383,220 acres.....lets say minus 50,000 closed would leave 333,000.
Hardly a MOSTLY CLOSED.

PR

 

so i heard this was all goin down last year. also heard something about not issuing camping permits or somethin..

so just how much is left suitable for wintering and accessible?

 

Minus pay sites, timber, NAS, etc....I would safely say for suitable camping..... 200,000 acres.

PR

 

with roads and parking for 2 wheel drive vehicles? even i doubt that..

even up here{north georgia mountains),,close off a couple sites and it blocks corridors to other sites..

i find it hard to believe that closing 50,000 acres out of nearly 400,000 acres of N.F. doesnt severely impact accessibility.

 

Thank you

 

We're not in moutain area's and we have a NICE florida trail thru it all. Even my Fat ass can stop and pull off the road enough to be legal, then to walk anywhere from about any road with no trails even.

SO even if it leaves 100,000 acres....... I still see an A-Camper Venting.

PR

 

well,, its been years since i been down that way,, dont claim to be a expert..

thanks for the input..

 

Thank You hippiehillbilly. Sometimes our words seem or appear what they are not meant and I see us BOTH learning to see, think or sit-on-it-awhile.

So with that I write:

Please everyone, don't mistake me for bashing ANY campers or groups. I love ALL campers, people and beings. And voicing/venting is a good thing. What most fail to see about EVERYTHING said about Ocala is that, THAT is what makes Ocala so VERY special. It is a Blessed event that all can learn from just by attending. Whether it be good or bad, "the teaching's are everywhere" (another quote from Ram Dass). Attending ANY National or Ocala (regional) I truly believe (as I see it in myself) makes one closer to being the whole person we are meant to be. Some are supposed to be the thorn and others the side in which it is thrusted.
I pray ALL can see that or will very soon before the coming of the time.

I LOVE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU!

PR

 

hey idiot, i'm not lying. i just happened to pass through ocala this week, and it looks like a disaster area in a lot of places, with all the reseeding, clear cutting and control burns.

anyways, this thread wasn't for you, house hippie. i'm not posting concerning the gathering - ya'll weekend warriors and rainbows vacationing out of babylon to pretend for a week can occupy yerselfs with that. it was directed more at those that are traveling south for the winter - all those road dogs, hobos, gutter punks and tramps that inhabit the ocala forest for the winter - oh, i'm sorry, this is a RAINBOW forum and road dogs aren't welcome here...

in particular is my concern with the first project, the "Unmanaged Recreation in Designated Primitive and Hunt Camps .... [to] prevent their use as season-long residences..." well, there's lots of people headed to the woods that rely on these hunt camps for wintering grounds.

of course they didn't fence in the forest. duh. but all the good spots are chained up, only unlocked for the hunters for the hunting season. the locals (which i was a local here until last year) are bitchin about the lack of anywhere to camp. there are many beautiful little spots that are NOT suitable for group use that i loved to camp at. it causes me great dismay that i can't take my kids to disappearing creek - i love that place.

as hh sez, "close off a couple sites and it blocks corridors to other sites... [and] severely impact accessibility." that's exactly what's happening here.

you are so judgemental. i wasn't venting, i was posting a link to the forest service projects that shows the fs is in particular going to be preventing season-long residents, aka road dogs. oh, oops... we're not supposed to care about those people, right?

keep yer LUV fer yerself idiot... i get plenty from people who are true. my karma's jest fine. and as i said before, i'm not an a-camper, i'm a scooter tramp in a tye dye. my hubby is the a-camper. neither of us plan on attending this 'blessed event' of a gathering, idiot (ha, what sappy sap that crap line is). i would greatly prefer to be a thorn in anyone's side than the self serving, judgemental, karma dispenser of this site that you think you must be.

SORRY EVERYBODY ELSE that actually wanted to maybe learn something about conditions in ocala - just be aware that it's probably gonna be a tough year wintering in the woods here. the sites that the fs plan on focusing on are notated on each project - and there are maps available at the fs website.

ok, i'm outta here - i'm back on the road myself for a while, living the life i love...

 

Maybe it would be a good idea if all the Drunken Thugs & Disciples of Little Hawk who have been wont to plague the Ocala gathering's Front Gate should just go down there ASAP and try to be homeless in the Ocala NF till gathering time in February? If we start getting a lot of requests for lawyers and bail money, we'll know what's up.

 

i would like to apologize to id10t - you called me a liar, and i responded with name calling in return. if you knew how adamant i am about truthfulness you would know that you really slammed my buttons. but you don't know me, and probably never will if you insist on only consorting with proper rainbow people, cuz i am far from proper.

i didn't start this thread to start an argument. i just wanted to talk about what's going on with the forest service.

we drove a different route through the woods a couple of days ago - parts of it look much better than others. in the southern section, the trees are still looking mighty touseled from the hurricanes in '04. i can see that parts of the forest needs to be groomed to prevent another huge statewide bonfire.

the ocala forest is not just rainbow territory - lots of people use these woods. lots of them don't want anything to do with the rainbows, since rainbows have pretty much screwed up the locals opinion of any woods dwellers. florida has traditionally had a large migration of wintering homeless folks. now they are being run out of the ocala national forest hunt camps. in my opinion, this is wrong.

 

No problem,

Believe it or not, I'm Biker myself. Still got my Ex's '57 panhead I wont part with at all. I do slammerjam and other Florida biker shows also from PASCO Co. to Tallahassee. I used to vend at them but to old for that now. I have been tramping through the forest since the mid 50's when it had alot of Orange Groves and Honey Hives so I've seen much of it ruined 1st hand. I miss the old 4-H camps and the good access to the spring runs & creeks we used to have. Every year I show up somewhere to find its been closed, timbered, turned to pay sites (arghh), etc, So I do understand about be disappointed with your kids.

Again, no problem. I dont want to see Hip Forums turn into a "Whistler Dave" Copy & Pasting A.G.R. Format either.


Love for All and All for Love,

PR

 

I am a backpacker and have met Rainbow people many times and had great fun talking with most I have met. Some rude ones just as in society, who cares. I think most all will be fine in Feb. except at Farlies Parie. You must make reservation now. Please let me camp with you in Feb at Buck Lake,LOL.
Love and peace to all
Don.

 

I think the meth makers can take most of the blame for that, though I'm sure that there are those who aren't crying real loud about the hippies who got slammed with the same hammer.