NELSONVILLE — The Wayne National Forest Athens Ranger District is seeking public feedback on a proposal to construct a single track, sustainable trail system for mountain biking in Athens County.

The proposed project area is located on the Athens Ranger District in the general area of the “Baileys” (West Bailey, Big Bailey, and Carr Bailey Roads) near the communities of Athens, Nelsonville, Chauncey, and Buchtel.

If approved, the Baileys Mountain Bike Trail Project would authorize a 92-mile trail system designed to accommodate mountain bike riders with varying degrees of skill and time to ride. The proposed new mountain bike trails would link to 27 miles of existing local mountain bike trails and 21 miles of paved bike paths to provide connections to local communities.

Once constructed, the Athens area will be eligible to be recognized as a destination-worthy International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) Ride Center, none of which currently exist in Ohio.

The purpose of this project is to: Create recreational opportunities for a quality backcountry, single-track mountain biking experience on the Forest for riders of various skill levels (technical and physical capabilities) that is near existing trails and interested communities; reduce conflicts between mountain bikers and other recreational trail users by providing a trail system that is designed specifically for mountain bike use; Continue a collaborative approach to construct and maintain a sustainable mountain bike trail system; and connect mountain bike trails to communities in Athens and Hocking counties in a manner that contributes to the ecological, social, and economic prosperity of these communities over the long term.

Public comments can be made to Dawn McCarthy at Wayne National Forest, 13700 U.S. Hwy 33, Nelsonville, Ohio by Friday, July, 7, 2017, specifically stating that they are in reference to the scoping period for the Baileys Mountain Bike Trail Project. Comments should directly relate the proposed action to a resource impact, along with supporting reasons. Include your name, current physical mailing address, phone number and signature or other verification of identity with your comments. All comments received will be considered, but to be most helpful, they should be received by Friday, July 7, 2017, for the scoping period.

You may also call to discuss this project at (740) 753-0101 during normal business hours, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or submit comments electronically to: comments-eastern-wayne-athens@fs.fed.us

Information about this (including a newsletter and maps) and other projects being developed and analyzed can be found online at the Wayne

National Forest website at http://www.fs.usda.gov/projects/wayne/landmanagement/projects.

For more information, visit our website at http://www.fs.usda.gov/wayne. Follow the Wayne National Forest on Twitter: @waynenationalfs.