ASHEVILLE, N.C. - A decision to close the 39-mile Off Highway Vehicle Trail System in the upper Tellico River basin was announced today by the National Forest Service, but off-highway vehicle supporters say their fight to keep the trails open is not over.

The area in question is in North Carolina, but Forest Service personnel say erosion in the area is affecting the Tellico River and trout fishing section in Monroe County, Tennessee.

"Our analysis has shown the problems to be worse than we first thought," said Marisue Hilliard, the national forests supervisor in North Carolina.

She said the system is "currently contributing unacceptable levels of...