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On May 7, 2008, the House Natural Resources Committee passed H.R. 3094, the National Park Centennial Fund Act with support of Democrats and Republicans. Soon, it will be taken up by the full House, and a companion bill has already started its way through the Senate.
The National Park System – "America´s best idea" – will turn 100 years old in 2016. By passing the National Parks Centennial Fund Act out of committee, the House is taking a bold step forward toward legislation that will help get rangers out from behind their desks, reduce the park system´s environmental footprint, protect cultural resources, and enhance human-powered recreation opportunities.
Winter Wildlands Alliance applauds the House Natural Resources Committee´s action on H.R. 3094 and looks forward to supporting this bill in Congress and seeing it become law in the near future.
Want to keep the energy level high? Fire-up an email to your Senators and ask them to keep-up with the House!
After rejecting requests for extending the comment period on the Forest Plan Revision by Winter Wildlands Alliance, Montanans for Quiet Recreation and the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest extended the period—being directed to after Idaho and Montana politicians contacted the Forest Service Chief at the request of the motorized crowd.
You can still weigh-in on this important forest plan – the motorized folks needed more time to get their act together, and we need to take advantage of the new April 30 deadline. Please act now!
The 3.3 million-acre Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest is the largest forest in Montana. It is home to an incredible diversity of wildlife, and where fantastic backcountry winter recreation is found on Mount Jefferson.
The Forest has released its “revised draft” management plan (essentially, the final plan) with a number of changes that affect quiet winter recreation. The most troubling change from the initial draft plan is that the southern slopes of Mount Jefferson are now open to snowmobiles. No reason was given for this change, but a visit from the Idaho snowmobile lobby to the Forest Supervisor´s office certainly didn´t hurt the motorized crowd´s chances.
Here´s a possible letter form for your use (adding personal experiences, etc., is always helpful)
Date
Mr. Bruce Ramsey, Forest Supervisor
Forest Plan Revision Comments
Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest
420 Barrett Street
Dillon, MT 59725
Dear Mr. Ramsey,
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Forest Plan Revision. I am a third-generation backcountry skier who´s enjoyed skiing in the Yellowstone area for many years . . . [Write a short paragraph of why you value quiet winter recreation; visits to the area, if any, etc.]
The Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest is to be commended for many components of this new plan. I particularly appreciate the Plan´s focus on sustaining the quiet use trails now existing throughout the Forest, especially those in the draft plan that were not changed in the revised plan. I also heartily applaud the new non-motorized winter use designations for the Ross Fork of Rock Creek and the Sapphires Crest.
Still, there are problems with the Plan. The East Pioneers and West Pioneers Roadless areas, and Sapphire Wilderness Study Area should be non-motorized year-round, and the McAtee Basin should be non-motorized in winter—in the draft plan it was a recommended wilderness area.
The most egregious breach of the forest planning process was the mid-stream decision to allow snowmobiles access to the Forest´s portion of Mount Jefferson. This area gets little current use by snow machines, is a significant ecological area with high wildlife value, and is a rare spot in the Forest that has world-class backcountry skiing and an ongoing business catering to the demand for quiet recreation. In other words, an excellent place to be left quiet.
I urge the Beaverhead-Deerlodge Nation Forest reconsider its decisions on the Pioneers, Sapphire Wilderness Study Area, McAtee Basin, and most importantly, Mount Jefferson. On a 3.3 million acre forest, a few thousand acres remaining free of the noise and pollution of snow machines does not seem unreasonable at all.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this Plan. Please include these comments in the administrative record and keep me informed of any additional opportunities to participate in this Plan.
Sincerely,
Before April 30th, please send your comments via snail mail, or be e-mail:
E-mail: comments-northern-beaverhead-deerlodge@fs.fed.us
View the plan documents at:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/b-d/forest-plan/index-plan-document-maps.shtml
In Idaho, as in most Western states, the majority of our winter adventures take place on National Forest land often in the Roadless Areas. The captivating alpine terrain of Idaho provides high quality winter recreation opportunities and important wildlife habitat during all seasons. The world-class backcountry ski terrain in Idaho’s Roadless Areas is at risk to future road development which leads to increased motorized recreation.
A big part of what makes these winter landscapes what they are, from scenery and terrain to the solitude and aesthetics is that they are in Roadless Areas. Roadless Areas are not quite wilderness, but they feel that way, and they tend to be more accessible and open to a variety of sustainable recreational pursuits. Roadless Areas make up about 31% of our National Forests and are ecological gems with clean air, water and plenty of wildlife.
Back in 2001 the Federal government proposed to protect these area in a simple way - stop building new roads. Without roads, it's pretty tough to harvest timber or mine phosphate. The American public loved the idea and the "2001 Roadless Rule" became one of the most popular federal regulations in history.
Things are about to change. Even though these are National Forests, the Federal government now wants to let individual states drive how roadless areas are managed, letting them re-jigger different levels of ecosystem protection and impinge on the wild qualities that make these places what they are to skiers, snowshoers, and everyone else that uses these lands and waters in a sustainable manner.
The first state to take the plunge is Idaho. Colorado is next. There are Roadless Areas in 39 states across the country. Fortunately the Federal government is circling back and asking the public what they think about this new state-driven plan, starting with the Idaho plan. Aside from setting the stage for other states, Idaho is particularly important because with 9.3 million acres of Roadless Areas, it’s got the largest intact ecosystem in the lower 48 states.
We already have more than 380,000 miles of Forest System roads - nine times the size of the federal interstate system.
To Protect these Experiences
We Need Your Help Today!
Tell the Idaho Roadless Planning Team what you think. Should we keep these places wild and thriving with qualities that make places worth climbing up and carving down and treat them like the national resources that they are, or whittle them away, here and there, state by state until the edge that makes Roadless Areas unique becomes dull and then gone?
********************************************************
The comment deadline for the
Idaho Roadless Rule is April 7th
Please make your voice heard on this important issue.
********************************************************
Idaho Snowmobile Lobby Arm-Twists Forest Service on Mount Jefferson
The 3.3 million-acre Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest is the largest forest in Montana. It is home to an incredible diversity of wildlife, and where fantastic backcountry winter recreation is found on Mount Jefferson.
The Forest has released its "revised draft" management plan (essentially, the final plan) with a number of changes that affect quiet winter recreation. The most troubling change from the initial draft plan is that the southern slopes of Mount Jefferson are now open to snowmobiles. No reason was given for this change, but a visit from the Idaho snowmobile lobby to the Forest Supervisor’s office certainly didn’t hurt the motorized crowd’s chances.
Winter Wildlands Alliance, along with Montanans for Quiet Recreation and the Greater Yellowstone Coalition requested an extension of the comment period for the plan, given its complexity and the backroom changes that were made, but our request has been denied.
We now have until March 31st to make our views known on the management of this sprawling national forest. Please weigh in on this important forest management plan – the good, the bad, and the ugly—
Before March 31st, please send your comments to:
Mr. Bruce Ramsey, Forest Supervisor
Forest Plan Revision Comments
Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest
420 Barrett Street
Dillon, MT 59725
Email: comments-northern-beaverhead-deerlodge@fs.fed.us
View the plan documents at:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/b-d/forest-plan/index-plan-document-maps.shtml
Comments now due - by February 29th!
Due to pressure from local motorized groups and aided by the Blue Ribbon Coalition’s extensive e-mail network and close ties to Idaho politicians, the Clearwater NF has extended the comment period on its travel planning process.
As we feared, the motorized groups are exerting heavy pressure on the Clearwater NF to keep recommended wilderness areas open to motorized use, and continue the wide-open reign of motors throughout the Clearwater.
First, commend the Clearwater for including winter use in its travel planning, and for keeping recommended wilderness areas free from motorized use. Strongly urge them to keep these recommended wilderness areas free from snowmobiles!
Second, urge them to keep additional roadless areas off-limits to motorized use in order to keep the Selway Bitterroot Wilderness free from trespassing snowmobiles. Be specific: ALL of the following roadless areas must be protected (not just the small portions of each as propsed by the Forest) --
Finally, ask them to describe in detail in the Travel PLan how the Forest plans to enforce the travel restrictions they propose, specifically keeping snowmobiles out of recommended wilderness areas and the Selway Bitterroot Wilderness.
You can mail your comments to:
Lochsa Ranger District, Kamiah Ranger Station
Attn: Lois Foster, Interdisciplinary Team Leader
Rt. 2 Box 191
Kamiah, ID 83536
Or via e-mail to:
comments-northern-clearwater@fs.fed.us
To view all available documents, see the Clearwater's Travel Planning website:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/clearwater/Projects/TravPlan/ClwTravel.htm
Reforming the 1872 Mining Law will, finally, give recreation values a voice on how our federal public lands are managed
Mineral activities often affect recreation by polluting the soils and water but also by allowing roads into classic backcountry ski terrain. Once mining roads are established, often at taxpayer expense, further protection becomes nearly impossible. Roads open up to additional motorized activities year round: further compromising the environment and experience for quiet winter enthusiasts. The Beartooths (MT), Boise National Forest (ID), Sierra Range (CA), and the Colorado high country are just a few of the backcountry ski destinations under intense hardrock mining pressure.
Fueled by record-high metal prices over 89,000 new claims have been staked throughout the West. As skiers and snowshoers requiring lightweight gear, we all need metal and responsible mining remains an important activity. The problem lies with 19th century values and policy guiding 21st century high tech mining technology. Laws put in place before the invention of the light bulb show no regard for the new outdoor recreation values and economic future of the West.
Late last year, U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill to reform our nation’s policy on hardrock mining policy. Right now the U.S. Senate is considering reform too.
Please take action and let your Senators know what you think.
Follow this link to conveniently generate a unique letter that you can email directly to both of your Senators.
Looking for more information or needing another reason to get motivated to write? The Outdoor Alliance recently premiered an excellent six and half minute video that reminds and inspires us what is at stake.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62ndawMJPZY
As millions of Americans prepare to spend their summer vacations hiking, backpacking and enjoying outdoor pursuits in our national forests, Congress has united in a bi-partisan effort to protect those areas for future generations. More than 140 House Democrats and Republicans introduced legislation recently that would provide permanent protection for 58.5 million acres of pristine forest land in 39 states. This would include 9.3 million acres of North America’s only coastal temperate rainforest - Alaska’s Tongass National Forest. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and John Warner (R-VA), along with 16 of their colleagues, introduced a companion bill in the U.S. Senate.
The legislation is intended to finally turn the landmark 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule into law. The rule was approved in January 2001 following years of scientific study, more than 600 public hearings across the country, and 1.6 million official public comments. Ongoing legal battles continue to threaten the fate of the 2001 Roadless Rule and the lands it protects, which are critical to wildlife, backcountry recreation, and downstream water quality.
The legislation would protect our remaining roadless US Forest Service lands from most logging and road-building, however the rule allows new roads to be constructed in order to fight fires and ensure public health and safety.
The National Forest System contains over 380,000 miles of roads and 60,000 miles of unmapped logging roads, enough to circle the globe 17 times. Only 21 percent of these roads meet adequate road maintenance standards. The current road maintenance backlog is estimated at $10 billion, with 16 states maintaining a backlog of $100 million each.
Winter Wildlands Alliance has consistently supported the protection of roadless lands. The legislation would not lead to the closure of any existing roads. It would only prevent new roads from being built in the few remaining special places in our nation that are currently roadless. Protecting these wild places from road building is critical to protecting winter wildlands - and the unique experience of skiing over the pristine snowscapes that blanket them in winter. Winter Wildlands Alliance is working with our partners in the Outdoor Alliance to promote roadless protections - and the management of existing roads in a responsible manner that protects rivers and public access to recreational opportunities.
Your help is needed. Both the House and Senate legislation need more congressional support. Write your representative at http://www.house.gov/writerep/, and/or your senator at http://www.senate.gov/. Another of our partner organizations, American Lands, has a good letter writing tool that you can also use to send a letter to your Representative (http://tinyurl.com/2j37g3) or Senator (http://tinyurl.com/32fxp5). Please be sure to modify the letter significantly, and indicate that you support roadless protections from the perspective of someone who appreciates the value of winter wildlands and pristine snowscapes. Please state that you support the National Forest Roadless Area Conservation Act of 2007.
Our nation's first national park is at a crossroads. The comment period is now open on a new Winter Use Plan for Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks and your voice can make a difference in whether Yellowstone and its irreplaceable resources are protected for future generations or whether the park takes a step backward to increased noise and pollution from more snowmobiles.
Please, take a few minutes right now to tell the Park Service to heed their own science and protect Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.
Dramatic decreases in snowmobile use over the past four winters have led to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks becoming quieter, healthier and more enjoyable for a broader range of visitors. Now, however, rather than working to continue this hopeful trend, the National Park Service is proposing to escalate snowmobile use by as much as three times the current average even though the park's own studies verify the reason Yellowstone is healthier today is because of fewer snowmobiles and that it would be healthier still with no snowmobiles.
Background information, a sample letter and talking points are provided below. Click here to submit your comments electronically. If you cannot use the electronic form, you may mail your letter to: Winter Use Planning Team, P.O. Box 168, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming 82190.
Please also email a copy of your letter to .
Deadline for comments is June 5, 2007.
The National Park Service recently released a Draft Environmental Impact Statement – the fourth such study in less than 10 years – on a Long-term Winter Use Plan for Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. The Park Service's "preferred alternative" calls for up to 720 snowmobiles per day in Yellowstone. In addition to the preferred alternative, the DEIS includes other alternatives including Alternative 2, the Snowcoach Only Alternative which calls for providing winter access on modern snowcoaches and phasing out snowmobile use in the park. Winter Wildlands Alliance supports Alternative 2 as it offers the park and its visitors the best protection while ensuring public access in winter.
The Draft EIS can be found at the National Park Service's Planning, Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) website. The Draft EIS is also available on CD or in hard copy by writing the Winter Use Planning Team, P.O. Box 168, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming 82190.
Sample Letter
Note: The sample letter below is provided as a template. However, personalized letters have far greater impact so please take a few minutes to put this information in your own words (additional talking points are listed below). If you have visited Yellowstone please note that and include your firsthand experiences there.
Dear Park Service,
I respectfully urge you to do the right thing in protecting Yellowstone National Park and its future. Please do NOT adopt your "preferred alternative" which allows 720 snowmobiles per day in the park. Instead, heed your own Management Policies, the conclusions of your scientists, the advice of your former directors and the wishes of the vast majority of American citizens and adopt Alternative 2, which calls for providing winter access on modern snowcoaches and phasing out snowmobile use in the park.
The evidence is clear – after four studies and $10 million it should be – that Yellowstone's air quality, peace and quiet, wildlife, and visitor experience are best protected by phasing out the use of snowmobiles. Furthermore, snowcoaches offer all individuals the same opportunity to see Yellowstone in winter and provide an environmentally friendly way to access the park for skiing, snowshoeing and other winter adventures. On that note, I ask you to use the Winter Use Plan as an opportunity to expand and improve services and facilities for healthy recreation like cross country skiing, snowshoeing and winter hiking. Enhancing park services such as grooming and skier shuttles in appropriate areas as well as providing trail maps and safety information will better serve park visitors and protect the delicate winter ecosystems of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.
I commend the Park Service on the improved conditions – fresher air, more natural sounds, less conflict with wildlife – achieved in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks over the past four winters. As we all know, those conditions are a direct result of fewer snowmobiles in the parks. The Park Service is duty-bound to continue this hopeful and resurgent trend, not to contravene and undercut it as your current proposal will surely do. Your studies clearly show that eliminating snowmobiles and providing access on cleaner, quieter snowcoaches will further improve the parks' health and protect them for future generations. Please do the right thing by America's flagship national park. Implement what you have already verified is best, Alternative 2.
Sincerely,
name
address
Additional Talking Points
Please heed your own science. Four separate studies at a cost of $10 million have demonstrated conclusively that Yellowstone's air quality, peace and quiet, wildlife, and visitor experience are best protected by providing winter access on modern snowcoaches and phasing out the use of snowmobiles in the park. The latest study verifies yet again that a continuation of snowmobile use would result in greater levels of air and noise pollution and disturbance of Yellowstone's wildlife.
Snowcoaches are equalizing in that they give all individuals the same opportunity to see Yellowstone in winter and offer an environmentally friendly way to access the park for skiing, snowshoeing and other winter adventures. Increasingly, visitors are choosing snowcoaches as the more affordable and educational means of touring the park. Visitor use of snowcoaches has climbed by more than 67 percent in the past four winters.
Providing appropriate services and facilities for healthy recreation like cross country skiing and snowshoeing will better serve park visitors and protect the delicate winter ecosystems of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Enhancing park services like grooming and skier shuttles in appropriate areas as well as trail maps and safety information for skiing, snowshoeing and winter hiking is a smart and strategic way to increase visitorship while protecting park resources.
Noise – already a problem with the current daily average of 250 snowmobiles – will significantly increase under the preferred alternative of 720 snowmobiles per day. The DEIS acknowledges that Yellowstone's thresholds for natural soundscapes have been repeatedly exceeded in recent winters with an average of 250 snowmobiles per day and that the problem will grow significantly worse under the "preferred alternative." Increasing the number of snowmobiles in the park makes NO sense. In contrast, the snowcoach alternative would allow visitors to enjoy natural sounds and quiet far more consistently at the park's major attractions.
The National Park Service has clear direction under the Clean Air Act and its newly affirmed Management Policies to provide "the best possible air quality." This mandate is patently at odds with 720 snowmobiles per day in the park. The DEIS includes these details: If snowmobile numbers expand from 250 to 720 per day, Particulate and Nitrogen Oxide emissions would nearly triple. Hydrocarbon emissions would double. Carbon Monoxide emissions would increase by nearly 60 percent. By proposing to expand snowmobile use nearly three-fold from current levels and increase air pollution form current levels, NPS is choosing to take Yellowstone's air quality backward and to forgo options that would further enhance air quality.
Yellowstone's own scientists have recommended, in order to avoid adverse impacts on the park's wildlife, that winter traffic remain "at or below" the levels they studied in the winters of 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2006-06. Snowmobile numbers during those winters averaged 250 daily. The proposal to increase snowmobile use above that level is at odds with the recommendation of scientists and is WRONG.
A bipartisan group of every living former director of the National Park Service except one has joined in a letter to U.S. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne urging him to ensure a continued transition away from snowmobile use in the park. (Recently retired NPS director Fran Mainella is constrained by ethics rules from commenting for one year and did not sign.) Spanning every Democratic and Republican presidential administration from Lyndon Johnson to Bill Clinton, the seven former NPS directors write to "express our alarm over a proposal in Yellowstone National Park that would radically contravene both the spirit and the letter of the 2006 Management Policies." The letter continues, "The latest National Park Service study illuminates in detail that allowing Yellowstone's current average of 250 snowmobiles per day to increase – to as many as 720 snowmobiles – would undercut the park's resurgent natural conditions." It continues, "The study also provides clear evidence that reducing snowmobile numbers still further – from 250 per day to zero – while expanding public access on modern snowcoaches, would further improve the park's health." The full letter is available at NPS_director_joint_letter.pdf.
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