A Fact Sheet for Organizing to Preserve Human-Powered Snowsports

Are you and other human-powered recreationists you know experiencing motorized encroachment on public lands you have traditionally used for quiet winter recreation? Are you worried about motorized impacts on wildlife? Are you concerned that the quiet and solitude you seek as part of a winter recreation experience is disappearing because of increasing motorized access?

Here are important steps you and your organization can follow to build a stronger voice for human-powered snowsports in your area:

KNOW THE LAWS, FEDERAL REGULATIONS AND STATISTICS

• Learn the Executive Orders and Codes of Federal Regulations pertaining to the management of motorized recreation on public lands.
  
  
• Learn the legal precedents for establishing non-motorized recreation areas on public lands.
  
  
• Remember the Forest Service is required by law to take action to reduce user conflicts, protect resources, promote safety and provide all users with a quality recreation experience. The Forest Service is required to initiate and enforce closure orders.
  
  
• Determine how much accessible and usable terrain is available to snowmobiles and how much is dedicated as non-motorized areas for skiers. These numbers will help you when asking the land management agency for designation of non-motorized areas.
  
  
• Know land management boundaries.
  
  
• Carefully analyze potential on-the-ground separation of terrain and enforceability issues. When negotiating separate use areas, be aware of the areas where you currently recreate, as well as the areas where you used to, but no longer do because of motorized encroachment.
  
  
• Agreements have to be enforced — don't establish separate use areas unless the Forest Service and/or the ski-snowmobile communities will commit to education and enforcement.
  
  
• Develop statistics to support your claims. Track user preferences and numbers, economic impacts, etc. Identify, for example, how many skiers and snowshoers recreate in your area, how many no longer use the area because of motorized use, and how many more snowmobiles are now using the area.
  
  
• Research the impacts of motorized use on wildlife and the winter environment in your area.
  
  
• Request copies of Forest Service and BLM planning documents, or existing management plans. The Freedom of Information Act requires agencies to release such documents to the public.
  
  
• Read and understand your local Forest Service Plan and/or Travel Management Plan regarding winter travel.
  
  
• Participate in the Forest Service, BLM or appropriate public land planning process.
  
  
• Call for public hearings and an environmental analysis of snowmobile grooming and other services and amenities, paid for out of the state Off-Road Vehicle Account.

BUILD RELATIONSHIPS

• Building a strong, effective grassroots group is the key to winning your issue.
  
  
• Build coalitions with environmental and conservation groups:Solicit mailing lists from conservation organizations, local public radio station members, and other ski groups — and send out solicitation letters, emails or brochures to get others involved.
  
  
• Meet with Forest Service personnel, including the District Ranger, Forest Supervisor and Regional Forester, as often as possible, and establish good working relationships with them.
  
  
• Meet with local and congressional legislators to get their support for designating non-motorized areas in their districts or states. Encourage legislators to write letters or offer solutions to the Forest Service.
  
  
• Continue to meet with key players and keep the issues on the "front burner."

COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY

• Know your cause and be specific in the details.
  
  
• Create an action plan that includes a clear description of the issue, strategies and a timeline for actions.
  
  
• Write a position paper detailing the scope and significance of the issue. Use when meeting with land managers, congressional reps, snowmobile groups, media.
  
  
• Monitor what is going on in the backcountry.
  
  
• Begin and continue documenting user conflicts. Use them when communicating with land managers about the situation on the ground and with the media.
  
  
• Create a web site to inform others about the issues in your backcountry area and to collect names and comments. Winter Wildlands Alliance can provide assistance and a link.
  
  
• Develop and distribute winter recreation incident reports. Ask for photographs, encourage the use of video cameras, conduct interviews, establish a website to allow people to report electronically, collect these reports and submit them to the Forest Service and the local press.
  
  
• Create a notebook with photographs, correspondence, interviews, statistics and other forms of documentation to use when speaking with land managers, media, etc.
  
  
• Ask core recreation group members to generate letters to friends about the issue at hand. Encourage members, friends and recreationists to send comments to the Forest Service or other land management agencies about the problem in your area.
  
  
• Document all discussions and comments sent to the Forest Service, copy these documents and save them as evidence, in case you need to pursue litigation.
  
  
• Send a press release or write a Letter to the Editor of your local newspaper, and get your friends to write letters as well.
  
  
• Develop an action alert email or mailing list, or generate an alert for Winter Wildlands Alliance to send out on its listserve.
  
  
• Circulate a petition asking for separate use areas.
  
  
• If collaboration fails and user conflicts increase, investigate and initiate legal action.
  
  
• Use Winter Wildlands Alliance for support and as a resource for building a grassroots group, media and political contacts, current information on winter recreation issues and land management agencies.