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WMC folks have looked into the Wilderness incursion for years, quite a bit of interaction now at many levels of USFS. We have learned of no real plan to enforce the Wilderness Boundary areas of this discussion. But there is no way to know exactly what plans are discussed. USFS folks at all levels state that they "take this problem very seriously."
With the amount of reporting from various sources, this issue seems to be growing. We are surprised to have had such a conversation here, thanks, and now would welcome collaboration here between skiers and snowmobile riders to solve the Boundary problems. We hear that we should go to Wilderness to ski, and as we have pointed out when we do there are tracks or snowmobiles already present in the Wilderness when we get there! This issue seems to have the potential for some major reaction to the issue. That is a frightening thought to us who live surrounded by USFS Land and see so many changes, new Plans, our entire communities transformed by Forest Policy. WMC is not seeking that, we are surprised and gratified to have had such a conversation here, thanks, and now would welcome collaboration here between skiers and snowmobile riders to solve the Boundary problems.
These problems also include areas such as the Tronsen Non-Motorized Area from Blewett Sno Park. Those four Sections are some sweet skiing. Last season were more snowmobile incursions than my friend from Eburg saw in 30 years skiing there! Before someone here says "call the waaambulance" or something, please consider, for example, how many folks are impacted by a snowmobile riding around the Tronsen area for an hour. With the new machines, we see deeper square ruts. Those ruts remained through a couple of snowfalls in one of the main trails of the Tronsen Non-Motorized Area. So literally hundreds of xc skiers and snowshoe hikers walked over those ruts for a few weeks last winter. Folks drive to Tronsen to ski or snowshoe from Puget Sound, south and north of Blewett, and we meet folks from Tri Cities there. A single snowmobile riding that Non-Motorized Area leaves ruts that are observed by hundreds of skiers and snowshoers from all over WA.
The other issue revolves around areas that are legal for snowmobiling that we have skied for decades, where snowmobiles not long ago did not go. Now with the fantastic new machines, snowmobiles can eat up the areas that we could ski not long ago because snowmobiles could not go there in the past. We understand how offensive it is for snowmobile riders to consider losing terrain, please imagine how it is now with the rutting, and the usual other issues, for skiers who until just 2-3 years ago saw a lot more untracked Forest areas to ski, between the snowmobile tracked areas.
In regard to who we are, WMC, three of us run this thing, two have posted on Forums but only one continues to post Forums. We have on contact lists between us 400 to 500 folks with similar interests. We three together have around 100 years of backcountry skiing or snowshoeing in WA, so we do know a lot of folks with similar interests. We regularly discuss these issues and our proposal with about 20 other folks. No one speaks for all skiers and all snowshoers, and there is not uniiversal agreement. WMC is attempting to find a solution taking all of this into consideration. WMC sees here on Snowest a continuing conversation and will hope that some of us may eventually get together face-to-face to discuss these issues with the goal of trying to look for solutions. WMC strongly believes that if we just remain polarized, at odds, not recognizing the other view, the situation will not improve. We all probably have much more in common than we have in conflict, we are passionate about our sports and the issues surrounding them, thus the debate.
Thanks for the discussion.
). But the point I have been making since the beginning is exactly what DD said again.
