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My letter to the USFS concerning some of the proposed new Wilderness as part of the C.O.W. National Forest Plan Revision.
Feel free to use, copy, pass on, use parts, whatever.
To whom it may concern,
I'm writing in response to the COW Forest Management Plan, and more specifically to give feedback on specific areas of proposed new wilderness area.
I am a year round recreational forest user. In the summer, I hike, fish, camp, mountain bike, etc... In the winter, I am primarily a backcounty snowmobiler. I use many different areas of the Wenatchee National Forest, and the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.
The areas of concern for me are the Proposed Wilderness Areas just north of Cle Elum:
*Specifically, the area accessed by NFD Rd 9737 (we've always referred to this area as "29 Pines" because of the 29 Pines Snowpark). This area is used by a significant number of snowmobiliers in the winter. We ride from the Beverly area East to the Negro Creek Drainage, and West to the Eldorado Creek Drainage above the De Roux Campground, and then further on to the West to the Gallagher Lake, Lake Ann, Hawkins Mt., Van Epps, and Scatter Creek areas.
*The second area of concern is the Proposed Wilderness Area around the Scatter Creek area. We regularly ride out of the Salmon le Sac Snow Park, up NFD Rd 4330 to the Scatter Creek area, where there is a winter trail up the Scatter Creek drainage, working our way Southeast to the Van Epps, Lake Ann, and Gallagher Lake areas. We also use NFD Rd 160 for access and as an easier return route at the end of the day.
These 2 Snowparks (29 Pines and Salmon le Sac) are already taxed to capacity in the winter, with a significant number of users accessing an area that is alreay too small to accomodate the numbers. If the current proposal becomes reality, then we will be squeezed into an even smaller area. We already spend a significant amount of time "self-policing" when we discover users have wandered into the current wilderness (usually due to a lack of knowledge). If these significant use areas are allowed to become wilderness, then I'm afraid the wilderness incursions will increase to a point that policing will not be possible.
Due to the distance needed to travel to these areas from the snowparks, the only primary users of these areas in the winter are snowmobilers. In the 15+ years I have been accessing these areas, I have NOT ONCE come across a non-motorized user in these areas in the winter. I have heard anecdotal evidence that there may be a small number of non-motorized users with "local knowledge" who have used these areas, but I have never seen signs of non-motorized use.
I encourage you to please consider the ever decreasing amount of non-wilderness areas for winter motorized use. By decreasing these areas even further, the land will be taxed even more due to the increased density of users on a smaller and smaller area.
I have attached a blowup of the areas of concern, and I urge you to re-think the Proposed Wilderness in these areas.
Thank you for your time,
Feel free to use, copy, pass on, use parts, whatever.
To whom it may concern,
I'm writing in response to the COW Forest Management Plan, and more specifically to give feedback on specific areas of proposed new wilderness area.
I am a year round recreational forest user. In the summer, I hike, fish, camp, mountain bike, etc... In the winter, I am primarily a backcounty snowmobiler. I use many different areas of the Wenatchee National Forest, and the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.
The areas of concern for me are the Proposed Wilderness Areas just north of Cle Elum:
*Specifically, the area accessed by NFD Rd 9737 (we've always referred to this area as "29 Pines" because of the 29 Pines Snowpark). This area is used by a significant number of snowmobiliers in the winter. We ride from the Beverly area East to the Negro Creek Drainage, and West to the Eldorado Creek Drainage above the De Roux Campground, and then further on to the West to the Gallagher Lake, Lake Ann, Hawkins Mt., Van Epps, and Scatter Creek areas.
*The second area of concern is the Proposed Wilderness Area around the Scatter Creek area. We regularly ride out of the Salmon le Sac Snow Park, up NFD Rd 4330 to the Scatter Creek area, where there is a winter trail up the Scatter Creek drainage, working our way Southeast to the Van Epps, Lake Ann, and Gallagher Lake areas. We also use NFD Rd 160 for access and as an easier return route at the end of the day.
These 2 Snowparks (29 Pines and Salmon le Sac) are already taxed to capacity in the winter, with a significant number of users accessing an area that is alreay too small to accomodate the numbers. If the current proposal becomes reality, then we will be squeezed into an even smaller area. We already spend a significant amount of time "self-policing" when we discover users have wandered into the current wilderness (usually due to a lack of knowledge). If these significant use areas are allowed to become wilderness, then I'm afraid the wilderness incursions will increase to a point that policing will not be possible.
Due to the distance needed to travel to these areas from the snowparks, the only primary users of these areas in the winter are snowmobilers. In the 15+ years I have been accessing these areas, I have NOT ONCE come across a non-motorized user in these areas in the winter. I have heard anecdotal evidence that there may be a small number of non-motorized users with "local knowledge" who have used these areas, but I have never seen signs of non-motorized use.
I encourage you to please consider the ever decreasing amount of non-wilderness areas for winter motorized use. By decreasing these areas even further, the land will be taxed even more due to the increased density of users on a smaller and smaller area.
I have attached a blowup of the areas of concern, and I urge you to re-think the Proposed Wilderness in these areas.
Thank you for your time,
