Wenatchee Mountains Coalition (WMC) came here, and was allowed, to try to talk to snowmobile riders in 2010. WMC supports WWA and vice-versa. I think that some or most guys here are, of course, angry, but more importantly just keep going on without understanding laws and process regarding the Forest and how things are done. The extremist stance, the aggressive language, just drives this toward being influenced by groups such as Sierra Cub which seems to have no limit on desire to create new Wilderness and ruin our way of life. Though you like to label us, we are not usually like those labels thrown around, we want our share, many of us ride snowmobiles and skitour- but we believe that the motorized/ non-motorized or human-powered/ non human-powered uses need areas for each. USFS in many examples but not on all Forests neglected to divide up the winter Forest as required. This court decision now forces USFS to do this balanced management of the winter Forest- per longstanding law- in Idaho. As well, the decision may have nationwide implications.
It is tough to be faced with the prospect of not having snowmobile riding free reign over places such as the Wenatchee NF, but sooner or later 'you guys' will have to share. In 25 years, I have watched the reverse, I have watched the snowmobiles take over ranges of mountains that I skied on before snomos were capable of getting out there. All of the folks that I work with in Winter Wildlands are not trying to ban snowmobiles, although WWA and WMC want more areas available in winter without snowmobile riding. My own local contacts who are mostly Republcans and almost entirely professionals, guys who skitour and ride snomos, and want some balance. We, as described, are wanting to 'SHARE' instead of being shut out. WMC advocates for significant areas for non-motorized winter recreation on the Wenatchee NF. Wilderness is usually inaccessible, and on the Wenatchee very little provision for winter recreation other than snowmobile riding has occurred. This was not a problem until the technology allowed snowmobiles to ride on all sort of new terrain and take away most of the country that had been traveled only by skis and snowshoes before the new technology snowmobiles.
The real data shows such a greater number of folks who want to and do walk on the winter Forest on skis or snowshoes. This data has not been demonstrated by studies where surveyors target Sno Parks primarily. The human-powered folks are spread out in various parking locations, and one car will carry several- compared the the huge amount of parking to accommodate rigs with trailers for a few riders. One bus at our local Sno Park as is common from the city on a winter weekend will have more non-motorized users than probably days or the entire week numbers of snowmobile riders at that Sno Park. I am not trying to convince anyone these are the facts, you can rail against the reality and yadda but this overwhelming force of numbers and resources is beginning to be felt.
So I and most of my local contacts do not want to lose the ability to snowmobile back into the Forest, especially using the roads. The roads on the Wenatchee are thus far nearly all that is legally established for snowmobile riding- so 'you guys' have your work cut out for you to get some established riding areas beyond that. You have your work cut out, but you spend your time talking smack, acting out, threatening this and that, all of which no one cares. And please, do those mass demonstrations of breaking the boundaries, that will just make it go quicker.
I have heard often and from many USFS folks with a lot of years experience of how nasty it is to deal with snowmobile riders in regard to this management. We have been told directly that locally this is a primary reason why USFS would not deal with it. This Federal Court decision, if carried on throughout the USFS, will require USFS to manage the Forest and designate where snowmobiles may be ridden. The biggest mistake made is that riders think that all of the Forest that they have had free reign belongs to snowmobile riding. The mistake is, the fact appears to be that USFS folks often chose to ignore you riding all over because it is too nasty to deal with! Now there may be no choice, and the Forest level on down will be given 'cover' to proceed when it comes down from the top.
So no, I am not here to make friends. But some of my statements from 2010 are coming to fruition. I will tell you in 2013 that I believe snowmobile riders need to learn the new reality and join the process before your little fits just screw you out of all of it.
