Grassroots Spotlight - Togwotee Pass Backcountry Alliance

With a high elevation point of nearly 10,000 feet, Wyoming’s Togwotee Pass provides backcountry skiers with amazingly diverse mountain terrain. Open glades, alpine meadows, bowls, cirques and endless couloirs define the Togwotee region. Impetuous skiers can cut turns as early as October and diehards can ski right to their cars in June. Breccia Peak, Brooks Mountain, Two Ocean Peak, Angle Mountain… these names have become legendary for skiers from both sides of Togwotee Pass.

The Continental Divide bisects Togwotee Pass and defines both a hydrologic and an administrative divide. On the Atlantic side is Shoshone National Forest with its headquarters in Cody and on the Pacific is the Bridger-Teton National Forest with its headquarters in Jackson. Due to budget restraints both Forests have stalled their forest planning processes and because over-snow vehicle loophole in the 2005 ORV Rule allows them to move forward without winter travel planning, both forests are amending their current plans without addressing winter conflicts. This leaves Togwotee Pass backcountry skiers in limbo.

Togwotee Pass was a destination for skiers long before the first snowmobiles arrived. It has been home to two rope tows and is the preferred destination for students of the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), Central Wyoming College (CWC) and the American Avalanche Institute (AAI). For skiers traveling from the communities of Dubois, Riverton, and Lander on the East side, Togwotee Pass is the closest and maybe only place, with reasonable access to good ski terrain. Yet, upon arrival, the skier or snowshoer is unable to escape from the aesthetic and safety concerns associated with the thousands of snowmobiles that now visit Togwotee Pass each winter.

In an effort to rectify this situation Togwotee Pass Backcountry Alliance (TPBA) has requested several areas be designated non-motorized in the winter. TPBA's current proposal includes East Angle, The Breccia/Brooks Mountain cirque, and the east side of Two Ocean Peak. Overall, these proposed areas represent a tiny area of what is available to snowmobiles. In an effort to advance this proposal, Winter Wildlands Alliance organized a Togwotee Pass Winter Stakeholders Meeting in September.

Held in Dubois, the meeting was facilitated by Wyoming State Legislator Keith Gingery. Representatives of Togwotee Pass Backcountry Alliance, Friends of Pathways, Wyoming Wilderness Association, Dubois Ski Club, Wind River Gear, and Winter Wildlands Alliance spoke on behalf of skiers and snowshoers. Likewise, representatives of the Dubois Sno-Katters, Jackson
Snow-Devils, Wyoming State Snowmobile Association, Brooks Lake Lodge, and Togwotee Mountain Lodge expressed their views for snowmobilers. Personnel from both the Bridger-Teton and Shoshone National Forests also attended the meeting. While no agreement was reached regarding designating non-motorized areas on Togwotee Pass, a dialogue between the
snowmobile and ski communities has opened up. This winter, efforts will be made to educate snowmobilers about the safety concerns skiers have. TPBA will work with local snowmobile
clubs and the Forest service to place signs notifying snowmobilers that they are not only in avalanche terrain but are sharing the area with skiers.

Another positive outcome of the Winter Stakeholders Meeting was the opportunity to establish new friends and alliances within the human-powered winter recreation community around Togwotee Pass. Winter Wildlands Alliance will continue to work closely and support the efforts of Togwotee Pass Backcountry Alliance and our other grassroots groups in the region. Establishing non-motorized areas for skiers on Togwotee Pass may be a long climb but it is a climb that WWA and TPBA are fully committed to making.

Heading out to ski/ride/hike/climb or kite this weekend? Grab your video camera!

Hey you, with the toque! Heading out for some first tracks? Take your video camera! Shoot some video! Even better, that fancy computer of yours probably has a video editor on it. Why not
brainstorm a story on your drive out, shoot a few minutes of quality video, and make a short clip for submission to the 2010/2011 Backcountry Film Festival?

You could win cool gear, regional acclaim, or even a small cash prize. The Backcountry Film Festival now features an award for the best amateur video. Just keep the finished product under five minutes, non-motorized, and make it interesting. The best videos tell a story, so even if your friends aren’t professional skiers, or your local secret spot doesn’t have the most spectacular scenery, you can at least tell the tale of the local yeti sighting, highlight the newest non-motorized winter sport, or, heck, reenact the Attack of the Zombie Snowboarders. Be creative!

WWA Welcomes New Backcountry Partners

Winter Wildlands Alliance is pleased to welcome new outdoor stores to our growing list of Backcountry Partners. In recent months Northern Lights Trading Company in Montana, Skinny Skis in Wyoming, and Pine Needle Mountaineering in Colorado have joined our Backcountry Partners Program.

Since 1982, Montana’s Northern Lights Trading Company has been equipping people for backpacking, climbing, mountaineering, canoeing, kayaking, rafting, camping and of course backcountry and Nordic skiing. Under the ownership of Jay Allen, Northern Lights Trading Company has expanded to include Barrel Mountaineering in Bozeman and Pipestone Mountaineering in Missoula. Northern Lights Trading Company is committed to social and environmental responsibility. Visit any of these shops and join in their passion for doing it right in the outdoor world.

In Colorado, Pine Needle Mountaineering has been Durango’s premier climbing, camping, and ski-shop since 1976. Located in the heart of the San Juan Mountain Range in Colorado, their expert staff is dialed-in, and eager to provide the most up-to-date information on backcountry and Nordic skiing. Pine Needle is committed to offering customers the best service and product selection in the Four Corners, for all of their outdoor needs.

In Jackson Hole, Skinny Skis has been serving locals and visitors for over 35 years. Born out of a passion for Nordic skiing, Skinny Skis has evolved from a very small cross country ski shop to a nearly half-block long specialty outdoor store. During summer, the store offers all the latest equipment for running, training, hiking, roller skiing, mountaineering and climbing. Winters are consumed with cross country and backcountry skiing and Skinny Skis stays stocked with a full supply of winter rental and retail gear. With extensive expertise on the Jackson Hole area, the crew at Skinny Skis can help get you out to enjoy all that Jackson Hole has to offer.

The Backcountry Partners Program is about environmental and business sustainability. By becoming a Winter Wildlands Alliance Backcountry Partner these shops are actively supporting the preservation of quality, backcountry winter recreation that their customers rely on. Together we can work to attain common goals and maintain a healthy winter backcountry industry while protecting our pristine snowscapes.

Winter Wildlands Alliance thanks Northern Lights Trading Company, Pine Needle Mountaineering, Skinny Skis, as well as our other Backcountry Partners for their support. Please express yours as well by visiting their shops. Check out all of our Backcountry Partners online at winterwildlands.org.

Backcountry Film Festival 2009-2010 is international. In so many ways.

It’s film festival season! For five years now, the Backcountry Film Festival has been there for you and your fellow winter addicts. Not only does the film festival showcase great films, the funds raised stay local to support local backcountry advocacy groups.

Viewers have vicariously ridden fabulous backcountry terrain in much of the USA, Europe, and South America. This year, add to the list the majestic peaks of…Australia?

In addition to some exciting new international submissions by seasoned favorites Powderwhore and Sweetgrass, the ephemeral beauty of Australia’s winter will be on display in the film Winter Dreaming, from Eucalypt Productions in Victoria, Australia. Our first entry from Teton Gravity Research highlights the impacts global warming has had on skiing in America. We learn about a grassroots effort to oppose a mine in Crested Butte, Colorado, and ski “Fast Grass and Dirty Corn” in Vermont. Also new this year: www.backcountryfilmfestival.com, where you can see which shows have been added. As always, the festival will tour communities near and wide this year, with shows being added regularly. Check out the schedule below or online. Don’t see a showing in your town? Give Whitney a call at 208-344-8692. Heck, if the folks at McMurdo Station, Antarctica can host the film festival, you certainly can, too.

Upcoming Dates & Venues:
December 10, 2009 Cashmere Riverside Center, Cashmere, WA
December 10, 2009 The Mountain Shop, Fort Collins CO
December 17, 2009 Location TBA, Homer, AK
December 19, 2009 Location TBA, McCall, ID
December 19, 2009 McMurdo Station, Antarctica
January 7, 2010 Victoria Theater, Santa Barbara, CA
January 9, 2010 Location TBA, Talkeetna, AK
January 28, 2010 Wildwood Room, Victor, ID
January 14, 2010 Buffalo Theater, Sheridan, WY
February 19, 2010 Bull 'n' Bear Saloon, Red Lodge, MT
February 25, 2010 The State Room, Salt Lake City, UT

Check out www.backcountryfilmfestival.com for an updated schedule.

Mark your calendar!
Get ready for ski season with Winter Wildlands and Powderwhore, producers of Flakes, a film featuring
backcountry shots from Patagonia to Alaska.


Date: Tuesday, October 6 2009
Time: 8:00pm
Location: Idaho Mountain Touring (1310 W Main Street)

Tickets at the door for $10. Raffle to benefit Winter Wildlands Alliance

ACTION ALERT: Help Protect Quiet Winter Recreation on the Clearwater National Forest

It’s always a pleasure to support Forest Service officials who do the right thing for the right reason. As you may know, national regulations require each forest to plan for summer motorized travel but leave the decision to manage winter motorized use up to each individual forest (WWA is working to change this). Not surprisingly, faced with budget shortfalls and limited staff, most forests put off winter planning.

The Clearwater National Forest is an exception. Their Travel Plan honestly evaluates the impacts of snowmobiles on wildlife and other winter uses, and closes some motorized recreation areas in an effort to address resource concerns. It’s a good plan, allowing for motorized use where appropriate and protecting sensitive areas with the goal of minimizing adverse effects.

The Forest’s preferred alternative, Alternative C, is an acceptable compromise between non-motorized and motorized winter uses. It does the following:

· Recommends that areas currently designated Recommended Wilderness (where some motorized use is allowed) be managed to maintain wilderness characteristics (with no motors allowed)

· Protects 503,057 acres from over-snow vehicle use (as compared to 302,856 acres now).

· Prohibits over-snow vehicle travel from October 1 to November 15.

So why bother commenting on such a stellar plan? Because pro-motorized groups are organizing against this alternative. If we want to see this travel plan implemented, we need to let the Forest Service know that there are plenty of us who appreciate their efforts to uphold their conservation mandate.

A sample letter is below.

Personalized letters always carry more weight so please modify your letter incorporating the following talking points:

Alternative C (the preferred alternative) -

· Protects the most habitat for lynx, elk and other wildlife.

· Protects the wilderness character of Recommended Wilderness Areas.

· Reduces conflict between non-motorized and motorized users by setting aside appropriate areas for each use.

· Leaves plenty of space--1,322,943 acres and thousands of miles of roads and trails—for over-snow vehicle use.

You’ll be commenting on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, or DEIS, for the travel plan. You can learn more about the planning process and the DEIS here: http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/clearwater/Projects/TravPlan/ClwTravel.htm

A helpful summary of the travel plan is here: http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/clearwater/Projects/TravPlan/Assets/DEIS/Misc/090710_travel_plan_summary.pdf

Comments must be received by Thursday, October 1. According to the Clearwater National Forest website:

Electronic comments must be submitted in a format such as an e-mail message, plain text (.txt), rich text (.rtf), or a Microsoft Word (.doc) document. Send electronic comments to: comments-northern-clearwater@fs.fed.us. E-mail comments must include the commenter’s name, and the words “Travel Planning” should appear in the subject line of the message. Comments must be submitted by the close of the comment period. For further information, contact Lois Foster at (208)935-4258

Written comments should be submitted to the project team leader at the following address:

Kamiah Ranger Station

Attention: Lois Foster, Travel Planning Team Leader

903 3rd Street

Kamiah, ID 83536

Sample Letter ____________________________________________________________________

Kamiah Ranger Station

Attention: Lois Foster, Travel Planning Team Leader

903 3rd Street

Kamiah, ID 83536

RE: Clearwater Travel Plan Draft Environmental Impact Statement

Dear Lois:

I’d like to thank the managers of the Clearwater National Forest for choosing to include winter in their travel planning. I understand that not every National Forest chooses to plan for winter uses. As a backcountry skier/snowboarder/snowshoer, I appreciate your efforts at protecting this important recreational resource. Good planning efforts, such as the plan you’ve put together for the Clearwater, not only go a long way to protecting the environment, but also reduce conflicts between motorized and non-motorized recreationists.

I agree with the USFS that Alternative C (the preferred alternative) is the best alternative for the forest.

Alternative C:

· Protects the most habitat for lynx, elk and other wildlife.

· Protects the wilderness character of Recommended Wilderness Areas.

· Reduces conflict between non-motorized and motorized users by setting aside appropriate areas for each use.

· Leaves plenty of space--1,322,943 acres and thousands of miles of roads and trails—for over-snow vehicle use.

Thank you for your thoughtful time and attention toward protecting the Clearwater National Forest for all users.

Sincerely,

Name

Address

Yellowstone Progress: Déjà vu All Over Again?

Dear Winter Wildlands Alliance Supporter,

Almost a year ago I wrote asking you to lend your voice in support of an interim plan that would have cut the number of snowmobiles in Yellowstone National Park by more than half and continued an encouraging return to clean air and the natural sights and sounds of winter in our oldest national park. Unfortunately, that plan was tossed in favor of the status quo during the waning hours of the Bush Administration.

Now, while it may seem like déjà vu all over again, I write to urge you to speak out for Yellowstone. Again. The Obama Administration recently reopened public comment on the proposed two-year interim rule to reduce the number of snowmobiles in Yellowstone National Park. The interim rule is the first action taken by the new administration following a decade of principled insistence by citizens like you that stewardship of Yellowstone should be on behalf of the broad public, not the special interest of the snowmobile industry. The proposed rule is also a direct result of legal action by Winter Wildlands Alliance and our coalition partners. It is a step in the right direction, but only a step.

The temporary plan should go further in reducing snowmobile numbers and expedite the process of phasing out snowmobile use entirely in favor of snowcoaches, which offer a more environmentally-friendly way to access the park in winter. It is time for a clear path forward – one providing for the conservation of our nation’s first National Park. Your voice can help give the Obama Administration credit where it is due while urging the administration not to pull up short in reaffirming the high standards of conservation that Yellowstone embodies. Please, take a few minutes right now to urge the National Park Service to heed its own science and protect Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.

Deadline for comments is September 8, 2009.

Background information, a sample letter, and additional points are provided below.

Over the past decade, the National Park Service has engaged in an extraordinary series of studies directed at the development of a sustainable winter use plan for Yellowstone National Park. After ten years and $10 million of analysis, the agency has only affirmed (and repeatedly reaffirmed) what has long been emphasized by the vast majority of those commenting on the National Park Service’s various winter use proposals: Yellowstone’s air, quiet, and wildlife would be best protected by a plan eliminating the noise and pollution of snowmobiles in favor of access by best-available-technology snowcoaches.

The National Park Service’s extensive monitoring efforts within Yellowstone have underscored these conclusions. In recent winter seasons, with snowmobile numbers averaging around 260 each day, the agency’s own noise thresholds have been consistently violated. At Yellowstone’s West Entrance, benzene and formaldehyde levels have approached and exceeded the thresholds used to assess health risks at hazardous waste sites. Finally, with respect to wildlife, the Park Service’s own biologists have recommended that reduced oversnow vehicle numbers of recent winters be maintained, if not reduced, in order to minimize animal disturbance and thereby avoid adverse fitness effects during Yellowstone’s harsh winter months.

This administration should undertake a prompt and complete transition to snowcoach access within Yellowstone National Park. The Park Service’s interim winter use plan should limit snowmobile use to the five-year average of 260 a day. Moreover, the interim plan should itself be limited to one year.

An electronic form you can use to submit comments on the rule is available at
http://www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/home.html#submitComment?R=09000064809fa1b8

Sample Comment Letter:

Superintendent Suzanne Lewis
P.O. Box 168
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming 82190

Dear Superintendent Lewis:

As a Nordic skier [or snowshoer, winter hiker, etc.] who values the natural sights and sounds of Yellowstone in winter, I appreciate your first steps to curtail snowmobile use which has continued, even at reduced levels, to harm the park’s resources and values. But I urge the National Park Service to do better than the recommendations in the temporary plan. The temporary plan would allow snowmobile use at levels greater than those that have recently exceeded Yellowstone’s protective thresholds. It is time to begin phasing out snowmobile use.

All of the National Park Service’s studies of winter use alternatives in Yellowstone since 1998 have clearly demonstrated that continued snowmobile use causes a greater level of harm to park resources and that these adverse impacts to air, quiet and wildlife can be minimized with snowcoach access. Snowmobile use compromises visitor enjoyment of the parks' natural conditions. Each NPS study has concluded that Yellowstone would be significantly cleaner, quieter, less hectic, and healthier if snowmobile use is ended. In its independent review of each study, the EPA has verified this central conclusion.

It's time for the National Park Service to implement what its own studies have concluded: "that snowcoach access would provide public motorized access to Yellowstone while having the lowest impact on air quality, water quality, natural soundscapes and wildlife - while presenting the lowest risk of visitor and National Park Service staff health and safety."

Although the proposed plan is temporary, I urge you to change your recommendation and instead limit snowmobile numbers to the five-year average of 260 a day.

This is a wonderful opportunity to put Yellowstone on the right path to protection. I urge you to please implement the transition to snowcoaches—which studies have conclusively identified is the best way to balance public access with preserving these magnificent places for future visitors to enjoy.

Thank you.

Sincerely,



Additional Talking Points:

By providing for a transition to the form of winter access that provides the best available protection of Yellowstone, the Obama Administration can demonstrate its commitment to upholding both science and the highest conservation standards in our national parks.
These standards were forsaken by the Bush Administration. This breach prompted unprecedented alarm from elder statesmen of our national parks.

The National Park Service’s monitoring has determined that levels of snowmobile use well below 318 per day have resulted in impacts exceeding Yellowstone’s thresholds for protecting park resources and human health:
Demand for snowmobiling in Yellowstone has fallen sharply during the last six years. Even as the level of snowmobile use has decreased to as few as 200 snowmobiles per day, however, the National Park Service has documented these continuing problems:

• Noise attributable primarily to snowmobiles remains audible several hours each day, exceeding the Park’s protective thresholds;
• Benzene and formaldehyde have been measured in the Park’s air at levels exceeding health thresholds; and
• National Park Service biologists have cautioned that if vehicle numbers are allowed to increase from their recent, reduced levels, adverse impacts to winter-stressed wildlife may increase and cause “fitness effects,” reducing animals’ health and the strength they require to survive Yellowstone’s winters.

By carrying out the National Park Service’s 2000 plan to phase out the use of snowmobiles within Yellowstone National Park, the Obama Administration would respect and respond to the unprecedented level of public concern expressed over this issue:
Since 1998, over 800,000 Americans have submitted comments to the National Park Service on the issue of winter use in Yellowstone. Over 80 percent have urged an end to snowmobile use. Much of the public comment has focused specifically on the critical importance of applying science and upholding the National Park Service’s stewardship responsibility to emphasize conservation over use whenever the two are in conflict.

Studies have consistently affirmed that snowcoaches are the least impacting winter access alternative for Yellowstone
In every major study it has undertaken since 1998, the National Park Service has determined that the most effective means of protecting Yellowstone’s air quality, quiet and wildlife while providing visitors motorized oversnow access to the Park’s major attractions is to increase snowcoach access and phase out snowmobiling within the Park. The Environmental Protection Agency has independently verified the central conclusion in all of these studies: allowing continued snowmobile use, even with additional restrictions, would result in significantly greater impacts to the Park’s resources than would a system of snowcoach access. These studies have cost taxpayers over $10 million.

Many former Directors of the National Park Service have emphasized in numerous pleas to the Bush Administration that weakening protection of Yellowstone by authorizing continued snowmobile use within the Park “would be a radical departure from the Interior Department’s stewardship mission.”
They cautioned:“The choice over snowmobile use in Yellowstone is a choice between upholding the founding principle of our national parks—stewardship on behalf of all visitors and future generations—or catering to a special interest in a manner that would damage Yellowstone’s resources and threaten public health. The latter choice would set an entirely new course for America’s national parks.” These National Park Service Directors from the last eight presidential administrations specifically pointed out: “…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.”