Has time come to better regulate snowmobiles in the San Juan Mountains?
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Spike of activity in backcountry renews calls for better management
Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021 5:03 AM Updated: Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021 9:18 AM
Has time come to better regulate snowmobiles in the San Juan Mountains? Snowmobiles are in the backcountry in record numbers, prompting some to question whether the motorized vehicles should be better regulated. Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
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With a surge of snowmobiles in the backcountry this winter, some are wondering if the time has come to better regulate the motorized vehicles in the San Juan Mountains.
Snow King might as well be âTrump Mountain,â Shane Rothman opined from the peakâs summit last week.
As the Bridger-Teton National Forest vetted its plans for Snow Kingâs future, he contended, the concerns of experts like Forest Service retiree Susan Marsh and longtime ski patroller Rod Newcomb were brushed aside while a private companyâs desires were essentially rubber stamped instead.
âSo many knowledgeable people in their fields ⦠have basically been ignored,â Rothman told a team of Forest Service staffers over a livestream last week. âIâm not sure if any of you are Donald Trump fans, but this whole process kind of reminds you of what happens when people just pledge unconditional support for anything, and donât listen to the experts.â
16th annual Backcountry Film Festival returns to C.O., virtually
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) Calling all ski bums, backcountry adventurers, thrill seekers and winter enthusiasts! Get ready for goosebumps as you “Ooh!” and “Ahh!” at the impact and importance of our winter wildlands through this collection of short films.
The 16th annual Winter Wildlands Alliance Backcountry Film Festival will be available to watch in Central Oregon beginning Feb. 20th, and running through March 13th in our first-ever virtual screening experience. All proceeds will go to support the efforts of Discover Your Forest.
Discover Your Forest is the proud nonprofit partner of the Deschutes and Ochoco National Forests, and the Crooked River National Grassland. We bring a massive volunteer force onto our public lands, and provide free field trips and virtual outdoor education for thousands of local students.
Land managers along the west side of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem are weighing a proposal to open parts of the Centennial Mountains so members of the Yellowstone Club can go backcountry skiing with helicopters.
The Yellowstone Club, which responded to the Jackson Hole Daily s request for comment after this story published, disputes the U.S. Forest Service s interpretation of its involvement.Â
An application being considered by the Caribou-Targhee National Forest is still in its earliest stages, said Ashton/Island Park District Ranger Liz Davy. If the applicant does get the tentative nod this winter, it will only be to vet and photograph prospective routes and landing pads from a fixed-wing aircraft and to explore the area via snowmobile.
Century Bank Joins Fun Of Backcountry Film Festival - 2:20 pm
Century Bank’s Tim Branch hands a Backcountry Film Festival sponsorship to PEEC Executive Director Katie Bruell. Courtesy/PEEC
PEEC News:
Century Bank is again sponsoring the Pajarito Environmental Education Center’s (PEEC) showing of the Backcountry Film Festival from the Winter Wildlands Alliance. The screening is 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21, with the streaming link live for 72 hours for ticket-holders.
And exciting news just in! Thanks to Century Bank, ticket holders will receive one free drink from the Pajarito Brewpub and Grill plus a discount code for 15 percent off their food and drink order. The code can be used any time during the BCFF screening weekend: Thursday, Jan. 21 through Monday, Jan. 25.