ALERTS!
Hello friends,
Togwotee Pass Backcountry Alliance is asking for you to take part in the upcoming Forest Service meetings regarding recreational revisions.
For more information call Rick Fox, Forest Planner, at 307-739-5563.
We feel that certain areas north of Highway 287 on Togwotee Pass,
including Angle Mountain, Buffalo Fork Peak, Breccia Peak, and Two Ocean Mountain should be designated as “Backcountry Non-motorized” areas
according the BTNF Winter Recreation Settings. Pristine values in
other areas, including Lava Mountain, Brooks Mountain, and
Pinnacle Butte, also are greatly threatened. We would like to work
toward easing motorized impacts in these areas as well.
For information on public meetings held by the Forest Service click: http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/shoshone/projects/planning/revision/public_involvement/2007_02_meetings.pdf
Meetings for the Shoshone/Bridger-Teton National Forest:
Shoshone/Bridger-Teton National Forest Meetings postponed until further notice due to a court ruling from 2005. We will keep you posted when we find out more.
January 27, 2007 at 6:20 am
Great to see somebody took the initiative and got organized. Awesome! It is a big fight but it needs to happen. I was up on Breccia Peak on Monday and the usual snowmobile tracks showed a complete disrespect for wilderness boundaries.
Please keep me in the loop and let me know how I can help. Thanks to your urging I submitted another comment on the BTNF Revision Plan. We will be fighting a similar battle over the Palisades WSA in the Snake River Range.
All the best,
Forrest
February 20, 2007 at 5:17 pm
Keep it free has drawn a lot of conclusions and has not aproached any of the issues. Like so many times stereotyping and name calling have taken the place of contenplation and dialog. The truth is federal lands are owned by everyone. We should all have the chance to expeirence those lands. There are many people concerned about Togwottee Pass that are not from Jackson. Togwottee is the closest place many people have to go skiing. It is not unreasonable to have a few places up there with quick easy access where you can expeirence nature with your eyes, ears and nose.
A single snow machine dose not ruin this expeirence, local buisnesses are important, kite skiires would be crazy to ski off the tops of mountains, my dog is precious, all these things can be discussed.
The fact is there is precedent all over the U.S. If the matter goes into litigation someone who has never skiied or snowmobiled is going to make a bunch of knee jerk decisions and tempers will flare.
I don’t care to ride a snowmobile but I know a lot of people who do. Some who’s judgment I almost would not question. This is not one side against the other. Our public lands are one of the greatest recources any citzens of any country in any time have had. These lands can be shared by everyone.
February 22, 2007 at 1:51 am
First off I’m not a skier non do I pretend to be. My winter time activity is snowmobiling, and I am as passionate about my sport as anyone who skies, snowboards, snowshoes… is about theirs. I come to this site with similar concerns toward my sport as you may have toward yours. I grew up in Dubois and in turn ridding on Togwotee Pass, and yes that does include ridding on the north side of the highway, Lava Mountain, Pinnacle Butte and Two Ocean. When I hear debates and look at plans to “create a shared space of balanced recreation”, I do not see any sharing going on; sharing deals with equal parts. An example of sharing would be to cooperate and use the mountain together, not to shut one group off from using it. Sure there are other areas where snowmobilers can go ride, but there is also other areas where skiers can go to ski. Why don’t skiers simply ski somewhere else. My guess is because somewhere else does not offer the same things the areas under dispute do. You ski the area to get out, get away, challenge your abilities… These are the very same reasons I snowmobile these same areas. You may make the argument that there are no groomed trails in these areas so why do I need to ride here? I would say to that, “there is no ski resort here either, why don’t you ski a resort with the rest of the crowds”? Because you don’t want to be in the crowd and neither do I. OR maybe, why don’t I simply ride off trail on the south side of the highway? Well why don’t you ski down a hill that is not as steep? Because it is not as challenging, not as fun, and not the same, for either of us. There is talk of sharing and balancing the use on the mountain, yet the only people I see giving anything up in this plan is the motorized recreationists. How would you like it if motorized recreationists told you, you could no longer visit any of these places unless you where on/in a motorized vehicle? I have no desire not to let you ski or snowshoe wherever you like. I have many friends that do both, and yes occasionally I will ride them double into the back country or up to the top of Angle Mountain and drop them off, so they can ski down. That, my friends, is working together, sharing, and creating balance!
February 27, 2007 at 3:02 am
We have concern about losing more of our motorized area to wilderness. We retired in WY 4 years ago from back east to be able to snowmachine/ATV and enjoy the beauty held in the mountains. Every year at least 20 of our personal friends come to WY, many renting machines, all buying fuel, staying in motels or Dude Ranches, they pay the price for guides, and rental clothing…this all brings revenue to our state ecomony. On an average week during the winter months; week-end or holiday week-end look at the motels in Dubois, filled with trailers of snowmobiles. Just how much do the skiers add? Currently 55% of the forest is designated to roadless and/or wilderness. Just how much of the area do you need? We are still feeling the pain of not being able to enjoy the winter rides in Yellowstone without a 4-cycle machine and a guide. All the photos showing the entrances to Yellowstone with Park Ranges wearing gas masks because of the pollution caused by snowmobiles was about the biggest hoax we have ever seen. You don’t see the Rangers wearing gas masks in the summer when the gas belching RV”s, truck/trailers, cars, buses and etc pass the entrances. Further more in 1996-98 we went into a building to buy our permits to ride in Yellowstone, no ranger met us at the gates. Who will enjoy our beautiful state if it is all wilderness, who will bring revenue if more area is taken from the motorized vehicles? We will share our areas, we have nothing againist skiers,back-packers, snowshoers; but for the two of us we have shared enough! Go to the wilderness and roadless areas for your solitude that you already have, leave the rest for us who enjoy riding our motorized vehicles.
March 8, 2007 at 9:43 pm
If I ride a sled to get to where I skin/hike does that make me a bad person?
April 7, 2007 at 6:36 pm
My family has held property in Buffalo Valley for over 50 years. During this time we have seen an evolution of sorts in the way motorized and non-motorized backcountry users have impacted the area in both summer and winter. I will be the first to acknowledge that the majority of motorized backcountry users are responsible and respectful of the landscape. Unfortunately, the trend toward irresponsible use is growing. Whether it’s the off road vehicle or the snowmobile, a single bad apple can spoil an entire area for years. It is unreasonable to expect the government to patrol all areas accessable to motorized users in order to discourage illegal use. Therefore, it may fall upon the government to establish bright line rules whereby select areas are set aside for use by either motorozed or non-motorized visitors. Less a clear set of rules governing the use of motorized vehicles in the area, any attempt at gaining voluntary compliance may be futile.
July 5, 2007 at 8:13 am
Hello
Great book. I just want to say what a fantastic thing you are doing! Good luck!
G’night