Safe Riders! Snowmobile Safety Awareness Program

It’s completed and available. As you may know, it has been on-line, but has been revised and is now available to be downloaded.

Please take the time to review this program – it may be something you would like to add to the current curriculum that is being used for safety education.

Click here to see this web-based interactive safety program!

Forest Service Budgets are Set to be Squeezed

Washington Newsletter
March, 2006
Federal Budget for FY 2007

It’s budget time in Washington, DC and the Forest Service Recreation Budget is on the chopping block to be reduced.

Overall, the budget as proposed by the Administration means the Forest Service would receive $177 million less in FY 2007 than it received in FY 2006. For example, under the trails program account, the Forest Service maintains and rehabilitates more than 133,000 miles of recreational trails. These are the very trails that ARRA members use for both motorized and non-motorized recreation. The budget for this important activity is proposed to be cut by 19.4%! FY 2006 funding stood at $74 million and the proposed budget by the President calls for only $60 million in FY 2007. Historically, funding for trail maintenance has been inadequate and these planned cuts will only make things worse.

Funds for road maintenance in our national forests didn’t fair any better. The proposed budget calls for a reduction of 17.7%. The adopted FY 2006 budget provided funding of $222 million and the proposed FY 2007 budget comes in at $182 million.

In short, access to our national forests is being threatened because of inadequate funding for trails and roads. If the Forest Service doesn’t have the means to do the job, then the only recourse available to land managers is to close off access to those trails and roads most in need of repair or routine maintenance.

The ACSA Fly-In is timed to address this issue. While the snowmobilers are in Washington, DC the week of April 3, they will discuss this budget proposal with their members of Congress. They will also have opportunities to hear the viewpoints and plans from senior officials in the Department of Agriculture and the Forest Service leadership.

Forest Service Travel Management Rule (OHV)

Some forests are nearing the completion of the inventory process to they can move forward in the designation process of road, trails and areas.

Many people refer to this new Rule as the OHV Rule – when in fact it is the Travel Management Rule which will designate motor vehicle use – not just off-road motorcycles, ATVs and 4-wheel drive vehicles.

Have you been working with your Forest?

Many of these roads, trails and areas are being complied by the Ranger Districts. It will be in the best interest of snowmobiling to be involved in this process.

There are currently over 33,000 miles of National Forest System trails and 66 Million acres are open to cross country motor travel. The only way to protect your favorite riding areas is to be involved.

The Forest Service will work with everyone in the process, from the trail advocates to the extreme enviro groups. Keep in mind that the world is run by those that show up – so be sure you participate in this process.

Yellowstone Alternatives Released

The Park Service recently released the Alternatives that will be considered for future winter use in Yellowstone National Park.

A short summary follows – but a complete detailed version is available by clicking here.

Alternative 1 — Continue Temporary Plan

This would allow use at near historic levels of snowmobile use, but would require access into the park be with a commercial guide. This alternatives plan is very much like the current temporary use plan, but would require snowcoaches, like snowmobiles, to meet "best available technology" standards, as is now required by snowmobiles and would place a limit on snowcoaches.

Roads inside the park would be groomed on a regular basis, but not plowed.

The daily limit on snowmobiles would be 720 per day.

Alternative 2 — Snowcoaches Only

This alternative would allow snowcoaches to enter the park in the winter, but would ban recreational snowmobiles. This plan closely follows the one that was scheduled to go into effect back in 2000, but was overturned.

Roads would still be groomed.

The limit on snowcoaches would be 120 daily.

Alternative 3 — Eliminate Most Road Grooming

This would allow snowmobiles and snowcoaches, but there would be no grooming or packing of the roads. The only groomed road would be from the South Entrance to Old Faithful for maintenance purposes.

The only snowmobile access — 250 machines daily — would be through the South Entrance. The limit on snowcoaches through the south gate would be 20.

Alternative 4 — Expand Recreational Use

This plan would allow for an increase in the number of snowmobiles and snowcoaches. Roads would continue to be groomed at current levels.

The limit on snowmobiles would be 1,025 daily. This would require that 75 percent of the snowmobiles to be guided, the remaining 25 percent would go in unguided.

The number of snowcoaches allowed in would be 105.

Alternative 5 — Unguided Access

This plan would allow those with snowmobile permits or snowcoaches to go in with some guiding. Roads would continue to be groomed.

The limit on snowmobiles would be 540. Among snowmobilers, 80 percent would be commercially guided and the other 20 percent would be unguided.

The limit on snowcoaches would be set at 83.

Alternative 6 — Mixed Use

This plan would involve plowing some roads to allow vehicle access. The only snowmobile access would be through the South Entrance.

The roads from Mammoth to West Yellowstone to Old Faithful would be plowed as needed to allow vehicle access.

The limit on snowmobiles would be 350 and the number of snowcoaches allowed would be 40.

It is expected that each of these alternatives are very preliminary and are subject to change and/or be refined between now and when a Draft EIS is released in the Fall of 2006.