August 2000
Routt National Forest Plan Appeals Denied
Appeals concerning the lack of separate areas for non-motorized winter recreation on northern Colorado's Routt National Forest were denied by the Chief of the Forest Service in May 2000. Appellants including the BSA and a Steamboat Springs resident had asked the Routt Forest to alter the forest plan for failing to address conflicts between motorized and non-motorized winter recreationists. A section of the Code of Federal Regulations requires the Forest Service to address such conflicts and to prohibit off-road vehicle use (including snowmobiles) if such use is causing conflicts with other users, i.e., cross-country skiers. However, the Chief ruled that conflicts were site-specific issues that do not have to be addressed in forest plans.
Both appellants wanted an additional management area prescription that prohibits motorized recreation assigned to other areas of the Forest. Winter motorized recreation is prohibited in the Wilderness areas and in deer and elk winter range; however neither of these areas cover Rabbit Ears Pass.
Currently, there is a voluntary separation of use on Rabbit Ears Pass. Signs are put up in the winter recommending that snowmobilers use the east side of the Pass and non-motorized recreationists the west side. Volunteers provide flyers and education to all people using the area on the weekends. These boundaries are the same "suggested use boundaries" as those put together by the community and the local forest service in the 1980's. The system worked well for about a decade until budget cuts forced the curtailment of the volunteer program by the Forest Service. At the same time, increased marketing by Steamboat and in snowmobiling magazines increased the motorized use of the pass. The Winter Task Force reincarnated the separation of use described above.
However, the Steamboat resident claims that this is not working, and claims to have extensive photographic evidence of snow machine use in the non-motorized area. He plans to urge the Forest Service to prepare site-specific plans for limiting snowmobile use there and in other areas.