BRC Alert - Forest Service Closures!

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Last Chance to comment on possible closure of Mt. Jefferson and Hellroaring Creek!

Dear BRC Action Alert Subscriber,
 
You may have read about the threatened closure of the famous Mt. Jefferson snowmobile area in your local snowmobile newsletter or maybe in a national snowmobile magazine. The threat is real, and it affects more than just snowmobile users!
 
The manner in which the Forest Service is attempting to impose a blanket restriction on all vehicle use in "Recommended Wilderness" is a serious threat to all recreationists.

We need your help. The deadline for comment is October 31!

Please use the easy instructions below to send a comment letter today!
Brian Hawthorne
BlueRibbon Coalition

Situation:
The Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest has released the final draft of a new Forest Plan for public comment and review. The new plan would recommend nearly 250,000 for Congressional Wilderness designation. In addition, the agency is attempting to unlawfully eliminate motorized use in all of these lands. Proposed closures include Snowcrest Range, East Pioneer Mountains, Italian Peaks Hellroaring Creek and the epic Mt. Jefferson area. 
 
What you need to do:
Public comments objecting to the Forest Service's "preferred alternative" need to be flooding into agency offices. The most effective way to do this is to send a separate email to the FS. Use the comment suggestions below:
 
Email address:
comments-northern-beaverhead-deerlodge@fs.fed.us
IMPORTANT: Put "Comments on Forest Plan" in the subject field and DO NOT forget to include your name and address. Anonymous emails are often ignored by the agency.
 
Comment suggestions:
 
* The closure of Mt. Jefferson/Hellroaring Creek is unacceptable. Please do not close these prized snowmobile areas.
 
* I oppose the preferred alternative.
 
* The Recommended Wilderness Areas (RWA) in the proposed action are unsuitable and unmanageable as Wilderness. The 79% increase is unwarranted considering current conditions and the level of recreational use.
 
* The closure of RWA's, especially the Mt. Jefferson and Hellroaring Creek areas, to winter snowmobile use is arbitrary and capricious. Snowmobile use will not cause impacts that warrant closure. 

More Info:
BRC recommends consulting Snowmobile Alliance of Western State's (SAWS) website for additional information: http://www.snowmobile-alliance.org
 
BRC also has a letter generator focusing on Mt. Jefferson:
http://capwiz.com/share/mail/oneclick_compose/?alertid=80242 81
 
ily: arial">Important message from Adena Cook, BRC's Public Lands Advisor:
 
Mount Jefferson, crown jewel of western snowmobiling, will be closed forever if the direction in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge Draft Revised Forest Plan is implemented. Straddling the border of Montana and Idaho on the Continental Divide, the Mt. Jefferson area is a Mecca for high mountain snowmobiling and spectacular scenery.
 
Even if you haven't been there, we'll bet you have seen spectacular pictures of the area. Virtually every national snowmobile publication has had photo shoots there. Though some may perceive the area as accessible only to extreme riders and big sleds, it is actually accessible to riders of many abilities. Everyone who has been there is overwhelmed by its incomparable scenic vistas and by the feeling of direct contact with a vast and rugged landscape.
 
The closure is outlined in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National NF Draft Forest Plan which was released June 30th for public comment and review. In addition to Mt. Jefferson, Snowcrest Range, Italian Peaks, East Pioneer Mountains, and Hellroaring Creek are slated for closure.
 
As high mountain snowmobiling has become more popular, so has pressure from Montana anti-access groups to close the area. In December 1999, the Madison Ranger District of the Beaverhead National Forest stated their intent to close the area to snowmobiling to protect Wilderness values. Snowmobilers nationwide rose to this challenge, and the area remained open.
 
Twice more green pressure attempted to close the area, seeking an emergency closure order from the supervisor's office. They were denied because the process to revise the forest plan was underway, and because snowmobile leaders agreed to a partial closure to study possible effects on the wolverine and mitigate perceived user conflict. Snowmobile leaders organized clean ups of the area on two separate occasions. Only a small amount of litter was found, but snowmobilers took very seriously the need to keep the area pristine.
 
Great credit goes to our local partners, the Idaho State Snowmobiling Association (ISSA) http://www.idahosnowbiz.com as well as to the American Council of Snowmobiling Associations (ACSA) http://www.snowmobilers.org ; . By working together, this issue is being brought to the highest levels in the agency. BRC, ACSA and ISSA are simply not going to let this unfair closure go unchallenged.
 
IMPORTANT! Even with our combined efforts, your help is still needed. Public input at this stage of the process is critical. We need YOU to help us keep this area open for snowmobiling!
 
Please take a few moments and write a letter to the forest stating the importance of this area to you, to snowmobiling and to access and recreation in general. Personal letters can be immensely helpful in turning the direction of the Draft Revised Forest Plan around. Letters should be sent to: Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, Forest Plan Revision; 420 Barrett, Dillon, MT, 59727. Send comments by email to: <comments-northern-beaverhead-deerlodge@fs.fed.us>.
 
An easy way to send comments to the Beaverhead-Deerlodge is to utilize our letter generator at: http://capwiz.com/share/mail/oneclick_compose/?alertid=80242 81

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