Shoshone National Forest to Resume the Forest Plan Revision Process
USFS News release
Cody, Wyo. (April 14, 2008) – The Forest Service recently announced the 2008 Planning Rule that will allow the Shoshone National Forest’s plan revision process to resume.
The plan revision process was halted last April after a United States District Court enjoined the agency from using the 2005 Planning Rule.
Forest planning staff officer Bryan Armel said that even though the process was stopped a year ago, work and input from the previous two years of public meetings are still useful for the new forest plan. “I don’t want people to feel discouraged because the process was stopped. We’ll be able to use all the comments and suggestions that people worked so hard to give us.”
Armel thanked everyone for their past efforts, and encouraged the public to attend the next round of meetings. “Once we determine how and when to move forward, we’ll announce meeting dates, probably in the next couple weeks.”
For more information on the Shoshone’s revision process, please visit the revision Web site at http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/shoshone/projects/planning/revision/revision_index.shtml.
The 2008 Planning Rule is available at the Forest Service Web site at http://www.fs.fed.us/emc/nfma/2008_planning_rule.html

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URGENT PLEA

Forest Planning Resumes – It’s Time to Get Involved
By Kim Raap, Trails Work Consulting

After a year-long delay due to the March 2007 court injunction regarding their 2005 Planning Rule, the Forest Service is resuming public work on the revision of the Bridger-Teton and Shoshone National Forest management plans. The Bridger-Teton NF recently held a meeting with their Cooperating Agencies and announced a new round of public “Forest Plan Scenario-Building Workshops Exploring possible changes to consider in on-the-ground management.” So while snowmobiling season will soon be coming to an end, the season of ‘working to keep snowmobiling access open’ is just once again resuming. It is critically important that snowmobilers show up at these public meetings, as frustrating they may sometimes be, since anti-motorized folks always show up in force. If we expect to keep our access we need to be at the table during these local planning meetings.
The next Bridger-Teton workshops will be held in Afton on March 26, in Jackson on March 27, and in Pinedale and one other southern BTNF community (either Rock Springs or Kemmerer) in late April. You can keep track of these meetings, as well as review their handouts and other materials on their planning website at http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/btnf/news/forest_plan_revision/index.shtml .
The Afton and Jackson meetings will focus on the Buffalo, Jackson and Greys River Ranger Districts, while the late-April meetings will focus on the Pinedale, Kemmerer and Big Piney Ranger Districts. The objective of these four workshops will be to develop and refine mapped ‘scenarios’ that depict “locations where changes in conditions and trends are needed, as well as potential adjustments to management strategy that could be considered there.” While this step in the process is far from the final decision, it is important because the “scenarios” will ultimately frame the range of management alternatives the Forest will consider when making that final decision. So if snowmobiling isn’t treated favorably in at least one of these “scenarios” built for various geographical areas of the Forest, snowmobiling cannot expect to have favorable treatment in the end decision.
The Forest has identified 21 “Need for Change Emphasis Items” and Item P is “Increased winter recreation is causing visitor conflicts and displacement.” If you didn’t know it before, believe it now: snowmobiling is in their sights.
Case in point is the ‘example’ Scenario Development Worksheet the Bridger-Teton provided to their Cooperators (it can be viewed on the website listed above) for “Geographic Area (GA) 45,” which happens to be the Moccasin Basin, Lava Mountain, Tripod Creek, Continental Divide areas of the B-T. An excerpt from this example Worksheet is as follows:
1. What changes, if any, are needed to the description of the Theme for this GA?
MA 45 -- Moccasin Basin
Moccasin Basin, Lava Mountain, Tripod Peak, Continental Divide. High elevation and remote, with low development levels but moderate use in fall and winter, big game habitat, few summer trails, groomed winter trails. Whitebark pine, grizzly bear. Add: Protect scenic quality of Continental Divide Nat’l Scenic Trail, recent wildland fire (Hardscrabble) consider future whitebark pine restoration in N. Fork of Fish Creek – more effective closures needed (standards & guidelines).

2. Given the Theme and the NFC (Need for Change) base maps for this GA, which NFC items are most likely to drive a change in management direction here (NFC Drivers)?
B: Whitebark pine is declining;
P: Increased winter recreation is causing visitor conflicts and displacement.

NFC Driver: P: Increased winter recreation is causing visitor conflicts and displacement.

Potential adjustments (label multiple options as a, b, c, etc.):
(a) Close the polygon (area drawn on the map) to public motorized access in winter
(b) Close portions of the polygon to public motorized access in winter

Rationale for potential adjustments
(a) Reduces scarcity of non-motorized winter recreation opportunities
(b) Same as for (a), but less so.

Potential trade-offs and rationale (indicate adjustment option and NFC item or DC):
(a) Slightly reduces availability of winter settings for shared use including snowmobiles (DC {Desired Condition} 2.1.3), perhaps negligible relative to remaining area available. Reduction of motorized access could benefit lynx (NFC items G and O)
(b) Same as for (a) but less so.

If this “example” doesn’t motivate you to get involved, I don’t know what will. You need to show up to advocate so there are more than just example options (a) or (b) [close all or close portions of the area to snowmobiles]. What about asking for an option to consider leaving the area ‘all open’? What about being there to comment that ‘snowmobilers are the ones being displaced’ by those who want all the forest designated for only non-motorized recreation? This is just one isolated example of “scenarios” that will play out in numerous areas across the Bridger-Teton National Forest as they conduct their workshops. Don’t let their jargon confuse you or scare you away. We need your help. While WSSA will continue to work on this process, we need local snowmobilers to fill these meetings to speak on behalf of continued snowmobiling access. The world is run by those who show up, so please turn out to support our sport!

While public meetings and public input for the Shoshone National Forest plan have not yet resumed, they will shortly, and can be monitored at http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/shoshone/projects/planning/revision/revision_index.shtml . Stay tuned and watch WSSA’s web site (www.snowmobilewyoming.org ) for updates and action alerts as these plans progress over the summer. Please show up as meetings like this occur over the next year and help make a difference for the future of snowmobiling access in Wyoming!

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