This is a repost from Cascade Climbers---Please consider writing a letter, our beloved northern neighbors could use some help.
cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php...er/743938#Post743938
The future of backcountry skiing at Phelix Creek is being decided. A group of snowmobilers from the D'arcy area are applying directly to the government to change the Phelix Creek basin's designation to allow motorized access. This would mean that the access road and the entire alpine area around the Brian Waddington hut, including the Lord of the Rings group, would have snowmobilers running all over it.
The ILMB (Integrated Land Management Bureau) has sent in Kevin Kriese from Smithers as arbitrator in this case, and he is currently leaning towards the sledders' position. This change WILL happen unless we can convince him otherwise. What the community needs is an avalanche of letters to Kevin Kriese opposing the conversion and supporting the Sea to Sky Winter Backcountry Forum, which established the original non-motorized designation for the area.
Please write (and print, and sign, and mail) a letter ASAP and tell everyone you know that has a stake in this issue to do the same. It is crucial to mention the incompatibility of backcountry skiing and snowmobiling, since the current argument runs that the two groups can just share the area and everything will be hunky-dory. We need to make it clear that the presence of snowmobilers is detrimental to the skiing experience and that this is not a case of sharing, but rather of pushing out one very large and active group in order to make room for another, comparatively small one.
Also, please, please, please be civil. This should NOT be about a personal grudge between skiers and sledders. We have to stick to addressing the use conflict in this particular area and the abuse of the Backcountry Forum that is going on (the sledders applying to the gov't for the change either declined to participate in the forum or agreed to the initial designation of Phelix as non-motorized and have simply changed their minds). A reasonable deadline for letter writing would be January 21.
Contact info and much, much more background information on the issue is at:
www.ubc-voc.com/wiki/Sea_to_Sky_Backcountry_Forum
Please note that it seems that the ILMB will now only be considering unique written letters from individuals. Just signing an online petition doesn't count. If you care about this issue, please get started on writing a letter to ILMB!!
Many thanks, also on behalf of the Varsity Outdoor Club, Vancouver, B.C.
Kevin Kriese
Project Director, Strategic Initiatives Divison (Smithers)
3726 Alfred St
SMITHERS BC V0J2N0
Phone: 250 847-7789
Email: kevin.kriese@gov.bc.ca
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