WMC Update 2012

What if the ski community chipped in and bought a snowmobile that the Cle Elum ranger district could use for patrol work? Would the bureaucracy be able to handle that? Do they have rangers working in the winter who could do that job?  Just a thought ...

Well, living in the town with the OWNF HQ and having four District offices within an hour's drive, I can say that there are a lot of FS employees laid off or working reduced hours in the winter months. I don't know if they have the budget for a mounted winter ranger. There are very few FS LEOs on the entire OWNF, 3 or 4?

Scroll to the bottom of the Ellensburg XC Ski Club's site for a list with links to maps of the voluntary non-motorized sites -

ellensburgskiclub.yolasite.com/

Scroll to the bottom of the Ellensburg XC Ski Club's site for a list with links to maps of the voluntary non-motorized sites -

ellensburgskiclub.yolasite.com/

Thanks for the link, but those don't show the terrain that is adjacent to the roads and trails that the voluntary closure areas contain.

I found some decent maps of areas here.... www.parks.wa.gov/winter/trails/mapdownlo...torized/Teanaway.pdf

In the Beverly/Bean triangle that connects to the wilderness, how many trips would it take to cover the area or how much area could be covered in a day trip, assuming you don't go in to wilderness?

Aaron, I'm guessing you know that "most of the areas are non-motorized" is also misleading based on the above link. So, welcome to the club, although I know that gates block access to areas that are listed as non motorized...very few legal riding areas for atv's and dirt bikes. From North Bend I have to travel on the order of 100 miles to the nearest "legal" spot for my boys.

The area to the west, towards Van epps is one of the most popular riding areas around and will be more than a tough fight let alone getting compliance, enforced or not. As I understand it, much of the wilderness violation in that area happens out of the scotty creek access and as I understand it there's not much good riding over there anyway. A few of the people that are known to violate have been called out in the sledding 4m and their response has been that of local legacy, before the established boundaries were made. I would think that would be the place to effect enforcement.

As for equity, I see far more snowparks as non-motorized in the blewett area, yet no sledders only spots, and I'm sure everyone is aware of the crowding a the blewitt summit parking area.

the proposed map for the teanaway area is far reaching for so few BC users for skiing only. IMO.

Maybe contact Todd Stiles at the Cle Elum FS office? Sledders routinely travel in the Wenatchee Ridge and Iron Creek voluntary non-motorized areas.

Todd's not working at Cle Elum anymore -- you'll want to get in touch with Tim Foss.

Aaron, I'm guessing you know that "most of the areas are non-motorized" is also misleading based on the above link. So, welcome to the club, although I know that gates block access to areas that are listed as non motorized...very few legal riding areas for atv's and dirt bikes. From North Bend I have to travel on the order of 100 miles to the nearest "legal" spot for my boys.

I'm sorry, I don't remember saying anything about most of the areas being non-motorized. I made a statement that some of the areas in the WMC proposal already had "Voluntary Non-Motorized" status. I don't know what you are alluding to. As far as I know there are no legal riding areas for ATVs on FS land. Vehicles need to be licensed and street legal to use FS roads. You can use non-street legal dirt bikes on FS trails that are multi-use if they are transported to the trailhead. I think you would probably agree that having ATVs on multi-use single track would be impracticle and dangerous. I guess if you could get a licensed street legal ATV you could use it on FS roads. As far as I know, trail bikes are allowed in any of the winter voluntary non motorized areas. I'm sorry you have to travel so far for dirt biking. I have legal multi-use single track on FS land 5 minutes from my house, we all make choices on where to live.