WMC Update 2012

WMC has solid plans to meet with individuals prominent within the snowmobile community. WSSA has sent a letter in opposition to something, a letter that does not discuss the details of the WMC proposal, and WSSA complained that WMC did not contact the snowmobile users. In fact, WMC has been here from the start discussing this in a very public fashion, snowmobile riders were aware and participating from the start with counter-threads posted on snowmobile forums immediately. WMC will point out that WSSA and other snowmobile riders opposed WMC before understanding or considering the proposal or the issues, and WSSA has not made contact with WMC in any fashion even not on this very public Forum discussion. The WMC proposal is entirely in regard to USFS management of areas bordering and outside of Wilderness.

It is combative comments like these that hurt your stance.  Details of the WMC proposal? Where is your map with the details?  Once you put together a professional proposal (something more then random thoughts on a forum) then maybe you would get a response from professional organizations.

WSSA has not made contact with WMC? Have you made contact with WSSA? You have only been around for what, a month? Your profile shows only a little more then a month, and you demand that other groups fly to this ANONYMOUS COMMITTEE to discuss your needs? As of two weeks ago, no one even knew about the WMC, and yet they are at fault for the lack of communication?

I find it interesting that the WMC committee demands that everyone come to them for discussion, when it seems that WMC has not gone out of its way to discuss this issue with snowmobile clubs, both local and state.  IMO, internet discussions are good and healthy, but this is not the correct means for discussing proposed policy with various groups.  That involves discussion at real places with real people.

Here's an example of how motorcycles are being managed. One of the very few places west of the crest for orv use....I put in bold the similar concerns with the WMC proposal.

HELP SAVE REITER NOW!

THE DNR HAS CLOSED REITER AND HAS NOT SAID WHEN IT WILL RE-OPEN

IF AND WHEN IT RE-OPENS THE DNR PLANS TO MAKE IT MUCH SMALLER

The Washington State Department of Natural Resources has released its Draft Reiter Foothills Forest Recreation Plan. While the Northwest Motorcycle Association supports making Reiter an official ORV area, we have serious concerns about the current plan.

About 4,000 acres of the 10,000 acre area being studied have been used by ORVs for the past 30 years. The new DNR plan proposes limiting ORV use to only 1,100 acres. That is 72.5% less land for ORV use than what has historically been available.

The DNR admits that 1,100 acres is inadequate to accommodate existing ORV use, and their own research has identified additional area suitable for ORV use. Still they refuse to increase the area available to ORVs.

Although DNR research shows that offroad motorcycling is the most popular use (60% of user groups surveyed), the plan contains no specific mention of facilitating it.

Because the plan does not explicitly identify motorized single track trails, there is no guarantee that there will be any single track trails open to motorized use.

So far, the DNR has refused to listen to reason. They claim that part of the reason for shrinking the ORV area is to make room for trails for people that don’t like ORV use. These same people have legal access to land adjacent the Reiter Foothills, which is land that PROHIBITS offroad motorized use.

If you think that this stinks, now may be your last chance to make you voice heard!

YOU can help correct this injustice by writing to the Commissioner of Public Lands, Peter Goldmark, telling him what you think of this plan and asking him for a detailed reply on how he plans to solve the problem.

another section of the information about orv use.....is this your idea of management? Exclusion to the extreme?!

The overall fabric of recreation in Washington includes prohibitions on motorized trail recreation in all National Parks, all Wilderness Areas, all Natural Resource Conservation Areas, all State Parks (except the 600 acre Riverside facility near Spokane), the Mt Baker/Snoqualmie National Forest, and the vast majority of county and city parks. At a statewide level motorized trail use is prohibited on over 80 percent of the trail mileage. In the areas adjacent to the Reiter Foothills, that prohibition is 100 percent.

As mentioned WMC started a thread at Snowest Forum saying the same as was posted here. It just got going and was pulled-

"Private Message: Thread Deleted

06-04-2010, 06:30 PM
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Thread Deleted
Hi WMC,

Please note: This is an automated message.

You are receiving this message because I had to delete a thread that you started.

================================================== ========================
Thread: Asking for riders' input about winter non-motorized areas
Forum: Washington
Reason: Proposal Negatively Impacts Riding area's for Washington State users...
================================================== ========================

We hope you understand that our goal is not to offend or cause contention in our actions as moderators. But after review it was determined that this thread needed to be removed from the SnoWest Forums and was therefor deleted. If you have any questions, please feel free to reply to this message and I'll be happy to explain in more detail.

If you'd like to review the general guidelines that we as moderators use to help determine when these types of actions are necessary, please review them here: www.snowest.com/forum/showthread.php?t=38399

But please also understand that not all of our actions are black & white and we do have to occasionally make judgement calls.

Thanks for your understanding."
(end cc)

Too bad, WMC was trying to have a discussion restating what is here. WMC had already let USFS know to read that thread as well, so apologies to USFS.

Sorry WMC, guess we have to keep it over here. The mods at SW have been under fire this past several months for the limited ability to keep it an open forum, thus the BRC site is where lots of people migrated to.

I left for an hour and a half for a kid function and it was pulled....I'll be voicing my opinion about the thread being pulled.

Sorry WMC, guess we have to keep it over here. The mods at SW have been under fire this past several months for the limited ability to keep it an open forum, thus the BRC site is where lots of people migrated to.

I left for an hour and a half for  a kid function and it was pulled....I'll be voicing my opinion about the thread being pulled.

Thanks for that, it was an attempt. This is a tough discussion. Our goal other than getting support and accomplishing our proposal is to try to have a dialog with all users, supporters or opponents. We do not expect common ground with snowmobile riders, but if we keep trying perhaps common ground could be found?