The OWNF Draft Forest Plan Revision was released today. The Teanaway is recommended for Wilderness, approximately in the (Teanaway) area of the WMC Proposal. WMC Proposal 1 map-
www.justgetout.net/ClientFiles/8ecf9e69-...cbb/proposal%201.pdf
Wenatchee Mountains Coalition has advocated for the past 14 months for USFS designation of significant winter non-motorized areas along the pristine crest of the Wenatchee Mountains. The WMC Proposal included the area from Mission Ridge Ski Area to Blewett Pass Hwy 97, and a second area that is the Ingalls-Teanaway crest roughly from Van Epps Pass to Three Brothers and south to the NF Teanaway Rd. Our Proposal became three in discussion of possible collaboration between user groups. Our goal was management so that significant areas would be closed to snowmobiles, and in Proposal 2 and 3 more of the area was to be left for snowmobile access aside from non-motorized areas.
The map " Forest Plan Revision Proposed Management Areas Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest" shows "Wilderness- Preliminary Administrative Recommended" is the designation for the area from the Teanaway-Ingalls crest down to the NF Teanaway Rd.
The map below from the USFS website-
Forest Plan Revision Proposed Management Areas
Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest
www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5312317.pdf
Other statements from the Proposed Action section-
We believe this statement to be inaccurate- "increased participation in specific activities such as snowmobiling." Snowmobile registrations decreased from around 36,000 to 33,000 last season in Washington, according to an article on WSSA Snoflyer. We are certain that the majority of winter off-road Forest users are skiers, snowshoers, winter campers, winter non-motorized users. We are certain that this majority is increasing as well.
Under "Trail Management" in the next 15 years, "Provide five additional non-motorized settings readily available to non-motorized winter recreationists distributed across the southern half of the Forest."
The extension of the Wilderness down to the NF Teanaway Rd will include roadless area that will provide winter non-motorized recreation opportunities in an area that is popular with skiers after the snowmobile riding stops in spring. If designated as Wilderness, the area will provide quiet and untrammeled self-powered recreation opportunities in winter. Although not what WMC advocated, the area we are told has proven "unmanageable," the area is deserving of Wilderness status because of the pristine character and will in the end benefit skiers, snowshoers and winter campers.
The Draft Forest Plan Revision avoids otherwise, to our knowledge and at first glance, avoids reasonable management of snowmobile riding and provision for winter non-motorized recreation. It is our hope that some of the designations will allow for creation of winter non-motorized areas. Sadly, the question was avoided for the past 15 years in the Forest Plan and is not strongly addressed yet again. We will remind again that the huge expansion of off-road snowmobile riding on the Wenatchee Mountains in the past 20 years roughly has occurred without USFS designation, intent, study, or reasonable consideration. These areas were never "given" for snowmobile recreation in a manner similar to other Forest uses designation, such expansion occurred by default of management.
Therefore we need individual comments asking that offroad snowmobile riding be studied and designated to satisfy the NEPA process, something that has never occurred.
We are here to encourage skiers to send comments to USFS in the next 60 days. Please be specific about certain areas that you may want to be managed for winter non-motorized use.
www.fs.fed.us/r6/wenatchee/forest-plan/
Thank you.
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