February 2002
Wolf Creek Pass - Public Meeting Held
Approximately 50 motorized and non-motorized recreationists attended a public meeting held by the Forest Service on December 15, 2001, at the Wolf Creek Ski Area. The purpose of the meeting was to get interested parties engaged in a process to discuss winter use at Wolf Creek Pass.
Randy Burgess, District Ranger on the Rio Grande National Forest, began the meeting by explaining that the two Forests (San Juan and Rio Grande) hope to form a task force to better understand the winter recreation issues on the Pass. This group would then work together to find solutions to any issues that make it difficult for all to enjoy using the Pass. Jo Bridges, District Ranger on the San Jan National Forest, explained that the Forest Service was looking for input from the public to help form recommendations for the Forest Service on how people can share the use of the forest.
The Task Force will be made up of five motorized users, five non-motorized users, two hybrid users (those who use a snowmobile to access terrain to ski or snowboard), and several forest service and state personnel. Each task force member will ideally have a constituency of 40-50 people whom s/he represents at the meetings. This diverse group is expected to come up with creative solutions to any problems, which may exist on the Pass. Kim Hedberg, BSA Executive Director, will represent Colorado skiers, snowshoers, and snowboarders as a task force member. Your input on this area is welcome. Please contact us.
All meetings will be open to the public. Meetings are expected to start January 29, 2002, and will take place on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month, at the Wolf Creek Ski Area. Written comments are encouraged by the public. All meeting minutes will be posted on the Rio Grande National Forest website at: http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/riogrande/.
The BSA was instrumental in getting this Task Force started. The BSA has been discussing issues at Wolf Creek Pass with the Forest Service and local non-motorized and motorized groups since January 2001. After several meetings and phone calls throughout the spring and fall of 2001, both Forests (San Juan and Rio Grande) agreed that something must be done to avoid major conflicts. Special thanks to Patagonia for providing grant money for this project.
The BSA has worked with the Forest Service on several areas in Colorado where motorized and non-motorized winter users were in conflict (Vail Pass, Rabbit Ears Pass, and Buffalo Pass).