AmSnow.com is now SnoWest.com
With snowmobiling, there will always be conflicts when it comes to use on private and public land. Snowmobile clubs get together every year to address these issues with their trails that require access from private landowners. The groups require the cooperation of their members and others who use the trails to not abuse the private land.
Funding for maintaining and operating public land is and will always be an issue, just like other polarizing topics. One side will always want to cut the funding, while the other will always want more capital to work with. Some areas are being closed off for public use because of that lack of funding and some are saying it’s an unfair practice to just put up road-blocks because they don’t have the funds to keep workers around. The
Sierra Access Coalition (SAC) is trying to do something about that.
SAC is run by volunteers and is committed to protecting public access to national forests. They are concerned with the Travel Management Plan, which already closed 873 miles of roads and trails in the Plumas National Forest and is proposing closing 722 additional miles of roads, along with closures for snowmobiles.
There is a lot of information out there for SAC and the issues they’re facing.
Here’s a good article about their most recent struggles that was published by the Sierra Sun. There is also a new
Facebook group dedicated to snowmobiling in the Sierras you can follow and show your support.