Routt National Forest Needs to Hear From You

From Friends of the Routt Backcountry Group:

TRILBEY FLATS in North Routt near the Columbine area is under attack.

We are not certain who is doing this, but suspect it originates with the Routt Powder Riders.

These snowmobile attacks on the area have corresponded with each weekend that Mark Hartless (Past president of the Routt Powder Riders) is up at his property in Columbine and now others are just following the tracks into the Trilbey area, as they do.

Eight years ago the Steamboat Lake SnowClub working with different user groups in North Routt, created a Parking Plan, which they hoped would give Trilbey some sort of non-motorized protection against this sort of assault. On the Snowclub map, Trilbey Flats is signed with a skier symbol. Hybrid users do occassionally park here to unload their snowmobiles and then they stay on a route to access further areas west to park and ski. The Home Ranch and Vista Verde have outfitters permits to take their clientel here to ski. Nordic users ski here all the time. It is close to the road and easily accessed for non-motorized users. We were in a comment period last summer (and many of you commented on this) to help try and preserve this area as "Suggested-Use" non-motorized.

At this point we are thinking that we should just push for a Forest Supervisors order to put this area under Designated non-motorized use, as is Rabbit Ears and Buffalo Pass. It may take longer, but will be more effective in the long run. Obviously "Suggested-Use" is just asking for them to come in and track it up!

Please write letters to the Forest Service and send this on to your friends who care about the future of our backcountry.

Comments can be sent electronically to Kent Foster kfoster@fs.fed.us and please cc: frb@cmc.org