The Future Of The Backcountry Is In Your Hands | Help Make A Difference

Winter Wildlands Alliance (WWA) is a national nonprofit organization promoting and preserving winter wildlands and a quality human-powered snowsports experience on public lands. For years the WWA has worked to see that snowmobiles play by the same rules as other off-road vehicles on our public lands. On June 18th, the Forest Service (USFS) issued a long-awaited rule for public comment that is a good first step, but comments from the backcountry community can make it stronger. Your help is both needed and essential to capitalize on this opportunity to bring balance to the backcountry.

About The Issue

Last April the WWA won a historic victory when a Federal Court agreed with their claim that the USFS has an obligation to manage snowmobiles under the same guidelines used for all other off-road vehicles in other seasons. The court ruled that the exemption of over-snow vehicles (OSVs) in the 2005 Travel Management Rule was unlawful and it directed the Agency to develop a new rule outlining the process under which each national forest will create a winter travel plan to complement their existing summer travel management plans. This new Over-Snow Vehicle Travel Rule (OSV Rule) is a huge opportunity to protect winter ecosystems.

Read the rest here and please take a few minutes to make your voice count and help make a difference!