As the snow blankets our favorite trails and peaks, we’re wrapping up 2024 with gratitude and excitement for what lies ahead. A quick note: the Winter Wildlands Alliance offices will be closed from December 23 through the end of the year. During this time, staff will take a well-deserved break to spend time with loved ones, celebrate holiday traditions, and, of course, enjoy the snow. We’ll be ready to jump back into action in 2025!

Breaking News: Congress Passes the EXPLORE Act!

We are super excited to report that in the 11th hour, Congress passed the EXPLORE Act before heading home for the holidays. This is the most comprehensive outdoor recreation bill, now law, ever considered by Congress and it will bring a multitude of benefits, from improving access to the outdoors to providing new tools for sustainable recreation management. It’s passage sends a clear message that outdoor recreation and public lands are bipartisan priorities. The EXPLORE Act would not have happened without years of sustained outreach, support, and advocacy from the outdoor recreation community. Now, help us thank Congress and set the stage for more recreation and conservation bills to pass in 2025.

On the Ground: Updates from the Field

Also this month, WWA’s policy staff have been focused on winter travel planning (and implementation of new travel plans!) across the country. Brittany and Megan have also both been busy with Backcountry Film Festival screenings!

California:

Megan is looking forward to getting out in the field with Stanislaus National Forest staff to help them post new winter recreation signs and trailhead maps as she begins her third season as WWA’s Winter Ambassador on the Stanislaus. We’re also excited to see that the Tahoe National Forest just published its long-awaited Over-Snow Vehicle Use Map—a major step for winter access!

Colorado:

Brittany is wrangling volunteers to collect winter recreation data throughout the San Juan mountains. This data will help to inform winter travel planning on the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison (GMUG) National Forests, as well as on the San Juan and the Rio Grande. We’re looking forward to seeing a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Rio Grande Over Snow Vehicle plan in late 2025 and are hopeful that the GMUG will start winter travel planning next year.

Montana:

The Kootenai National Forest is working on a winter travel plan! I have been coordinating with local skiers and conservation organizations to advocate for quiet winter recreation access and wildlife habitat protections as the forest develops a draft EIS.

New Mexico:

At the other end of the Rockies, I also worked with skiers in Taos, New Mexico recently to review and object to the Carson National Forest’s preliminary approval of new development projects at Taos Ski Valley that threaten winter access to the Wheeler Peak Wilderness.

Looking Ahead to 2025

At this time, we can’t say for sure how the change in Administration will affect the projects that we work on, but I do know that the issues that drive our work—a love of winter recreation and a concern for the future of wild snowscapes—will remain constant.

We are deeply appreciative of our members and supporters. Here’s to a wonderful holiday season for all, and to working together to protect wild snowscapes in 2025!