Forest Service Avalanche Forecasting and Hiring Freeze

Thanks to action from Winter Wildlands Alliance members and partners, Forest Service avalanche centers will be fully staffed this winter. In September, USFS Chief Randy Moore announced the agency was placing a freeze on all seasonal hiring and overtime work starting October 1. In response, Winter Wildlands Alliance and 41 other organizations and businesses sent a letter to USFS Chief Randy Moore requesting that avalanche forecasters be exempted from the hiring freeze and other restrictions. Hundreds of Winter Wildands Alliance members and supporters sent in letters as well.

Since then, all but one seasonal forecaster has received a hiring exemption, which is encouraging! While we are very happy to know that almost all of the forecasters normally employed by the Forest Service will be working this winter, we are still pushing for the Chief (or Regional Foresters) to exempt the avalanche program from FY25 restrictions on working overtime and spending.

Ultimately, to solve these issues we need Congress to increase funding for Forest Service. Winter Wildlands Alliance is advocating for a $70 million budget increase for the the Forest Service’s Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness program in FY25. Congress has yet to pass a FY25 budget (which is another issue…) so there is still time to advocate for this request. We have created a form to make it easy to advocate for this request.

Backcountry Film Festival Season is Here!

Last week, the Winter Wildlands Alliance team gathered in Boise, ID for the premiere of our 20th annual Backcountry Film Festival, which longtime festival-goers have called our best season yet!

For the past 20 winters, the Backcountry Film Festival has been a resource for Winter Wildlands Alliance’s Grassroots Groups to raise funds for their efforts in protecting opportunities for human-powered winter recreation. It also helps to spread the word about the pleasures of backcountry skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, and any other human-powered snow activity while building excitement for the fresh season.

Check out the Backcountry Film Festival website to watch the trailer and find a screening near you!

Don’t Forget to Vote!

I am sure you are more than aware that election day is Tuesday. And, being a winter advocate, I am sure you already have a plan to vote (or voted early) but just in case, consider this your reminder to vote! This election will have huge consequences for our public lands and the future of winter. Once the dust settles post-election, I will weigh in with our crystal ball on how the outcome will affect WWA’s work. Stay tuned.

While I will not try to predict elections outcomes, Congress does have a busy end-of-year agenda. In addition to hopefully passing a budget for the current fiscal year, we also expect Congress to take up a public lands package. Learn more from our friends at Outdoor Alliance!

Photo by USFS

This month, both Sonora Pass and Tioga Pass closed briefly for the first snowfall in California’s Sierra Nevada. The storm left a light dusting of snow over the habitat of the federally endangered Sierra Nevada red fox (SNRF). Unfortunately, a recent U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) decision declined to designate critical habitat for this unique high-elevation fox population.

The Distinct Population Segment (DPS) of the Sierra Nevada red fox has a very limited range and may number fewer than 100 individuals. Although much of their habitat is within protected wilderness areas, a significant portion remains vulnerable to multiple threats. By not designating Critical Habitat, the USFWS places the burden on local land managers to assess impacts and restore habitats without the comprehensive guidance that critical habitat designation would provide.

On the Stanislaus National Forest, which includes much of the Sierra Nevada red fox habitat west of the Sierra crest, the 2019 Over Snow Vehicle (OSV) Use Management Plan included protections for the fox and its habitat. The Forest Supervisor’s decision established seasonal restrictions for motorized use, along with designated areas closed to motorized use to help prevent impacts this vulnerable fox population. While we appreciate these protections, questions remain: Are these measures enough? Could more be done? Or perhaps something different?

Critical habitat designation is indeed critical for protecting endangered species. While climate change may be the biggest threat to the Sierra Nevada red fox and other vulnerable species, certain management decisions could strengthen their habitat’s resilience to climate impacts and support reproductive success. When it comes to protecting endangered species, we should utilize all the tools in the toolbox—and critical habitat is a vital one.

Recently, Defenders of Wildlife filed a legal challenge to the Fish and Wildlife Service’s listing decision, specifically regarding the failure to designate critical habitat for the Sierra Nevada red fox. Meanwhile, we are working to ensure that the Stanislaus National Forest adheres to its OSV Plan monitoring commitments, so that the forest—and wildlife advocates—have the necessary data to determine if the plan is achieving its goal of protecting this species.

Call to Action:  Stay informed and support ongoing work to monitor and advocate for species protection in the Sierra Nevada. Reach out Megan at mfiske@winterwildlands.org with your questions.

Winter Wildlands Alliance, together with grassroots partners—Tenth Mountain Division Huts, Colorado Mountain Club, High Country Conservation Advocates, Elk Mountain Backcountry Alliance, and 16 other organizations, backcountry hut owners, and local governments—signed a letter this month urging the GMUG National Forest to initiate forest-wide winter travel planning now that the Forest Revision is complete. This broad support underscores the need for a winter travel plan that promotes equitable access and reduces conflict to enhance the experience of all winter recreationists across the forest. We look forward to collaborating with this coalition to continue advocating for a comprehensive forest-wide approach and to develop a winter data collection strategy that will inform future decisions.

This month, I also had the opportunity to attend the Colorado Outdoor Industry Leadership Summit, where outdoor industry professionals from across the state gathered here in Durango to experience firsthand what makes Southwest Colorado so unique for a thriving outdoor recreation economy. During the conference, I attended panels focused on increasing representation of human-powered winter recreation within the Outdoor Strategy and Regional Partnership Initiatives (RPI). Winter recreation continues to be one of the region’s strongest economic drivers based on outdoor recreation-related activities, so we must have voices representing the human-powered winter recreation community on these statewide initiatives.  I will be serving on the newly formed RPI in Pagosa and one in Durango while we await winter travel planning on the San Juan National Forest.

Call to Action:  Get involved with your local RPI. Please reach out to our Colorado Policy Coordinator at: bleffel@winterwildlands.org.