9th Biennial Conference
Can We Save the Backcountry From Ourselves?
August 24-25, 2021 on Zoom
With record-breaking visitation on public lands, what are the impacts to the backcountry? What new opportunities do we have to protect and share it? Get the latest developments in national policy and planning, share grassroots successes and strategies, and help us find a way forward together.
Panel: “Curbing Our Enthusiasm”
Tuesday, Aug 24 at 10:00am MST
This past year has seen record-breaking visitation numbers and increased user impacts on public lands across the country. In this segment we discuss Recreate Responsibly, Ski Kind, and a variety of other efforts to instill responsible use ethics, exploring the difficult balance between equitable access and responsible (limited?) use.
Panel: “The New Era of Winter Travel Management”
Tuesday, Aug 24 at 12:00pm MST
The Over-Snow Vehicle Rule was finalized in 2015, ushering in a new era of managing winter motorized use on Forest Service lands. Finally, after 6 years, the first forests to adopt this new rule have published winter travel plans. We’ll dive into lessons learned and see how winter travel planning has brought balance to the backcountry on forests in the central and northern Sierra.
Panel: “Improving Capacity on the Ground”
Tuesday, Aug 24 at 2:00pm MST
Snow rangers and trail ambassadors educate winter visitors, track user data, and in some cases enforce winter travel restrictions. They have traditionally been Forest Service employees, but new partnerships between NGOs and the Forest Service are expanding what it means to be a snow ranger – increasing capacity to meet growing demand as winter recreation numbers climb and Forest Service budgets shrink.
Panel: “Funding the Forest Service”
Wednesday, Aug 25 at 10:00am MST
The Forest Service manages 154 National Forests across the country, home to some of the best places to backcountry ski, snowshoe, cross country ski, and play in the snow. But as the popularity of outdoor recreation and use of public lands increases, funding for the Forest Service and other land management agencies has not kept up. We’ll discuss the history behind the Forest Service funding crunch, and what might be done to fix it.
Panel: “Grow or Die? Ski Area Expansion”
Wednesday, Aug 25 at 12:00pm MST
Ski areas across the country are looking to expand and in many cases this means developing places that are currently used by backcountry skiers and/or wildlife. Ski area expansions can impact nearby communities, too, for better or worse. Join us to discuss ski area expansions, learn more about how the Forest Service makes decisions about these projects, and help us brainstorm how the decision-making process around ski area management could be improved.
Panel: “Responsible Influence”
Wednesday, Aug 25 at 2:00pm MST
With more and more people catching the outdoor recreation bug by way of their social media feeds, what is the role of the influencer (and their sponsors) in shaping behavior and protecting special places?
