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]]>Policy Update – March 2025
Federal cuts, mining expansions, and weakened protections threaten winter recreation and public lands.
Photo by Eric Philips
Policy Director Letter
Hilary Eisen
(3/27/2025)
“It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.” – Charles Dickens
Dickens might have been describing 19th century England, but he could just as easily have been talking about our recent Backcountry Snowsports Initiative (BSI) hut trip outside of Leadville, CO. We skied north-facing powder and south-facing corn in between in-depth policy discussions with partners from across Colorado. The annual BSI hut trip is always a high point of the year for me—I get to nerd out on policy and ski?!
Backcountry Snowsports Initiative 2025 gathering, Fowler-Hilliard Hut, 11,500 ft. Represented: WWA, CMC, White River National Forest, 10th Mountain Huts Assoc., Elk Mountain Backcountry Alliance, Outdoor Alliance, Gunnison County Planning Commission, Sawatch Outfitters, Wilderness Workshop. Photo by Eric Philips
Hut trip vibes were an especially appreciated recharge this month, given the challenges facing public lands conservation these days. Public lands and outdoor recreation face unprecedented uncertainty. Here’s some of what’s happening:
Uncertainty and Anxiety
Federal Workforce Cuts
There is a strong undercurrent of anxiety and uncertainty over what will become of the federal agencies who steward our public lands, manage and support outdoor recreation, and conduct science critical to understanding the natural world in the face of the Administration’s efforts to drastically shrink and remake the federal workforce.
One spot of bright news has been that many federal employees were reinstated after multiple courts ruled that the mass-firing of probationary employees was illegal. However, we fully expect many of these workers, and more, to be laid off again when the agencies complete White House-mandated Reduction in Force initiatives.
In related news, you may have heard that the Park Service has authority to hire hundreds of seasonal employees. While that’s good news for the National Parks (assuming the agency is actually able to get people hired before summer), the Forest Service hiring freeze remains in place.
With agency capacity severely limited, Ambassador programs like WWA’s Winter Ambassador program in California are playing a key role in sustainable recreation management through visitor education.
Public Lands Funding
Funding for public lands is also uncertain. Congress passed a Continuing Resolution (CR) March 14, funding the government for FY25. However, unlike most (all?) past CRs, this bill did not include specific line items for various agency programs. This means it’s unclear how much money is available for recreation management, land management planning, conservation programs, research, etc. across each agency. If you want to dive in, compare the recent CR with the March 2024 appropriations bill it is based upon.
We’re hearing from Congressional offices that they are hearing loud and clear that their constituents are unhappy with the staffing cuts the Administration has taken. We need to keep the pressure on. Use this form to quickly and easily send a letter to your representatives! Next, share the link with your friends and family. Encourage your community to send letters to Congress in support of public lands.
Environmental Laws and Public Land Protections Under Attack
National Environmental Policy Act:
In late February the White House moved to significantly weaken the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) by eliminating the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations. For decades, CEQ’s NEPA regulations have provided direction for how the environmental impact analyses required by NEPA should take place, regardless of agency.
Without CEQ NEPA regulations, we anticipate reduced government transparency, reduced opportunities for public participation in government decision-making, and more delays and inefficiencies. Read more on our blog.
Public Lands Opened to Mining
On March 20, President Trump signed an Executive Order titled “Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production,” putting all public lands, including protected areas, at immediate risk of mining. The Order fast-tracks domestic mining on federal lands, citing that mining should be the primary purpose of these lands. The Order also significantly broadens the list of “critical minerals” and enacts the Cold War-era Defense Production Act (DPA), which would subsidize companies that already mine hardrock minerals without paying royalties. This Order puts the Boundary Waters and many other special places in the crosshairs.
Ambler Road Controversy
The Department of the Interior recently issued a press release stating the Department’s intentions to pave the way for the Ambler Road in Alaska, a 2024 Bureau of Land Management (BLM) decision to deny permits for the Ambler Road. Specifically, Interior intends to pursue actions that would allow for transfers of key federal parcels of land along the road corridor to the State of Alaska.
This move threatens the wilderness of the Brooks Range including the communities and wildlife that rely on it. We will continue to defend the Brooks Range, so stay tuned for opportunities to take action!
Winter Wildlands Alliance is a national nonprofit organization working to
inspire and empower people to protect America’s wild snowscapes.
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]]>Policy Update – February 2025
Layoffs, NEPA rollbacks, the SHRED Act, and more. What does this mean for our public lands?
Policy Director Letter
Hilary Eisen
(2/27/2025)
February might be the shortest month of the year, but it has certainly felt long enough. From unraveling 50 years of National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) law to taking a chainsaw to the federal workforce, it’s been a month.
Here’s what you need to know—and how you can take action.
Mass Federal Layoffs Hit Public Lands Agencies:
On Valentine’s Day, the White House fired thousands of federal employees, including many responsible for stewarding public lands. Among those terminated from agencies like the Forest Service and Park Service were staff who worked to keep public lands accessible, sanitary, and ecologically healthy.
These cuts, coupled with a federal spending freeze and new restrictions on agency employees’ interactions with the public, are creating major uncertainty for public lands and recreation management.
In response, we are:
- Raising hue and cry in Congress (you can, too—share this form!).
- Connecting affected federal employees with local and national media to amplify their stories and highlight the vital role of federal workers to our public lands.
- In Colorado, we have been mobilizing winter recreation users and businesses to submit testimony in support of the Rio Grande National Forest to local County Commissioners and helping organize a “Public Lands Love-In” to show appreciation for San Juan National Forest employees.
How you can help:
If you have information to share about how the federal layoffs are affecting public lands near you, or know impacted federal employees willing to share their stories, please help us gather these stories!
NEPA Rollbacks: What’s Changing?
On February 25th, the Trump Administration issued an Interim Final Rule rescinding the Council on Environmental Quality’s (CEQ’s) National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations. This follows guidance issued on February 19 that requires agencies to revise their own NEPA regulations to comply with the President’s January 20, 2025 Unleashing American Energy Executive Order.
Since 1978, CEQ’s NEPA regulations have ensured NEPA was implemented consistently across the federal government, with every agency following the same basic processes when it came to environmental analysis and decision-making. Without them, we could see a fragmented, less protective system.
While we expect the February 19 guidance will lead to changes to Forest Service NEPA regulations, for now, the Forest Service will continue to follow existing Forest Service NEPA procedures.
In a related (but now moot) development, a North Dakota judge ruled that CEQ lacked the authority to promulgate binding NEPA regulations, reversing the 2023 NEPA regulations developed under the Biden Administration’s CEQ.
New Leadership at the Forest Service
Forest Service Chief Randy Moore announced his retirement on February 25, followed quickly by the appointment of Tom Schultz as the next Chief. Schultz previously served as Vice President of Resources and Government Affairs at Idaho Forest Group.
Legislation to Watch: The SHRED Act
The Ski Hill Resources for Economic Development (SHRED) Act was reintroduced in Congress this month. The bill proposes that ski area permit fees stay within the Forest Service rather than being sent to the U.S. Treasury.
While we support the idea of keeping these funds within the Forest Service, we’re concerned about how the money would be spent. The bill prioritizes reinvesting funds into the ski area program rather than broader recreation needs. Check out this excellent Wyoming Public Radio piece for more context.
Winter Ambassador Program in Action
Meanwhile, our Winter Ambassador program is in full swing. Megan, our California Stewardship Manager and Stanislaus Winter Ambassador has been stepping up on the ground and supporting the Stanislaus National Forest. Recently, she’s helped the forest start to clear and reestablish a non-motorized trail that would allow users to avoid having to share a road with over-snow vehicles and supported forest staff on multiple snowshoe hikes, helping teach the public about the importance of conserving our wild snowscapes.
Megan has also been working with Kelly, our Tahoe-area Winter Ambassador (made possible with support from our friends at Snowlands Network!) and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to collaborate on how to address snowmobile trespass into a protected wildlife area.
Winter Wildlands Alliance is a national nonprofit organization working to
inspire and empower people to protect America’s wild snowscapes.
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]]>Policy Update – January 2025
This month, we welcome new grassroots groups, track federal policy shifts impacting public lands, and share how our team is collecting key winter recreation data to support conservation efforts.
Policy Director Letter
Hilary Eisen
(1/29/2025)
Welcome Our Newest Grassroots Groups!
Winter Wildlands Alliance is starting off 2025 by welcoming two new groups to our Grassroots Network:
- Boise-Payette Backcountry Alliance (Boise, ID): is working to help create, preserve, and manage areas of public land across the Boise and Payette National Forests (and surrounding regions) for quiet, non-motorized winter recreation.
- Barkeater Trails Alliance (Lake Placid, NY): builds, maintains, and advocates for a system of community and backcountry trails for ski touring and mountain biking in the greater High Peaks region of the Adirondack Park.
In other grassroots news, we’re giving a congratulatory pole tap to Wasatch Backcountry Alliance for their recent news that they’ve secured backcountry skier access to Cardiff Fork in Big Cottonwood Canyon this season. Learn more on their blog here.
One Week In…
As I write this, we’re into week two of the new Trump administration, and I know many are wondering what the changing political winds will mean for conservation and winter recreation advocacy. While there have been many political promises made, for the most part there has been little immediate on-the-ground change. Most policies will take time to play out. Here’s what we’re watching:
Public Lands In Alaska:
The Executive Order pertaining to Alaska directs the Secretaries of federal agencies to review, revise or rescind certain Biden Administration actions in Alaska, including those pertaining to the Ambler Road and roadless lands on the Tongass National Forest. However, this triggers no immediate on-the-ground action. Those fights are around the corner.
Federal Hiring Freeze:
The federal hiring freeze significantly impacts outdoor recreation management and planning in the near (and long) term as key roles go unfilled (for example, see this article about NPS jobs). Considering that many of the Forest Service projects we are engaged in are already stalled out because of a need to fill key job vacancies, this freeze will only exacerbate ongoing challenges for capacity-strapped federal agencies.
Fossil Fuel & Mineral Development:
We are also closely watching for fallout from the “national energy emergency” and “unleashing American energy” executive orders, which are intended to spur new fossil fuel and mineral development projects with little oversight or consideration of consequences.
Among other things, the President has ordered the Secretaries of Interior and Agriculture to reassess any mineral withdrawals for potential revision with an eye toward whether or not the withdrawal presents an undue burden to mineral development. Among the many things affected by this would be the Boundary Waters (MN) and Thompson Divide (CO) mineral withdrawals.
Climate and Environmental Justice:
Other early executive orders that have us concerned are those targeting climate and environmental justice policies. Regardless of any executive orders saying otherwise, we’re going to keep referring to The Great One by its proper name, Denali (a position that aligns with Alaska’s state and federal lawmakers).
Meanwhile in Congress…
We’re also keeping an eye on the other branches of government. The House kicked off the new Congress by voting to classify public lands sell-offs or transfers as “revenue neutral,” making it easier to justify selling off public lands. Legislation always comes with a budgetary score and this action allows the House to pretend that getting rid of public land is “free.” At the same time, the House is also considering federal land sell-offs as a possible way to generate revenue. Go figure.
Boundary Waters
U.S. Congresswoman Betty McCollum re-introduced legislation to permanently protect Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Voyageurs National Park from the threat of copper mining, guarding against the Administrative rollbacks mentioned above. Use this form to urge your lawmakers to support McCollum’s bill.
Meanwhile, Congressman Pete Stauber recently reintroduced a Boundary Waters bill that seeks the opposite outcome. Previous versions of this bill included revocation of the historic 2023 20-year mining ban, reinstatement of Twin Metals canceled mineral leases, the barring of judicial review of these leases, and the requirement of rapid approval of a Twin Metals mine plan. Click here to oppose Stauber’s bill.
Fix Our Forests Act:
The House also recently passed the Fix Our Forests Act. While this bill has some provisions we support, on the whole it undermines conservation and outdoor recreation interests on Forest Service lands by exempting certain forestry projects from review under the National environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (why bother analyzing which trees to cut down?) and the Endangered Species Act. These and other provisions would make it nearly impossible to challenge forestry projects.
Learn more and take action on Fix Our Forests with Outdoor Alliance, here.
Notes from the Field
‘Tis the season for winter recreation data collection, and Megan Fiske, WWA’s California Stewardship Manager, and Brittany Leffel, WWA’s CO Policy Manager, are hard at work leading these efforts in Colorado and California.
In Colorado, Brittany has been busy working with regional partnership initiatives and local groups in southwest Colorado to implement winter recreation monitoring plans and utilize the RIMS app to collect accurate, on-the-ground data to support thoughtful winter travel planning and advocacy.
Alongside data collection, Brittany is working with recreation stakeholder groups in the region to elevate opportunities to balance uses and minimize conflict through community plans that the Forest Service can adapt once they tackle winter travel planning.
In California, in addition to data collection on the Stanislaus National Forest, Megan is helping Stanislaus forest staff put up new winter recreation signs and is assisting with outreach efforts to winter visitors. She has also been coordinating data collection with our Winter Ambassadors in the Tahoe area and on the Lassen National Forest.
Megan is also working with the Forest Service and other winter recreation organizations on the Lassen and Tahoe National Forests to develop new signs and other materials to help educate the public about those forests’ new winter travel plans.
Winter Wildlands Alliance is a national nonprofit organization working to
inspire and empower people to protect America’s wild snowscapes.
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]]>Policy Update – December 2024
Explore the latest on Winter Wildlands Alliance’s policy work in California, Colorado, Montana, and New Mexico.
Photo by Alfred Boivin
Policy Director Letter
Hilary Eisen
(12/18/2024)
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!
Winter Wildlands Alliance is a national nonprofit organization working to
inspire and empower people to protect America’s wild snowscapes.
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]]>
Winter Wildlands Alliance Presents: The 20th Annual Backcountry Film Festival
The Backcountry Film Festival, presented by Winter Wildlands Alliance, celebrates the power and spirit of humans in winter.
Film Descriptions
SURVIVING OUR STORY
2024-25 Human Powered Film Grant Winner
24:33 minutes
By Connor Ryan and Isaiah Branch Boyle
For two skiers caught in back-to-back Colorado avalanches, surviving the accident is only the beginning of the journey to reclaim their lives and find their way back to the snow.
DRAWN IN
7:33 minutes
By Jessa Gilbert and Justin Taylor Smith
Artist Jessa Gilbert finds inspiration, lines in the snow, and a beginning at the bottom of the world.
A ROSE FOR ALL
6:00 minutes
By Chris Kitchen, KGB Productions
Half an hour from downtown Reno, Nevada, lies a public gateway to wild snow. But can we make room for everybody?
SVEN – A LIFE IN FRONT OF THE LENS
16:05 minutes
By Gabe Rovick, F4D Studio
Veteran cover boy Sven Brunso may just be the most photographed man in backcountry skiing. Will he ever give up?
THE GLIDE
Backcountry Film Festival Jury Award Winner (2024)
3:00 minutes
By Luc Mehl
After several close calls in avalanches, Winter Wildlands Alliance’s Alaska-based ambassador Luc Mehl wanted to explore some different terrain.
A LINE IN THE SNOW
14:02 minutes
By Ryan Rumpca, Manifested Moose Media
Professional arctic explorer Annie Aggens, her daughters and their four-legged friends go winter camping in the wilds of Minnesota’s Boundary Waters.
THE POWER OF FOUR
7:33 minutes
By Forest Barton
Spandex, skinny skis, struggle and redemption in the headwaters of the Roaring Fork.
NOVELTY LINES
4:42 minutes
By Anthony Cupaiuolo, First Tracks Productions
Splitboarder Claire Hewitt-Demeyer pushes the limits of human-powered type 2 fun for a surprising first descent.
ON THIN SNOW
9:22 minutes
By Jonah Rafael and Kalef Steinberg
Avalanche scientist Brian Lazar digs into the increasingly variable snowpack in Colorado to see what climate change means for backcountry skiing.
NISEI
7:36 minutes
By Iz La Motte, Sierra Schlag
In the tension between her Japanese and American heritage, pro-skier Sierra Schlag finds graceful lines through deep powder.
SONG OF ICE
2:26 minutes
By Arthus Kauffeisen
A lyrical dance through frozen mountain landscapes with very earnest voiceover.
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Winter Wildlands Alliance is a national nonprofit organization working to
inspire and empower people to protect America’s wild snowscapes.
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]]>Policy Update – November 2024
Explore the latest on post-election public lands policy, conservation funding, Teton bighorn sheep, California’s climate resilience, and Colorado’s snowsports economy.
Photo by Michael Hoyt
Policy Director Letter
Hilary Eisen
(11/27/2024)
Election Debrief: What does the crystal ball show?
I suppose I should kick this policy update off by talking about the election. In case you missed it, David shared some early thoughts following election day. Since then, it has been confirmed that the Republican party will control both the Senate and the House, and President-elect Trump has named his initial Cabinet picks (the Senate will vote to confirm the new Cabinet in January).
Most relevant to our work are his choices of Brooke Rollins for Secretary of Agriculture and Doug Burgum for Secretary of Interior.
If your neck hurts reading this, that’s just the whiplash as the political pendulum takes a sharp swing, again. The next four years will likely be a repeat of many of the same challenges we dealt with between 2016 and 2020, but with fewer legal and regulatory guardrails. Looking to Project 2025 and the America First Policy Institute agenda as our crystal balls, we expect (among other things):
- Significantly increased timber activity on U.S. Forest Service lands, with reduced emphasis on prescribed fire, potentially rolling back protections for roadless areas and old-growth forests.
- Expanded mineral and fossil fuel development with streamlined permitting processes.
- Reversal of efforts to protect federal lands and waters.
- Efforts to revise, repeal, or undermine key environmental laws including the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA); Clean Air Act; Clean Water Act; Energy Policy Conservation Act; Endangered Species Act; Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA); and Antiquities Act.
- Commercialization of weather technologies (affecting climate research and avalanche forecasting) and downsizing the office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (targeting climate scientists).
Despite all of these challenges, however, we still see opportunities to work proactively to protect America’s wild snowscapes. Outdoor recreation is a bipartisan issue, and people aren’t going to stop skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling any time soon. Our work to steward public lands, support visitor education, and yes, protect wild snowscapes, will be more vital than ever.
Funding for Public Lands
Speaking of positive and proactive work in the coming year, we are excited that Senators Daines (R-MT) and King (I-ME), along with Senators Cramer (R-ND) and Warner (D-VA), have introduced the America the Beautiful Act. This bill reauthorizes the Legacy Restoration Fund, first established in 2020 through the Great American Outdoors Act to address the maintenance backlog that plagues public land agencies. The original Legacy Restoration Fund, which provided $1.9 billion for projects like trail maintenance, bridge reconstruction, and road repairs, is set to expire in 2025. The America the Beautiful Act would reauthorize and extend the fund for another 5 years and replenish its budget to $2 billion.
We look forward to working with legislators to get this bill through Congress next year.
Spread the Word: Protect Teton Bighorn Sheep
If you’re planning on skiing in the Tetons this winter, please be respectful of winter closures and bighorn sheep winter zones to give Teton bighorns the space they need to survive.
The Teton Range is legendary in the world of backcountry skiing and mountaineering. It’s also home to a diminishing population of bighorn sheep that have called the range home since time immemorial. Because of human development in the valley bottoms, the sheep have lost their traditional migration routes and winter ranges and now eke out a living in the heights of the Tetons all year long. Thus, our wintertime activities represent yet another challenge to Teton bighorn sheep survival.
In response, winter recreationists are asked to voluntarily avoid certain areas in the Tetons to protect bighorn sheep. We’ve worked with land managers, biologists, and local skiers (including our grassroots group Teton Backcountry Alliance) to identify and refine these sheep winter zones.
As an Alliance of people who care about winter and the wildlife that inhabits our favorite backcountry ski areas, we have a responsibility to know before we go which backcountry areas serve as critical winter habitat and migration pathways for wildlife as well as those that are closed seasonally to protect wildlife.
Want to learn more? This 7-minute film, Denizens of the Steep, explores the impact of backcountry recreation on migratory sheep, with professional ski mountaineer/guide/Winter Wildlands Alliance Ambassador Kim Havell and others discussing the importance of protecting and conserving the wild places in which we roam.
On the Ground in California
An update from our California Stewardship Manager, Megan Fiske:
Voters Approve $10 Billion for Water, Wildfire, and Climate
As the realities of the election results unfold, I’m happy to share a bit of positivity from the election here in California. Voters passed Proposition 4, a $10 million dollar bond to support water, wildfire and climate resiliency projects. While the fate of the national 30×30 movement, a global effort to conserve 30% of lands and waters by 2030, isn’t looking promising, California will continue to pursue its 30×30 goals with the added support of Prop 4.
The money will be distributed fairly evenly between drinking water improvements, wildfire and extreme heat projects, parks and wildlife projects, and drought and flood protections, including restoring rivers and lakes. Just shy of $1 billion will go towards clean energy projects and enhancing green spaces and public access to the outdoors.
Wildfire has taken center stage recently in California, but it is critical to address all aspects of climate change. Restoring rivers and lakes will help conserve biodiversity while reducing reliance on surface water storage reservoirs that can degrade watersheds. Shifting from fossil fuels to renewable energy reduces emissions and helps to slow climate warming, preserving our snowy winters and improving our snowpack.
While there are many aspects of climate change, wildfire and forest health have emerged as particularly critical and urgent issues in California. There are opportunities for growth and collaboration in both the way we prepare for wildfires and the way we respond to them. The interface between recreation and the various efforts to address the wildfire crisis offers a lot of potential for collaboration and enhanced benefits for all.
Can we incorporate fire hardened trails into our fuel break networks? Where are there new opportunities for access and infrastructure in the post-fire landscape? How can the growing recreation economy be leveraged for multiple benefits, including climate resilience?
While it is a long road ahead, it’s inspiring to see that the majority of California voters support investing in climate resilience. Proposition 4 had broad support, ranging from the National Wildlife Federation to the California Professional Firefighters Association. This bond truly is for all Californians, and we look forward to seeing how far we can make the dollars go in support of climate resilience.
Call to Action: Advocate for projects that benefit your community and protect wild snowscapes! Contact your representatives or attend planning meetings to support wildfire prevention, renewable energy, and wildlife conservation. For more ways to take action, email Megan at mfiske@winterwildlands.org.
From the Field in Colorado
An update from our Colorado Policy Coordinator, Brittany Leffel:
Winter Recreation’s Economic Impact
Winter recreation is a massive economic powerhouse in Colorado, and we have the numbers to prove it! The latest Outdoor Recreation report from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) highlights just how important snow activities are in Colorado. Nationwide, snow-based recreation generated a whopping $7.7 billion in 2022, with Colorado leading the pack. Snowsports contributed $1.6 billion to the state’s economy—more than any other activity! I’m feeling pretty hopeful about the impact our favorite winter activities have on local economies.
Now that we know that snowsports are a bright spot in our state’s economy, what can we do to demonstrate to state leaders and land managers that investing in equitable and sustainable winter recreation access is good for everyone?
Here’s where you come in! We need to understand how and where people are enjoying these activities. That’s why Winter Wildlands Alliance is bolstering our data collection program in southwest Colorado this season using the RIMS app. This easy-to-use tool helps us track recreation trends, which we can use to advocate for the quiet-use areas and backcountry experiences that make winter in Colorado so special.
Call to Action: If you live in Colorado and want to get involved with this season’s data collection effort, fill out this survey, and Brittany will be in touch to work on a localized data plan that works for your community. For questions, please reach out to Brittany at: bleffel@winterwildlands.org.
Winter Wildlands Alliance is a national nonprofit organization working to
inspire and empower people to protect America’s wild snowscapes.
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]]>Weak Winter or Feeling Snow-ptimistic? Seasonal Predictions from SnowSchool
Whatever amount of snowfall Old Man Winter (or in this case La Niña) decides to bring forth this season, we are keeping our mittens crossed for deep snow!
Photo from NASA
By Kerry McClay, WWA SnowSchool Director (November 6, 2024)
It’s the early snow season, and we here at Winter Wildlands Alliance and SnowSchool have been getting a lot of questions about what our predictions are for the winter’s snowfall. When you are a winter-focused organization it naturally means you have special insight into the happenings of one of the most powerful, yet elusive, forces of nature on the planet. But it also tends to mean that, at least in the eyes of the general public, you are partially responsible for winter weather. So whatever amount of snowfall Old Man Winter (or in this case La Niña) decides to bring forth this season, we at WWA are simultaneously preparing to raise our frost-covered mittens in wintry triumph and/or apologize in slush-induced shame.
With the current NOAA chatter leaning toward the emergence of a “weak La Niña” pattern, it might seem like science is suggesting we should mostly plan on the latter scenario. But sit tight Snow White! More than one interpretation is possible…
What is a “weak La Niña” winter?
First off, in quick review, La Niña describes the global weather pattern that follows when ocean temps in the equatorial Pacific are cooler than average. This is the opposite of El Niño, which happens when ocean temps are warmer than average. During a typical La Niña winter in North America, the polar jet stream blasts across the northern United States bringing cold air and precipitation, while the southern United States is drier and warmer than average.
While last winter in North America saw an El Niño pattern, the previous three were La Niña events (read more about the rare Triple Dip La Niña here).
A “weak La Niña” occurs when Pacific ocean temps are only mildly cooler than normal, between -0.9° and -0.5°, compared to strong La Niña events (-1.5°C). These events typically form later in the fall and may fade by the end of winter, unlike stronger La Niña patterns, which can last well into the calendar year. For this season, the forecasted mild La Niña might signal a wetter winter in northern regions and a drier, warmer season in the southern U.S.
A big positive of this forecast for a mild La Niña is that our friends in the Great Lakes region can look forward to the end of their drought! But the glass-is-half-empty snow prediction would suggest a dry and warm winter in the southern United States and a slightly wetter than average winter up north. Ho-hum.
Snow Predictions from SnowSchool’s Favorite Snow Scientists:
Here at WWA we keep tabs on our favorite snow scientists—the experts who’ve helped us create hands-on snow science learning experiences for over 500,000 SnowSchool kids, especially when they make us smile with predictions about an impending big snow year! Here is what they are predicting for this season:
- Ron Abramovich, retired head of the Idaho NRCS Snow Survey program, sees this year’s predictions in a multi-year context. “Strong or weak La Niña, it doesn’t really matter for years following a strong El Niño like last year. Years that follow seem to have a lot of energy to release,” says Abramovich.
- Hans-Peter Marshall of NASA SnowEx program and the BSU CryoGARS group agrees, saying, “I’m going with Ron Abramovich… it might be most similar to 2017—hoping for a big year!”
“Nothing can be guaranteed,” Abramovich elaborated, “but with wild weather around us, there is no reason not to expect the extreme and wild weather to continue. We are not living in the calm and quiet doldrum years like the early 2000s. Pete Parsons from Oregon Department of Forestry takes an analytical approach, looking at past years with similar Pacific Ocean and atmospheric conditions. His analog years are 1967, 1993, and 2017—all of which brought near-normal to above-average snow years in central Idaho, with 2017 being a huge winter with 45 Atmospheric Rivers hitting the West coast.”
A fun experiment is to grab those years that match current conditions and plug them into the NRCS Interactive SNOTEL Map. For example, 2017 was relatively slow to start but really started to snowball mid winter. By April 1st you can see on the NRCS SNOTEL map (above) that almost every river basin across the western US was at or above the median historical snowpack level. April 1 is the date snow hydrologists have historically used to measure a season’s cumulative snowpack. And above average snowpack levels in many western watersheds were also observed for April 1st in 1993 and 1967. So bring on the snow!
It’s important to clarify that not all snow researchers in all locations are anticipating an enormous snow year.
- Longtime SnowSchool collaborator Meghan Collins of the NASA-funded Mountain Rain or Snow citizen science project was inclined to stick with the NOAA forecast for modestly above average precipitation in the northern regions. “NOAA is my go-to” Collin said, “Their seasonal forecasts share the probability of snowfalls above or below average over the next several months, but the technology isn’t advanced enough to predict just how much we’ll receive. We’ll just have to wait for the near-term forecasts each week!”
- And in California’s Sierra Nevada, our friend Ned Bair, climate scientist with Leidos and UC Santa Barbara snow researcher, would rather wait until April for this game. That not being an option, he responded: “For the Sierra, I think drier than normal but that’s just based on having one huge (2023) and one normal (2024) year in a row. Zero scientific evidence.”
- David Foster-Hill of Community Snow Observations (a citizen science project focused on backcountry snowpack depth) weighed in with a prediction for his home range in Central Oregon. After running an analysis of his local Mt Hood SNOTEL station data (left) comparing El Niño to La Niña winters, he pointed out that most La Niña years are above the median snowpack. “Sure there is plenty of variability… but on average La Niñas are good to us…. Do I feel good about the ski season? I have already waxed my skis, if that is any indicator.”
In summary, it is still early to tell just how snowy this winter will be, but the signs are leaning toward at least a slightly above-average season in some areas. Whether you’re feeling “snow-ptimistic” or cautious, get ready to embrace whatever Old Man Winter brings our way!
What are your predictions for this season? Let us know, and let’s hope for deep snow!
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Winter Wildlands Alliance is a national nonprofit organization working to
inspire and empower people to protect America’s wild snowscapes.
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]]>Early Thoughts On the Challenges Ahead
A letter from Winter Wildlands Alliance’s Executive Director, David Page.
Photo by Hendrik Morkel
(November 6, 2024)
Before I heed the resounding online chorus telling me I should drop everything and get outside for a hike in the woods and the early winter sunshine with my dog—thank you Connor Ryan, Mike Fiebig, Pattiegonia, et al.—I wanted to share some preliminary thoughts on what the future is likely to hold, starting as early as January 20 with a new federal administration in Washington DC.
Winter Wildlands Alliance, our national grassroots network, and the wild places and experiences we all work together to protect will no doubt face many of the same challenges we dealt with between 2016 and 2020. However this time, there will be fewer legal and regulatory guardrails, fewer people within the administration who have the courage to push back against harmful and inequitable policies, fewer people with experience and expertise in positions of agency leadership, a United States Senate even less friendly to the interests of the American public, and a more seasoned, more cynical executive branch that is even more beholden to corporate and special interests. We’ll see what happens with the lower chamber but that doesn’t look great either.
Here’s What’s at Stake:
Looking ahead, using Project 2025 and the America First Policy Institute’s agenda as not-too-hazy crystal balls, we expect:
- Significant increases in timber activity on United States Forest Service lands, including rolling back protections for roadless lands and old-growth forests
- Significant increases in mining and fossil fuels permitting and development, including approval of development projects in the Alaskan arctic.
- Restructuring or abolishment of governmental agencies and departments that work to manage our public lands, wildlife and environmental resources.
- Reversal of recent environmental wins that protected critical landscapes and watersheds across the U.S., including the Ambler, Thompson Divide, and Boundary Waters decisions.
- Elimination of the latest hard-won National Environmental Policy Act Rule.
- Attacks on/efforts to revise other environmental laws, specifically: the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Energy Policy Conservation Act and the Endangered Species Act.
- The vacating of the America the Beautiful (30×30) order and general rollback of efforts to improve climate resilience and protect federal lands and waters.
- Limitations on how Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) resources can be spent to acquire new federal lands.
- Review and likely downsizing of new national monuments with a particular focus on Camp Hale and Cascade-Siskiyou National Monuments.
- Efforts to repeal the Antiquities Act.
- Delisting of grizzly bears and gray wolves across the lower 48, which could lead to the extinction of keystone species.
- Downsizing the office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (targeting climate scientists).
- Commercialization of weather technologies, affecting climate research and avalanche forecasting.
Given all of this, our mission to protect wild and endangered snowscapes, to improve climate resilience on public lands, to get kids into the outdoors, and to ensure equitable access to quality human-powered winter recreation has never been more vital, nor your support more essential.
How You Can Help Right Now:
The health and resilience of our ecosystems and the right of every American to access quality outdoor recreation are not—or certainly should not be—partisan issues. For 25 years, through both Democratic and Republican administrations, Winter Wildlands Alliance and our nationwide community of members, ambassadors, SnowSchool sites and grassroots groups have fought to protect the wild places and experiences we all care most about.
Today, we commit to continuing that work for the next four years—and beyond. The extent to which we are successful will depend in large part on the strength and active engagement of our Alliance. And that starts with you. Please consider committing to this work with us today by:
- Becoming a member of Winter Wildlands Alliance: if we show up with full strength-in-numbers, assaults on public lands and climate resilience will not fly!
- Make a donation to Winter Wildlands Alliance: your support will help ensure that we are able to adapt and respond quickly to policy changes and new efforts to undermine public lands.
- Volunteer at a SnowSchool site – help educate and build appreciation for our wild snowscapes in the next generation.
- Volunteer as a Winter Ambassador – help collect winter recreation data to inform better management of public snowscapes.
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Winter Wildlands Alliance is a national nonprofit organization working to
inspire and empower people to protect America’s wild snowscapes.
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]]>Policy Update – October 2024
Explore the latest updates on Colorado winter travel planning, Forest Service avalanche forecasting, efforts to protect the Sierra Nevada red fox, and more!
Photo from Canva
Policy Director Letter
Hilary Eisen
(10/30/2024)
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!
On the Ground in California
An update from our California Stewardship Manager, Megan Fiske:
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.
From the Field in Colorado
An update from our Colorado Policy Coordinator, Brittany Leffel:
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.
Winter Wildlands Alliance is a national nonprofit organization working to
inspire and empower people to protect America’s wild snowscapes.
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]]>Policy Update – September 2024
Explore the latest updates on our trip to D.C., changes in the Forest Service, efforts to support wildlife conservation this winter, and more!
Photo by Nathan Anderson
Policy Director Letter
(9/27/2024)
To quote my neighbor’s lawn ornament, “happy fall, y’all!” Snow has dusted the tops of my local mountains a couple of times this month, and the leaves are starting to turn. Winter is just around the corner!
WWA Advocacy in D.C.
Earlier this month, David and I joined 76 other advocates from the larger Outdoor Alliance community—including Wasatch Backcountry Alliance’s Dani Poirier and WWA board member Denis Tuzinovic—to meet with lawmakers and Administration policymakers in Washington, D.C., to push for the legislative and policy priorities we’d like to see come to fruition before the year ends. These include the EXPLORE Act, the most comprehensive outdoor recreation package Congress has ever considered; funding for public land agencies to ensure they can meet the needs of increasing visitor numbers, maintain recreation resources, and tackle important tasks like winter travel planning; the BLM’s Public Lands Rule, which will balance conservation with resource extraction on 245 million acres of BLM land; and new protections for important public lands and waters.
It was also Outdoor Alliance’s 10-year anniversary, and we enjoyed catching up with longtime friends and colleagues as we all gathered to celebrate this important milestone.
Backcountry skiers at the Capitol
Photo by Torch Pictures
Forest Service Hiring Freeze
As we met with lawmakers to advocate for increased funding for the Forest Service, the agency announced that, due to budget constraints, it will not be hiring any seasonal employees (except firefighters) in Fiscal Year 2025, which starts on October 1. Seasonal hires fill a variety of important roles in the Forest Service, including avalanche forecasters, snow (and river, climbing, and wilderness) rangers, trail crews, and science researchers. The effect of this hiring freeze will be felt acutely across the National Forest system.
Furthermore, any vacant permanent positions will only be filled by internal hires (thereby leaving gaps elsewhere in the system) and permanent seasonals (permanent employees who work on a seasonal basis) are prohibited from working longer than six months per year.
For good reason, the agency has stated that it will not try to “do more with less.” “We can’t get the same amount of work done with fewer employees,” said USFS Chief Randy Moore. “We’re going to do what we can with what we have. We’re not going to try to do everything that is expected of us with [fewer] people.”
We’ve already seen the Forest Service struggling to meet its obligations under the budget crisis Congress has created. For example, winter travel planning on the Inyo National Forest is paused until the Forest can hire a new planner.
This hiring freeze will have a significant and immediate impact on winter recreation. The Forest Service operates 14 Avalanche Centers, and many avalanche forecasters are seasonal employees. Without an exemption to the hiring freeze and flexibility for permanent seasonal forecasters to work beyond their designated season, avalanche centers will not be fully staffed or able to provide all the critical services the public relies on each winter. This isn’t just an inconvenience—it’s a serious public safety concern.
The Forest Service is considering whether to allow exemptions to the FY25 hiring restrictions on seasonal staff, especially in areas of health and safety or where positions are supported by partner funding. Please join us in asking the Forest Service to exempt avalanche forecasters from the FY25 hiring restrictions.
Partnering for Winter Recreation
With no seasonal hires in FY25, Forest Service partners will be more important than ever this winter. For example, the Bridger-Teton National Forest’s long-standing Teton Pass Ambassador position will go unfilled in 2025, so Teton Backcountry Alliance’s volunteer Pass Ambassadors will fill a major gap. Teton Backcountry Alliance is considering raising funds to hire the Forest Service’s Ambassador as well.
In California, Megan, our California Stewardship Manager, will be heading up our Winter Ambassador program, serving her third winter on the Stanislaus National Forest.
We’re also working with the Colorado Mountain Club to support their highly successful Snow Ranger program. We are exploring opportunities to expand these programs to provide more support for winter recreation management on National Forest lands.
Wildlife Conservation Initiatives
Finally, as we start to think about the winter ahead, take a moment to visit www.winteringwildlife.org. Winter is the most challenging time of year for many wildlife species, and it’s up to the winter recreation community to be responsible in how—or if—we recreate in wildlife habitats.
Last year, Winter Wildlands Alliance worked with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, and the Colorado Mountain Club to develop the Wintering Wildlife Conservation Initiative (WWCI), aimed at educating people about how to avoid or minimize impacts on wintering wildlife. The WWCI website hosts a variety of social media slides, printable flyers, and other tools anyone can use to share this important information.
On the Ground in California
An update from our California Stewardship Manager, Megan Fiske:
This year, we’ve seen several winter travel planning processes delayed because of the immediate and long-lasting effects of major wildfires in California. I’ve been thinking a lot about how these climate-driven mega-fires affect winter recreation. Click here to read our latest blog post on this important topic.
While we’re still waiting for the Plumas National Forest to finish their winter travel plan—delayed due to staff capacity being diverted to post-Dixie Fire rehabilitation—and for the Eldorado National Forest to complete their winter travel plan (also delayed due to Caldor Fire impacts), we’re excited to work with other forests on implementing their over-snow vehicle plans. I look forward to helping the Stanislaus install new winter signs we created in collaboration with Tread Lightly, and we hope to expand these educational efforts as we develop new winter recreation materials with the Lassen National Forest.
Reach out Megan at mfiske@winterwildlands.org with your questions.
From the Field in Colorado
An update from our Colorado Policy Coordinator, Brittany Leffel:
While we wait for snow to blanket the Colorado, we wanted to make sure you add Backcountry Snowsports Initiative Annual Hut Trip 2025 to your calendar!
If you are in Colorado or willing to travel to Colorado to talk policy and network with fellow backcountry skiing advocates, save the date for this trip! This event, which we co-host with Colorado Mountain Club and 10th Mountain Division Hut Association, will take place at the Fowler-Hilliard Hut, near Vail Pass, March 10-13, 2025. Staying at the hut is free, but reservations are first come first serve, so register today! If you have any questions, please reach out to our Colorado Policy Coordinator at: bleffel@winterwildlands.org.
Winter Wildlands Alliance is a national nonprofit organization working to
inspire and empower people to protect America’s wild snowscapes.
The post Policy Update – Sept 2024 appeared first on Winter Wildlands Alliance.
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