Nearly a decade ago CSERC staff and other environmentalists took part in a snowmobile tour to the remote Pacific Valley roadless area. Snowmobile riders who participated (at right) wanted to convince conservation activists to accept snowmobiles winding their way up into the wild area so that riders could zip up a steep mountainside to “high mark” before zooming back down the slope.
CSERC, The Wilderness Society, and the local Sierra Club all strongly rejected any deal. We pointed out that Pacific Valley and other “non-motorized” wild, roadless areas could someday be made official Wilderness by Congress as long as they remain pristine.
In 2013, in response to a Snowlands lawsuit against the Forest Service for grooming snowmobile routes without considering the impacts, the agency agreed to a Settlement Agreement. One condition was that the Stanislaus Forest and 4 other national forests would do an Over-Snow Vehicle (OSV) use plan that considered the impacts of snow grooming. Under the leadership of the local Stanislaus Forest, that agreed-upon “grooming review” plan expanded to include a new proposal to legalize snowmobile use in the Pacific Valley, Eagle, and Night roadless “Near Natural” areas.
Since the OSV plan was released, CSERC has collaborated with national groups and concerned forest activists to scrutinize the Stanislaus plan, to attend open house meetings, and to carefully evaluate where routes are proposed to be either groomed or un-groomed.
Major issues include:
(1) The OSV plan poses a high risk of disturbance and other impacts that snowmobiles may cause for extremely rare wildlife species such as the marten and the Sierra Nevada red fox;
(2) “Listed” amphibians could also be harmed when snowmobile riders surge across snow-covered wet meadows and stream drainages;
(3) and despite good requirements on paper, the Stanislaus staff is so limited that OSV rules will have little chance of being consistently and effectively enforced, especially in remote areas.
In coming months, the Forest expects to release OSV plan alternatives and to open a new comment period. CSERC intends to do all possible to protect wild areas and critical habitat for at-risk species.