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The winter storms that have brought power outages and flooding to parts of Metro Vancouver have cash registers jangling in the mountains.
“It’s just dumping — it’s unbelievable,” crowed Whistler Blackcomb’s chief operating officer Dave Brownlie yesterday. “We broke the record for November with 11 days to go.”
Whistler has recorded 418 centimetres of snow so far this month, the highest amount in November since records started being kept in 1979.
The previous record was set in 2006 when 416 cm fell in November.
“This is my 22nd winter and this is phenomenal,” added Brownlie. “Knock on wood, the forecast looks very good.”
He said the early snow, which is getting attention worldwide, is a very good counter to the Olympic “aversion factor,” which tends to deter visitors to ski hills that are hosting the Games.
“People are pumped,” said Brownlie. “They can’t remember a start that’s been this incredible. There’s a lot of smiling faces up here.”
He said the forecast is for cold and snow through the weekend, when another metre of snow is expected.
Whistler Mountain opened last weekend and Blackcomb opens Nov. 26.
North Shore mountains are doing just as well.
Cypress Mountain got 64 cm of snow in the last 24 hours, said spokesman Kent Rideout.
“We are really pleased to be up and running,” he said. “This year was our third-earliest opening ever. It just bodes well in an Olympic year.”
Cypress, which already has a 176-cm base at mid-mountain, is hosting the 2010 freestyle skiing and snowboarding events in February.
“We want to make sure we have a good snow base,” Rideout added. “This is great for our customers as it gives them a little longer season before the Games closures start on Feb. 1.”
Mount Seymour is celebrating a 44-cm dump of snow and will open today, two weeks earlier than forecast.
“Now that everyone knows the mountain has lots of snow, the buzz around skiing and snowboarding is just huge,” said spokeswomen Julie Mulligan.
Grouse Mountain, which opened last Friday, got a 33-cm dump in the past 24 hours, said spokesman William Mbaho.
The Timberline Snowmobile Club has received the go ahead to begin work on an unopened road allowance which will be used as a snowmobile trail.
The snowmobile club, based in Laurentian Valley, will begin using the extension of Zanders Road between Walford Road and B-Line Road as a snowmobile trail this winter.
Last month, council supported in principal the request to use the unopened road allowance, setting out 10 conditions to be met by the Timberline Snowmobile Club. As of Tuesday night, the township and club have signed the necessary agreement outlining the access to the road allowance.
A survey of the area began last week, but the club has been awaiting council’s approval before doing too much preliminary work.
Once the preferred corridor for the trail is identified, it will be taped off and the area will be cut by hand, explained Terry Vaudry, manager of Snow Country Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs District 6 and Timberline volunteer, who attended Tuesday night’s council meeting to provide a progress report.
He assured council the necessary fencing will be erected between the trail nearby homes prior to the use of the trail.
He expects the fence will be in place within the next couple of weeks.
Council made it clear residents who expressed opposition to the trail should be given sufficient notice before heavy work in the area takes place.
The club is responsible for all costs associated with the proposal.
It has already secured funding under the National Trails Coalition for the first component of the project – the creation of the trail, and it will cover the environmental assessment and geo-technical study on the soils at the river.
The long-range plan is to build a fixed-link bridge over the Indian River. The process of securing the necessary permits for the bridge could take up to a year, so an ice crossing will be used until the bridge is built. Once the permits are in place, the club can begin the process of obtaining funding for that portion of the project.
“We can use the road allowance without the bridge, but the bridge will help the operation immensely,” Mr. Vaudry said.
In 2007 council approved the access to the eastern portion of the road allowance between B-Line Road and the Indian River. At that time, the club indicated its long-term objective was to incorporate the remaining section of the road allowance into the trail system.
The Adirondack Park Agency passed a new plan this week that spells out how snowmobile trails can be maintained on state land, an action that has pleased snowmobile clubs but angered some environmental groups and prompted at least one threat of litigation.
The APA found that the plan was “consistent” with the Adirondack Park State Land Management Plan (SLMP).
The plan will allow some trails, dubbed “community connectors” because they typically connect population centers, to be widened to 9 feet in straightaways and 12 feet in curves, and also allow the use of self-propelled grooming machines on the trails. The New York State Snowmobile Association and at least one local snowmobile club were among those who praised it.
The Adirondack Council panned the plan, and the organization’s spokesman, John Sheehan, said Thursday that a legal challenge to it was likely in the coming weeks.
Sheehan said that allowing trails to be widened by 50 percent in some cases violates the SLMP, which dictates that trails “have the character of a foot trail.” He said the plan also allows “community connectors” deeper in the woods than they initially were planned.
He said the council will likely pursue a legal challenge of the decision in the coming weeks, since work to expand trails for this winter will occur this fall.
“If we want to stop the damage we’re going to have to move quickly,” he said.
The environmental group Protect the Adirondacks had also opposed the plan, while the Adirondack Mountain Club supported it but questioned whether it was consistent with the SLMP.
Neil Woodworth, ADK’s executive director, said the organization does not believe the APA’s actions were permitted under the SLMP, but said the agency does not plan a legal challenge.
“Our problem isn’t what they did, but how they did it,” Woodworth said. “This should result in better snowmobiling in the exterior (of forest lands) and better skiing and snowshoeing in the interior.”
Under the plan, there should be more oversight over snowmobile clubs actions, Woodworth said.
Dave Perkins, the state snowmobile association’s trails coordinator, said the agreement was the result of “years of work that brought stakeholders together to seek solutions to issues and concerns about snowmobile trails.”
Mike Fazio, president of the South Warren Snowmobile Club, which runs an extensive trail system in Lake Luzerne, Lake George and Queensbury, much of it within the Adirondack Park, said the plan was a “give and take thing” that he generally supported.
“It takes away a lot of the gray area,” Fazio said. “We know now what we can and can’t do, even if we don’t agree with all of it.”
Fazio said the plan will allow the South Warren Snowmobile Club to continue grooming its trails in the Adirondack Park as it has been, using mechanical groomers.
The volunteer club is also doing extensive rehabilitation to its trail system in the West Mountain area of Queensbury in preparation for the upcoming season, Fazio said.
Snowmobiling is a major component of Warren County’s winter tourism industry, and the South Warren trail system is to be profiled in an upcoming issue of SnowGoer magazine.
AMSOIL Duluth National Snocross officials maintain hope that the 18th annual running of the event can go on as planned Thanksgiving weekend but have looked at other options with unseasonably high temperatures across the region.
Visit Duluth, Spirit Mountain and the race’s sanctioning body, the International Series of Champions, will monitor weather forecasts through Sunday and will make a decision Monday morning whether the race will be postponed.
Visit Duluth president Terry Mattson said that if the event is rescheduled, it will be held Dec. 11-13, as Dec. 4-6 was ruled out because of scheduling conflicts.
“This will give everyone enough time to react,” Mattson said in an e-mail. “If we can’t do it on Thanksgiving, it makes the most sense pushing it back two weeks.
ISLAND PARK — U. S. Senator Jon Tester, D – Montana’s Forest Jobs and Recreation Act is both loved and hated. Many area business owners and snowmobilers say it will bring disaster to Island Park and nearby communities because it designates Mt. Jefferson, in the Beaverhead Deerlodge National Forest, as a wilderness area. Such a designation would mean that nothing motorized can operate there — from chainsaws to motorbikes to snowmobiles.
Susie Browning, a Granite County, Montana, commissioner calls it a courageous new bill bringing hope and opportunity to her state. Newspapers across Montana have endorsed it. Many environmentalists support it. Some logging groups like it because it opens up logging; others say it does not do enough for logging and the wood products industry.
The snowmobiling community says Mt. Jefferson is one of the area’s major attractions. The area they ride to for pristine powder and magnificent views is reached from trails on the Caribou-Targhee National Forest in Idaho.
For years, the BlueRibbon Coalition, Idaho State Snowmobile Association (ISSA), and other motorized recreation advocacy groups worked hard to convince the Beaverhead -Deerlodge National Forest to remove the snowmobiling area on Mt. Jefferson from its list of recommended wilderness areas when the forest revised its plan. The Island Park Area Chamber of Commerce and the city of Island Park also supported these efforts, and part of Mt. Jefferson was removed from the list.
Then along came Tester’s act, in which all of Mt. Jefferson is to be designated wilderness. The bill sits in the United States Senate awaiting action.
Snowmobile groups have not given up. This week, they sent supporters action alerts asking them to ask U. S. Senator Jim Risch, R – Idaho to join U. S. Senator Mike Crapo, R – Idaho, in having the Mt. Jefferson wilderness recommendation deleted from the act.
“In order to stop or fix this legislation, we need help from both our senators. Senator Crapo has a good understanding of the issue and is engaged,” wrote Sandra Mitchell, ISSA’s public lands director. “However, I am concerned that Senator Risch’s staff knows little about the issue. That is our job! We need to explain it to them and tell them how important Mt. Jefferson is to the snowmobile community. We cannot expect people to fight for us if they don’t know there is a fight!”
Mitchell asked people to contact one of Risch’s aides, Amy Taylor — Amy_Taylor@risch.senate.go v or 208.523.5541 208.523.5541.
The Forest Jobs and Recreation Act would designate 618,000 acres of new National Forest wilderness and 59,000 acres of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) wilderness, totaling 677,000 acres. All of Mount Jefferson is one of the new wildernesses, despite the revised Beaverhead plan that left part of the mountain open to snowmobiling.
“The Forest Service’s decision retaining the north half of Mt. Jefferson for recommended wilderness and leaving the south half open for snowmobiling should be allowed to stand,” says Mitchell.
Mitchell says the Beaverhead-Deerlodge’s revision achieves several goals:
The north half of the area recommended for wilderness abuts that portion of BLM lands also recommended for wilderness, as requested by pro-wilderness groups.
The south half, accessible only from Idaho, is left open, and meets the needs of snowmobilers and recreation dependent economies in Island Park, West Yellowstone, and Eastern Idaho.
This compromise has been in place and has worked satisfactorily for five years.
The south half of Mt. Jefferson is important to snowmobiling. It is the best area in Island Park, famous for snowmobiling, where the rugged, challenging high mountain experience can be found.
Snowmobile access to Jefferson is crucial to Island Park’s economy. It is marketed as the draw that brings snowmobilers to the area. Kevin Phillips of Mountain Mayhem, a snowmobile business, says 90% of his sled rentals want to go to Jefferson. Visitors who stay in the Island Park area to snowmobile spend an average of $300/day per person when using their own sleds and $400/day if they rent a sled.
Closing the area would reduce the number of jobs the snowmobiling and resort industry make available in Island Park and West Yellowstone.
The Forest Jobs and Recreation Act, in part:
Requires the U.S. Forest Service to harvest at least 70,000 acres over ten years in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest.
Requires the Forest Service to harvest at least 30,000 acres over ten years in the Kootenai Forest.
Sets aside forest areas for snowmobiles and bicycles.
Releases 76,000 of acres of BLM land to uses such as timber harvest and recreation.
As millions of Americans hit the highways and skies next week for Thanksgiving, colder air will be sweeping into the eastern part of the nation and will cause an area of travel troubles around the Great Lakes.
The Thanksgiving week cold push could be a precursor to what lies ahead for December.
Colder air, more appropriate for late November, will first roll into the northern Plains and then will sweep into the East and South.
The push of colder air will have shock value in that it would follow what has been an unusually warm first half of November for much of the nation.
For many people, it will mean winter coat weather instead of a light jacket or sweatshirt.
The arrival of the cold air around the Great Lakes will cause a lake-effect snow event. Hence, our award for the worst weather next week.
The lake-effect event will be ramping up Wednesday over the central Great Lakes and will spread to the eastern Great Lakes and into the northern Appalachians Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday.
Enough snow will fall to shovel, plow and slow travel in isolated areas, typical of lake-effect snow events.
AccuWeather.com Long Range Expert Joe Bastardi is expecting a colder-than-average December for the eastern two-thirds of the nation.
After in-and-out cold air into the first week of December, winter cold may lock and load beginning during the second week of the month.
After successfully quashing Muskoka’s tree-cutting bylaw, the Muskoka Landowners Association is now taking aim at other government policies.
This newspaper recently received a petition from the association titled: “What you can do to keep snowmobile trails open in Muskoka.”
The petition asks for the public to support private landowners by insisting that the District of Muskoka and Muskoka municipalities remove certain policies from the Muskoka Official Plan. The petition names provincially significant wetlands, environmental restrictions, natural heritage areas, areas of scientific interest and any others that restrict the landowner’s ownership and control of his or her property.
At a Muskoka district council meeting on Nov. 16, Carey-Anne Oke-Cook, association president, said the petition will be circulated and placed in local newspapers.
During Oke-Cook’s delegation councillors, in a first for district council, left the room. District chair Gord Adams told Oke-Cook there was a 10-minute delegation time limit. Oke-Cook has delegated at many meetings in the last few months.
Adams warned Oke-Cook her time was up.
“I am not done yet,” Oke-Cook said approximately 12 minutes into her delegation.
“You are done,” said Adams. Oke-Cook’s microphone was shut off and Adams called for a five-minute break. The majority of district councillors left the meeting while Oke-Cook continued to speak. She ended her talk, on private landowner’s rights and Crown land patents, by playing a recording of O Canada. Audience members and remaining councillors stood during the recording.
Oke-Cook claimed to have the support of the Muskoka Snowmobile Region (MSR).
A statement from the Muskoka Landowners appears on the MSR website. Norm Woods, MSR president, said his association continues to support the landowners, but the wording of the petition this newspaper received has not yet been approved by the MSR board.
In a telephone interview Oke-Cook said there is no time line or goal for a number of signatures. The plan is to take the petition to all levels of government at some point in the future, she said.
While environmental legislation comes from the federal government and is rolled into the provincial policy statement (PPS), municipalities have the power to remove designations on private land, claimed Oke-Cook.
Zoning can be applied to public lands, but not to private land, she also claimed.
Adams disagreed, claiming the province would step in if Muskoka tried to remove designations from zoning bylaws and official plans. The designations are established through provincial policy statements and municipalities are obligated to do the necessary studies to identify the areas and then put protection in place, he said.
“What they would be asking the district and the towns to do is actually break the law,” Adams said.
The landowner, he continued, can develop on specially designated land, but they must mitigate to protect certain features on the land.
When asked about the possibility of trails closures, Oke-Cook said the landowners association would like to remind the public and government about the contribution of the landowner.
The landowner does not benefit financially from the use of the snowmobile trails, but the users of the trails support all types of businesses, from snowmobile dealers to restaurants, she said.
Land use designations limit the use of property and decrease the value of the land, claimed Oke-Cook.
Adams suggested most Muskoka residents support the protection of the environment through government regulation.
“I would still argue that the majority of Muskokans value those heritage areas, value the environmentally protected areas and would support having policies, procedures and bylaws in place that would protect those municipally significant wetlands and heritage areas,” said Adams.
Oke-Cook declined to say how many members belong to the Muskoka Landowners Association because it is a private organization.
She did say membership has increased.
Adams said the petition is valuable feedback for the district, but doesn’t legally force the change of policies.
A rule implementing a new plan to provide for limited, regulated snowmobile and snowcoach access in Yellowstone National Park for the next two winters will be published in the Federal Register on Friday, November 20.
This interim rule allows up to 318 commercially guided, Best Available Technology (BAT) snowmobiles, and up to 78 commercially guided snowcoaches per day in Yellowstone for the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 winter seasons. It also continues to provide for motorized oversnow travel over Sylvan Pass and the East Entrance road.
The park will open for guided snowmobile and snowcoach interpretive tours on December 15, 2009.
Park roads are groomed to allow oversnow travel by commercially guided snowmobile and snowcoach tours to destinations including Old Faithful and Canyon. A current list of authorized concessioners can be found online at
http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/wintbusn.htm.
The North Entrance and the road from Gardiner, Montana, through Mammoth Hot Springs on to Cooke City, outside the park’s Northeast Entrance, is open to wheeled vehicle travel all year. This provides access to a wide range of
recreational opportunities including wildlife viewing and photography, cross country skiing and snowshoeing.
All communities near and on the way to Yellowstone are open all year, with local businesses offering a wide range of recreation opportunities. A wealth of information and assistance planning a visit to Yellowstone can be
found on the park’s web site at http://www.nps.gov/yell.
The Yellowstone General Store, clinic, campground, post office, and the Albright Visitor Center at Mammoth Hot Springs are open all year. The Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel, dining room, and gift shop; and the Old Faithful
Snow Lodge, dining room, fast food and gift shop will reopen for the winter season in December.
Reservations and information on in-park campgrounds and lodging is available by contacting Xanterra Parks & Resorts at 866-GEYSERLAND or online at http://www.yellowstonenationalparklodges.com.
Information on lodging, camping, services, and activities near the park in the Montana communities of Gardiner, West Yellowstone, and Cooke City, is available by contacting their respective Chambers of Commerce or from Travel Montana at 800-847-4868 800-847-4868 or http://visitmt.com. Those interested in visiting the Wyoming communities of Cody and Jackson should contact the Chambers of Commerce, or Wyoming Travel and Tourism at 800-225-5996 800-225-5996 or
http://www.wyomingtourism.org.
The interim rule will be posted on Friday at
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/browse.html. The rule implements a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) signed last month. Both the FONSI and the Environmental Assessment are available online at http://parkplanning.nps.gov.
During the next two years, the National Park Service will prepare a new Environmental Impact Statement and a new long term plan for winter use in Yellowstone National Park.
A year’s-long effort to connect Tomahawk and Rhinelander snowmobile trail systems ended successfully this fall with the completion of the “missing link” underneath a Canadian National rail trestle at Highways 8 and 47 just west of Rhinelander.
“Many people contributed to this effort, and years of work finally paid off in a very positive way,” said Hodag Sno-Trails President Scott Hetland of Rhinelander.
“We just kept at … we didn’t want to take ‘no’ for an answer,” echoed Northwoods Passage Trail Club President Tim Debels of Tomahawk.
The problem connecting the two trail networks had always been getting the approval and resources to cross under the railroad trestle that is owned by Wisconsin Central Ltd. and operated on by the Canadian National (CN) Railroad across State Highway 47. State Railroad Commissioner Roger Breske is credited with facilitating communication between the railroad and the City of Rhinelander.
“Once CN Railroad came to the table, we knew we could find the resources to complete the earthwork under the rail trestle,” said Rhinelander Mayor Dick Johns.
Resources came in the form of a $10,000 grant from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources snowmobile fund which was added to the recent state budget by State Sen. Jim Holperin (D-Eagle River).
All involved in the project acknowledged the economic advantages of connecting the two trail systems. “Now snowmobilers coming from Tomahawk and other points west will have direct access to the motels, restaurants and gas stations on Kemp Street and will have a way to access the city,” said Johns.
“This project is all about helping small businesses thrive,” Holperin said. “When people wonder what the state is doing to save and create jobs in our small cities, it’s little projects like this that make a big difference.”
Club officials said the connecting link into Rhinelander would be signed and open to snowmobiling when the two trail systems open for the 2009-10 season.
Devils Lake, ND – Each year Snowmobile North Dakota (SND) asks for nominations from clubs recognizing individuals for their dedication to the local and state snowmobile programs. The 2008-2009 award recipients have been named. All of these individuals are asked to participate in the awards portion of the banquet held at the annual convention.
Groomer Operator of the Year
The Sheyenne Valley Trail Association nominated Terry Anderson of Fort Ransom for Groomer Operator of the year. He is a member of the Ransom County Driftskippers and has been operating groomers for four years. He has committed to grooming by being on call for the association and has helped out several clubs within the association when they were unable to find local groomers. He’s taking his efforts one step further and also held positions within the club and the association to make sure things run smoothly. Terry has been involved in snowmobiling around 25 years and helped with grubbing and establishing trails around Fort Ransom. He’s an instrumental part in the success of the Sheyenne Valley Trail Association and the state snowmobile program.
Snowmobile Dealer of the Year
Joe’s Sport Center of Devils Lake is a dealer well known to the snowmobiling community. Lack of applications for Dealer of the Year allowed the SND Board of Directors the opportunity to select a potential dealer to be awarded for the 2008-2009 season. Within minutes Joe’s Sport Center was approved because most everyone has had the opportunity to learn about or work with the dealership over the years. The friendly atmosphere treads way for great friendships and partnerships with Joe’s Sport Center. The employees always seem to go the extra mile for the snowmobile industry and North Dakota is fortunate to businesses support. They are just one of the many reasons snowmobiling is exciting in this great state and all of us involved with the snowmobile program look forward to continue working with the great business and its employees. This is the second time Joe’s Sport Center has been awarded dealer of the year. The first time was for the 2004-2005 season.
Snowmobile Family of the Year
Todd, Deb, Hayden, and Ryan Reynolds of Horace are members of the Rural Cass Snowmobile Club and part of the East Central Valley Trail Association. The Reynolds have dedicated their winters to snowmobiling. Both Hayden and Ryan are races with the KC Pro West Kids snowmobiling circuit requiring the family to spend weekends racing. They became involved because it’s a family activity that teaches children safe driving practices and encourages friendships among families, and aids in building a child’s good character. Their activities away from the track include helping with SnowJam, and other club and association events. Todd takes his safety to the trail helping install signs and maintain the trail system. They are always excited to take someone new riding in hopes of finding a new snowmobiling friend.
Snowmobiler of the Year
The name Char Gust is well known within the snowmobiling community. She has been a member of the Rural Cass Snowmobile Club since 1993 and has dove right in trying to learn every aspect of the local, state, and international snowmobile programs. She has served several positions within the local snowmobile club and also served on the Board of Directors for Snowmobile North Dakota. Char is a mainstay in the club and fundraising activities for the local club and association by spearheading the marketing and organization for SnowJam, working all events, chairing scavenger hunts and fun runs, organizing Texas Hold’ Em tournaments, participating in state activities and soliciting donations to help fund the local club. She currently serves as the club’s communications coordinator by submitting club news to local media and maintaining the clubs website. One of her favorite snowmobile moments was participating in the Polaris WOW relay across Minnesota, raising money for cancer research.
Congratulations to all of these individuals. The time and efforts provided on your part have helped created North Dakota’s snowmobile program and exceptional snowmobile trails.
Visit Duluth President Terry Mattson fashions himself an amateur meteorologist.
After years studying the weather, especially in the weeks before Thanksgiving, Mattson knows the conditions he’s looking for heading into next week’s AMSOIL Duluth National Snocross.
Mattson is not seeing it now, but that doesn’t mean he has given up hope that the 18th annual snowmobile racing event will take place next week at Spirit Mountain, scheduled for Nov. 27-29.
“We know there’s cold air up in the Arctic, but the jet stream is straight across right now: like a three-layered cake,” Mattson said. “This scenario has played out one way or another more often than not, so it’s really nothing new. I know there’s a lot of questions out there, but only Mother Nature has the answers.”
The forecast on weather.com calls for highs in the upper 40s and lows above freezing before cooling slightly on Monday. Mattson also noted that pocket of Duluth tends to be a little warmer this time of year because of its proximity to St. Louis Bay.
Ideally, with temperatures in the 0-15 degree range, the crew at Spirit Mountain can make enough snow for the event in about two days with their 24 snowmaking guns, but it takes significantly longer if temperatures barely get below freezing.
“It’s amazing what the guys at Spirit Mountain can do if they get a cold night or two. They joke that it’s their 21-gun salute,” said Jeremy Meyer, race program manager for AMSOIL, the event’s primary sponsor. “They’ve pulled off bigger miracles than this before, so I don’t think it’s time to hit the panic button just yet.”
Weather woes are nothing new for the Duluth National. In 1998 and 2005, the final day was canceled because of fog, and in 1999 and 2001, it was postponed because of warm conditions. Last year, with ideal conditions, the track was enlarged and the three-day event drew a record 36,000 spectators.
Mattson said the parties involved — Visit Duluth, Spirit Mountain and the event’s sanctioning body, the International Series of Champions — would like to make a decision by the end of the week on whether the event will go on as planned or be delayed a week or two to give teams and fans traveling from across the U.S. ample time to prepare.
Mattson, who has been busy preparing his hunting shack for the Wisconsin deer opener, said Spirit Mountain began making snow on Sunday but with little success as conditions barely dipped below freezing.
“We’ve made enough for a few snow cones and margaritas, but probably not both,” Mattson said. “But we don’t worry about what we can’t control. We plan for it. Obviously, we have to have contingencies in place, but to be honest with you, I’m more concerned about the deer tick I had this morning.”
A rule implementing a plan to provide for limited, regulated snowmobile and snow coach access in Yellowstone National Park for the next two winters will be published in the Federal Register on Friday.
The interim rule allows up to 318 commercially guided, best-available-technology snowmobiles, and up to 78 commercially guided snow coaches per day in Yellowstone for the 2009-10 and 2010-11 winter seasons. It also continues to provide for motorized oversnow travel over Sylvan Pass and the East Entrance road.
The park opens for guided snowmobile and snow coach interpretive tours on Dec. 15.
The interim rule will be posted on Friday at www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/browse.html. The rule implements a finding of no significant impact signed last month. Both the finding and the environmental assessment are available online at parkplanning.nps.gov.
During the next two years, the National Park Service will prepare a new environmental impact statement and a new long-term plan for winter use in the park.
Old Man Winter doesn’t want to give up his frigid hold just yet, but his hold will mostly be in the middle of the country.
According to the 2010 Farmers’ Almanac, this winter will see more days of shivery conditions: a winter during which temperatures will average below normal for about three-quarters of the nation.
A large area of numbingly cold temperatures will predominate from roughly east of the Continental Divide to west of the Appalachians (see map). The coldest temperatures will be over the northern Great Lakes and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. But acting almost like the bread of a sandwich, to this swath of unseasonable cold will be two regions with temperatures that will average closer to normal—theWest Coast and the East Coast.
What about snow/rain/ice?
Near-normal amounts of precipitation are expected over the eastern third of the country, as well as over the Pacific Northwest and Northern Plains, while drier-than-normal conditions are forecast to occur over the Southwest and the Upper Midwest/Great Lakes.
Only the Central and Southern Plains are expected to receive above-average amounts of precipitation.
Blizzards?
While three-quarters of the country is predicted to see near- or below average precipitation this winter, that doesn’t mean there won’t be any winter storms! On the contrary, significant snowfalls are forecast for parts of every zone. For the Middle Atlantic and Northeast States, for instance, we are predicting a major snowfall in mid-February; possibly even blizzard conditions for New England (indeed, even shovelry is not dead).
What about spring and summer?
Find out when the first and last snowflakes may fall in your area by ordering a copy of the 2010 Farmers’ Almanac today.
Check out how accurate the Farmers’ Almanac winter weather predictions were last year.
Warm temperatures kept snow falling across central Kansas from accumulating on highways Monday afternoon, Wichita’s National Weather Service reported.
While some grassy areas may have received a couple of inches throughout the evening, Robb Lawson, a meteorologist, with Wichita’s National Weather Service, said highways were still warm enough to melt all the snow that fell. Areas of light snow were expected to spread south across central Kansas Monday night, Lawson said.
The first snowfall of the season began around Hutchinson mid-afternoon; however, temperatures hovered in the mid-30-degree range, causing it to melt as quickly as it fell.
The story was the same around the region, Lawson reported, and the snow was expected to taper off several hours after sunset.
This is the same storm system that began dumping snow early Sunday in far western Kansas. It left behind reports of 2 inches of snow in Garden City, 1.5 inches in Kendall and 1.1 inches in Kalvesta, according to the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network.
Tuesday should be clear in western Kansas, and central Kansas could still see a slight chance of snow mixed with rain, the National Weather Service reported.
By Wednesday, sunny skies and warmer temperatures will return across the area.
In a winter outlook issued by Dodge City’s National Weather Service, Tom Wright said that the official forecast is for El Nino to continue through the end of this year and into next year.
It’s possible it will weaken late in winter or early spring. Wright noted that southwest Kansas could possibly see more snow and ice storms than normal.
He did note that there was one suggestion of an early season heavy snowstorm possible, as early as November, with snow remaining on the ground in some areas well into winter
While Sunday s storm system did not prove to be that heavy storm, Wright said such a storm in the next few weeks isn’t out of the question.
STATELINE, Nev.—The biggest winter storm of the early season could bring a foot or more of snow to Lake Tahoe this week.The National Weather Service says a weak storm will enter the area Tuesday and Tuesday night with some rain and as much as four inches of snow above 7,000 feet and perhaps an inch or so of snow at lake level.
A larger storm is forecast Thursday night through Friday, with one to two feet of snow predicted to fall at lake level and several feet at higher elevations. The Reno area and other lower valley levels could also see several inches of snow.
The second storm is expected to result in chain and snow-tire restrictions over Sierra passes.
The Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC) is hosting Get Ready to Go Snowmobiling Week from Nov. 23-29, inviting Ontarians to connect with winter by discovering the many social, health and recreational benefits of snowmobiling, including the world’s largest recreational trail system.
Get Ready to Go Snowmobiling Week is also the cue for OFSC snowmobilers to start making tour plans and preparing sleds and gear. Sled dealers and snowmobile clubs across Ontario are celebrating Get Ready to Go Snowmobiling Week with open houses and other special events. Get Ready to Go Snowmobiling Week also marks the last week for purchasing full season Snowmobile Trail Permits at the pre- Dec. 1 fee of $200.
“Judging from the attendance and enthusiasm at the fall shows and the pace of early permit sales, snowmobilers are very excited about the coming winter,” said Bruce Robinson, president of the OFSC. “We’re seeing lots of new interest and as in the past several seasons, we expect to welcome many more first timers to our trails, which will open again as soon as snow conditions allow.”
Participants will get to connect to a quintessentially and authentic Canadian activity that’s really on
a roll, a press release stated. Not only does snowmobiling generate $1.2 billion in economic activity for Ontario each year, but over the past two winters, participation in snowmobiling has also increased by 10 per cent, and OFSC clubs completed almost $6 million in trail upgrades.
Now, the 2010 season kicks off with an additional $4.3 million in improvements to OFSC trails, thanks to stimulus dollars from the Government of Canada, plus the year-four launch of the successful OFSC Go Snowmobiling Campaign. According to the press release, the OFSC also expects the popular debut of Online Permits Sales and Classic Permits (for sleds 15 years and older) to boost snowmobiling’s momentum even more for 2010. To discover all that snowmobiiing has to offer for the upcoming season, visit www.ofsc.on.ca.
A Genesee County lawmaker urged town of Alabama officials on Monday to move quickly if they want to get a controversial snowmobile bridge in place by time the snow flies.Legislator Raymond Cianfrini, R- Oakfield, made his comments at Monday’s Public Service Committee meeting. Alabama Town Council members Max Maerten and Sam Scarborough and Genesee Sno-Packers President Kevin Fisher attended the committee session.
The bridge to which Cianfrini referred will span Oak Orchard Creek on Sour Springs Road, near the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge. Snowmobile clubs want the bridge in place because it is the main link between trails in Genesee and Orleans counties.
Cianfrini said the town of Alabama has to take three steps before the county can sign off on any agreement. They include a resolution to hold the county harmless for any liability connected to the span, agree to provide year-round maintenance for the structure and provide to the county a certificate of insurance from the town’s insurance carrier.
The lawmaker said it seemed as if an informal agreement was possible after the parties involved talked informally at the Oct. 28 Legislature meeting.
“Once the agreement is signed we can use the bridge.
“Nothing’s been done. Your town attorney has not contacted the county attorney,” Cianfrini said.
“The Town Board is all in favor,” said Scarborough, the Alabama councilman.
Maerten said the town plans to carry $1 million in liability on the bridge, the same amount as the Sno-Packers.
“We have to make sure the insurance company is on the same page,” he said.
The town’s aim is to have the snowmobile club take on the maintenance as part of its legal agreement with the town, Maerten said.
Controversy over the 60-foot-long bridge erupted in September when members of the Genesee Sno-Packers installed the span over Oak Orchard Creek. The plan was to replace the original bridge on the site, which was torn down by the county because it was unsafe.
Sour Springs Road is a town thoroughfare but the bridge was owned by the county.
The So-Packers had had discussions with the county to put up a replacement structure for use by snowmobilers, ATVs and pedestrians.
The Oakfield-based snowmobile club, which has 700 members, did not have permission to put up the new bridge, so last month County Highway Superintendent Tim Hens ordered his crew to remove the span. That step was taken under the counsel of County Attorney John Rizzo.
The Public Service Committee voted Monday to refer the matter to the Ways & Means Committee.
“It certainly seems as if the ball is in your court right now,” Cianfrini said to the Alabama board members and to Fisher, the Sno-Packers president.
The Alabama Town Board’s next meeting is Monday.
Once the county receives all of the required documentation from the town of Alabama, the matter will be placed on the agenda of the Ways & Means Committee and then the full Legislature, said clerk of the Legislature Carolyn Pratt.
Ways & Means and the Legislature each have two more meetings this year.
MAYVILLE – Cooperation and communication are needed to keep snowmobiling in Chautauqua County safe and enjoyable, according to County Legislator Fred Croscut.
The Sherman Republican organized a meeting of local officials, state elected representatives, law enforcement and members of the area’s snowmobile clubs recently. Held Saturday, Nov. 14 at Webb’s in Mayville, the meeting provided a forum for discussion. Information was shared about such issues as snowmobile registration procedures, the economic impact of snowmobiling, the role of snowmobile clubs, and priorities regarding law enforcement.
State Senator Catherine Young spoke about the importance of snowmobiling to the district’s wintertime tourism industry and economy. She also commended the volunteers with area clubs for improving the riding experience for visitors and local snowmobilers. Assemblyman Joe Giglio reported that he and other state elected representatives have been fighting to keep designated state funds from snowmobile registrations flowing to clubs for trail grooming and maintenance.
Cherry Creek Sno-Goers member Rick Engasser presented information regarding the activities of area clubs and statistics concerning snowmobiling in the area. Engasser pointed out that the clubs have become far more efficient in recent years, comparing them to small businesses – though the clubs are different in that they are staffed solely by volunteers. Those who volunteer in the county’s clubs contribute 1,830 hours of grooming, mostly at night, another 2,200 hours of trail maintenance and development time, and safety patrol functions. Clubs operate 20 groomers which groom more than 400 miles of state-reimbursed trails and another 200 miles of secondary trails.
Although the volunteers are what make it all possible, Engasser and others stressed how important the land owners who give permission for trails to cross their land are. Without cooperation and mutual appreciation between land owners and riders, snowmobiling would not exist in Chautauqua County the way it does today.
Snowmobile clubs in Chautauqua County include the Chautauqua Lake Snowmobile Club, the Cherry Creek Sno-Goers, the Ellery Sno Cruisers, the Lake Effect Trailbreakers and the Sunset Drifters. The Chautauqua County Snowmobile Federation is comprised of members from each of the clubs and serves as a forum for communication, coordination and planning.
PRIORITIES
During his presentation, Engasser highlighted four main priorities for the local snowmobiling industry – land owner relations, effective law enforcement and safety, signage and trail markings, and resources necessary to maintain and groom the trails.
In terms of resources, it was noted that the clubs do not rely on any general state or local tax dollars but instead “pay their own way” by using a portion of snowmobile registrations, selling ads on trail maps, charging club dues, hosting fund-raising events, and seeking grants for capital projects.
Engasser concluded his presentation by stating the official snowmobile season will continue to be the day after the conclusion of shotgun deer hunting season. There was a lot of discussion about ways to keep snowmobilers off the trails until hunting season is over, and at other times when the trails aren’t in proper riding condition. It was determined that ongoing communication to snowmobilers was the best method to enforce this concern. Chautauqua Lake Snowmobile Club member Chris Jaynes presented information about bridge repairs on segments of the trail system, stating that there are ongoing challenges to keeping all bridges in repair.
Barb Lucariella of the Department of Motor Vehicles informed attendees that the Mayville DMV office will again be open from 9 a.m. to as late as 3 p.m on Saturdays. This has been tremendously helpful in the past for snowmobilers that have yet to register their sleds in New York when they arrive. It is a law that snowmobilers must have a valid New York registration as well as proof of insurance. Lucariella stated that renewals are already coming in, including many from out-of-state. The number of registration in the 2008-09 season was more than 4,000. Snowmobilers that join a club in New York state receive a reduced registration cost. This arrangement helps spur membership in clubs which in turn improves the flow of information to snowmobilers and keeps trails in good working condition.
Don McCord, representing the Chautauqua County Planning Office, informed the audience that most of the trails in Chautauqua County have been plotted for GPS systems, a task that should be repeated every two to three years as changes in the trails occur. McCord let club members know that Chautauqua County will soon be sending out contracts for 2010 so that the clubs can receive reimbursements from the state through snowmobile registration fees. In 2009, local clubs received $299,000 for the more than 400 miles of trails they groom, maintain and sign.
The discussion on law enforcement centered on public safety issues and ways to protect the interests of land owners in the trail areas. Making sure that snowmobilers are not operating under the influence of alcohol was the top public safety issue, followed by curbing excessive speed and dangerous operation. Law enforcement officials stated that the majority of snowmobile operators do not engage in these behaviors but that they will be watching out for those that do. This drew a strong positive response from club members at the meeting.
In addition, law enforcement personnel monitor for noise violations on modified sleds. The extremely loud snowmobiles are an irritant to land owners and may lead to strained relations between land owners and those maintaining the trails. Officers will also check for valid state registrations and proof of insurance. Law enforcement includes the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s office, the New York State Police, the New York Park Police, and the Department of Environmental Conservation officers. Police agencies usually have a presence out on the trails with officers on snowmobiles, as well as sporadically checking at road crossings from vehicles. The law enforcement effort is supplemented by the volunteer safety patrol, which sends out snowmobilers in groups of two or more to monitor safety, conduct safety inspections, and report emergency and dangerous situations.
There was a lot of discussion about ways to avoid having snowmobilers stopped more than once by different agencies. The solution hinges on requiring that proof of insurance be provided when registering a sled. In this way, law enforcement personnel would be reasonably assured that a sled was both registered and its rider insured. Such action would require a state law. Law enforcement representatives maintained however that they would still need to be out there checking for impaired riders, noise violations, lapsed insurance and overall public safety.
Jack Vanzile, of the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Navigation-Snowmobile Enforcement unit, stated that information on snowmobile safety courses is available online at www.sheriff.us, in the Navigation Unit section. Additional information on safety courses can be found at www.trailbreakers.com. For snowmobile registration assistance, contact the Chautauqua County DMV by calling 753-4229.
Additional officials at the meeting included legislators Jim Caflish, R-French Creek and Jerry Park, R-Forestville; Marty Bova, Mayville mayor; Don Emhardt, Chautauqua town supervisor; Andrew Avery, of the New York State Office of Parks & Recreation office; Scott Ritchie, of the New York State Park Police; Chad Juenker, of the New York State Police; Darin Shultz, Chautauqua County finance director, and Andrew Nixon, Chautauqua County Visitors Bureau executive director.
BOZEMAN, Mont. (AP) – A National Forest official says the agency is imposing new restrictions on snowmobiles in a wilderness area south of Bozeman in response to a recent ruling from a federal judge.
Gallatin Forest Supervisor Mary Erickson says snowmobile use in the Hyalite-Porcupine-Buffalo Horn Wilderness Study Area will be limited to just two areas.
Those are the Big Sky Snowmobile Trail and a “play area” for cross country snowmobile travel near Golden Trout Lakes.The machines will be allowed from Dec. 2 through April 15. A 2006 travel plan from the Forest Service had opened new portions of the 18,000-acre wilderness area to snowmobile use. In September, U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy in Missoula ruled that the expansions were contrary to the 1977 law that created the wilderness area.
WEST ALLIS, Wis. –
The Milwaukee area will be hosting a national snocross race next month.
The Milwaukee Mile National Snocross Race will be held on the Wisconsin State Fair grounds at the Milwaukee Mile race track in West Allis Dec. 18 and 19.
The race will be the second of nine national events in the AMSOIL Championship Snocross Series. It features pro racers from 37 states, regional amateur competitions and freestyle performances.
The Wisconsin State Fair’s director of events, Andy Schmidt, says the Milwaukee Mile had snowmobile races there in the 1970s.
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