Aerial insights help leaders visualize winter rec management

From the windows of a small plane, snowmobile tracks on the side of Ruby Peak arced, twisted and turned like a mass of tangled fishing line etched into the mountainside. As the plane turned its nose eastward, the passengers inside spotted faint ski tracks in the Gothic corridor, and looked for evidence about where the skier was headed. 

On March 24, a crew of county commissioners, snow safety experts and public lands advocates got a bird’s eye view of the valley’s high country buried underneath snow. With the help of the Aspen-based nonprofit EcoFlight, the Winter Wildlands Alliance hoped the aerial tour of the valley’s busy backcountry zones would help local leaders visualize winter recreation management amidst increased use and climate change. With the tagline “KeepWinterWild,” the organization empowers communities to protect snowscapes around the country. 

Winter Wildlands Alliance organized the flights with the intent of reigniting conversations about winter travel planning in the Gunnison National Forest. While tourists flood into the area primarily during the summer months, the backcountry remains a popular destination among skiers and snowmobilers once snow begins to fall. Zones like Irwin, the East River Valley and the Taylor Park become a winter playground for valley residents and visitors. 

At its core, winter travel planning is a way to balance winter recreation access between motorized and “quiet” users, while preserving sensitive alpine ecosystems. Maps clearly display different roads and zones designated for over-the-snow vehicle use, including routes that are groomed snowmobile or Nordic skiing trails. Other areas are set aside for human-powered uses only, such as ski touring and snowshoeing. These quiet areas are also designed to protect wintering wildlife.

During the winter travel planning process, land management agencies, such as the U.S. Forest Service, work closely with neighboring communities to define common boundaries. Jon Hare of Crested Butte’s High Country Conservation Advocates noted a long-term desire for updated maps, as the existing travel rules and boundaries in the valley are decades old. Hare went on the first of the two EcoFlights in March. 

“It’s great to have a snapshot [of the landscape] year-to-year in the late spring where we’re documenting the amount of use and where people are going,” Hare said. “When we get to winter travel planning, we will not only have data from our trailheads, but a more 10,000-foot view of what use looks like.” 

The Rio Grande National Forest started winter travel planning last summer, using some examples from California as a model. Even with the existing challenges facing public lands managers at the national level, Brittany Leffel said she remains hopeful that Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests (GMUG) will be next. Leffel is the Colorado policy manager with Winter Wildlands Alliance.

Since the pandemic, the number of people venturing outside during the winter months has continued to grow, creating conflict and crowded trailheads. Resources for education and backcountry safety haven't necessarily kept up with the outdoor winter recreation boom, Leffel said. At the same time, the weather is only becoming more variable. 

“We are confronted with the need to come up with management plans that really take those things into account … The community has changed. The forest has changed,” Leffel said. 

(Bella Biondini can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or bella@gunnisontimes.com.)