Spokane7
50°
November 19, 2010 in City
Paper company closes land to snowmobilers
Snowmobiling is being prohibited this winter on Inland Empire Paper Company lands at Mount Spokane as well as on the rest of the 116,000 acres the company manages in northeastern Washington and North Idaho.
The decision to end the decades-old welcome comes this week after years of effort to stem damage snowmobilers have inflicted on the commercial timber lands, said Paul Buckland, forest resource manager.
Snowmobilers are banned from 38 miles of trails previously groomed on IEP land on Mount Spokane, said Angela Simmons of Spokane County Parks and Recreation Department, which manages the grooming.
That leaves 40 miles of trails in the state park that will be groomed starting after Dec. 1, she said.
“The issue is enforcement,” Buckland said. “Snowmobilers who stay on the groomed trails are no problem. It’s the rogue snowmobilers going off-trail and running over small trees.
“They consider recent harvest areas to be play areas and they don’t realize they’re running over the tops of plantation trees in the snow. That causes the tree to form a second top, which greatly reduces the tree’s economic value.”
“Obviously we’re disappointed,” said Mark Augenstine, president of the Spokane Winter Knights Snowmobile Club. “But we understand that something needs to be done about enforcement.
“We’ve been meeting with IEP for years and know they didn’t want to block off the trails, but we haven’t been able to find a solution.”
Last winter, the snowmobilers and Bear Creek Lodge, which caters to Mount Spokane snowmobilers, donated $5,000 to hire off-duty state Fish and Wildlife enforcement officers to patrol the IEP lands, Augenstine said.
“But it would take about $12,000 to continue patrols and we just couldn’t come up with that kind of money,” he said. “We need a permanent funding solution.”
Officials from state and county parks departments said they weren’t likely in this period of tight budgets to find that much funding available for enforcement, either.
“IEP has done some patrolling to educate the snowmobilers, but that didn’t work out,” Buckland said.
“Our patrollers don’t have ticket-writing authority. We’ve had people smile and nod their heads and then continue on with their off-road riding.”
Mount Spokane State Park rangers said that starting today they would be fencing off access to the designated snowmobile routes heading into IEP lands.
The access points to be closed are:
• Near the cross-country ski area for snowmobile routes heading out on Linder Ridge Road.
• Near the base of the downhill ski area’s Chair 4, to block snowmobile routes heading out Blanchard Ridge and down Spirit Lake Road.
“We hope it’s a temporary measure while we work with partners up there for a long-term solution,” Buckland said.
Snowmobilers will continue to have access to groomed trails within the state park from the main snowmobile lot and from bear Creek Lodge
Inland Empire Paper is owned by Cowles Co., which also owns The Spokesman- Review.
Recent stories by Rich Landers
Landers: Elk hunters can find many options near Turnbull May 24, 2012
- Landers: Elk hunting options abound near Turnbull May 23, 2012
- Woman anchors The Guide Shop 20 years to tap Clearwater River fishing May 20, 2012
- Local Trail Angels: Back Country Horsemen May 20, 2012
- Back Country Horsemen tend Pend Oreille park trails May 20, 2012
hawken on November 19 at 7:34 a.m.
My family and I have been buying the $60 permit for years to enjoy what Inland Paper has allowed for so many, for so long.
This is an example of how idiots ruin a good thing.
Dear Inland Paper…. please outlaw ALL snowmobiles… and let the rest of us who don’t abuse the privilege, continue to have access.
I know that we have access now…. but if the idiots still have access, it could all go away. Understandably so.
sg3594 on November 19 at 10:01 a.m.
90% of the snowmobilers DO NOT ABUSE the privilege. Do not assume this is so. Those remaining 10% of idiots will still be finding a way onto IEP property and continue to do what they have done.
Close minded people such as yourself are what’s ruining it for those who do not abuse the privilege.
hawken on November 19 at 10:11 a.m.
Husk…. I don’t own a snowmobile…. and I don’t abuse the privilege.
Your issue is with the idiots on snowmobiles. I’m just your easy target.
Sorry, I don’t trust your 90% number. I’m sure that it’s just a figure of speech.
IHike4Fun on November 19 at 10:41 a.m.
Well you know what they say. 83.7% of all statistics quoted on the fly are simply made up. :^)
spokanecommunistparty on November 19 at 11:36 a.m.
My fellow comrades, Inland Paper is best for mountain biking. Its quite enough to enjoy all the few remaining animals that didn’t die during hunting season. Yes thats right, the Cowles Co. kills thousands of adorable animals every year with their little permits and allowing hunting(mostly poaching)on their lands. Subscribe to the Online version of Spokesman and save Bambi!!!
hawken on November 19 at 12:45 p.m.
Hey communist…. what you don’t get is that hunting is a very effective tool for wildlife management…. It actually promotes and improves the numbers of wild game, preventing catastrophic disease which could destroy massive numbers of deer..
You need to speak with Game and Fish. They will be quite cooperative. Until then, please stow your stupidity.
Deermeadows on November 19 at 4:41 p.m.
I certainly understand the position taken by Inland Paper. Our property abuts a portion of the Inland Paper property and the damage has been unending. Stolen property, bullets through every surface of the cabin, nearly a hundred tires dumped on the road, erosion damage from four wheelers, No Trespassing signs are taken down or shot as quickly as we post them, the lock on the gate has been cut off, the gate has been torn down and subsequently stolen, valuable timber is cut down without permission, Christmas tree harvesting without permission, etc. The concept of private ownership and respect for the property of others seems to escape some people.
Ed Byrnes on November 20 at 12:44 a.m.
I bet an X-C backcountry skier never cut down on of Deermeadows’ trees or damaged any of their property, or damaged any trees belonging to Inland Paper. If you think I am being smug you are right since my group of resource users doesn’t need policing of our activities.
sg3594 on November 20 at 3:18 p.m.
Deermeadows ~ Why blame all that on the snowmobilers??
This is a ploy by the x-country skiers to get ALL the trails on Mt. Spokane. They wanted the main road the snowmobilers use up at the Lodge and said they’d pay for a new one. When they realized the cost was exorbitant, they pushed IEP to shut down the snowmobilers altogether, blaming all their woes on them.
IEP will still have an enforcement issue with people (not just rogue snowmobilers) getting in, as you’ve noted the locks were repeatedly cut at all times of the year. This action will just eliminate the snowmobilers contributions to that enforcement fund.
Ed Byrnes on November 20 at 8:22 p.m.
A Husk: I am one X-C and back country skier who has never said a word about locking the snowmobilers out of Mt Spokane, as far as I am concerned there is plenty of room for everyone. Although I have seen snowmobilers in places where they clearly don’t belong I am typically up in closely spaced trees where they cannot go.
Now that it is established that I, and most of my fellow back country skiers, are fine sharing the mountains since we have ample places to go and get away from motorheads, I reiterate that I doubt any X-C back country skiers ever vandalized anything or cut down any trees, and we don’t need to cut locks or vandalize gates since we can just ski around them and never encounter signs prohibiting us from doing just that.
My message to the motorheads is police yourselves better.
sg3594 on November 21 at 12:03 p.m.
My point is………the majority of the snowmobilers aren’t the ones doing this, and if what Deermeadows says, this vandalism is a year-round problem. Why take it out on the snowmobilers that DO follow the rules!
lb5026 on November 21 at 3:54 p.m.
My Lord….. How Ignorant can someone be? Dude, if you think all X-C skiers are just like you, you are sadly mistaken. The only blame is mankind for becoming what society has driven us to be in this day and age….PIGS!!! There are bad apples in every facet of life you could possibly think of.
I am an avid snowmobiler, and yes, I love going off trail and climbing the steepest terrain without killing myself, I also love the outdoors and nature. That is why the only time I even ride at Mount Spokane is to test & tune, or to take my family on a trail ride.
Seriously though, Pull your head out, and face reality. Don’t be a stereotypical jerk. We are all here trying to make the best of it, unfortunately, there are people who spoil it for all of us. DEAL WITH IT!
Ed Byrnes on November 21 at 11:19 p.m.
I agree with not taking things out on the vast majority of snowmobilers who ride responsibly.
For what it’s worth there have been plenty of times, here and in Utah, over my past three decades of BC ski touring when I have helped out a snowmobiler and I know of snowmobilers helping out BC skiers too.
All I am saying is that those of us who are responsible and respectful need to educate our peers who are not. If there are examples where we need to educate BC skiers about their behaviors please tell me so we know what to educate our own about.
BTW I am glad to read that ib5026 is careful and probably avalanche aware. I once had to help locate the bodies of a few skiers, not from my own touring party, who were not avalanche aware and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone ever.
sg3594 on December 01 at 10:53 p.m.
So now the snowmobilers have raised the $12,000 for enforcement……….we’ll see what happens next.