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Judge's ruling clears path for caribou
(Note: The fact that the Selkirk Conservation Alliance is partnered
with the Yellowstone to Yukon -- Y2Y -- part of
The Wildlands Project
http://www.y2y.net/overview/, joined at the pocketbook by grant
monies, likely has a great deal to do with how much they "care"
about the caribou. If the grant funding dried up and the SCA had to
do this "conservation" and "restoration" work out of its own pocket,
how much "protection" would the caribou receive? It is not about
wildlife, but about acquiring control over all land, water -- all
resources. On the Canadian side of the sovereign border: "The
single largest organized plan to exclude motorized recreation in
this province is the Yellowstone to Yukon (Y2Y) initiative."
- [excerpt, The Alberta Snowmobile Association]
http://www.altasnowmobile.ab.ca/news/land_closures.php "Roads
and motorized use are primary causes of adverse impacts to public
land and wildlife in the Clearwater [Idaho] region."
- [excerpt]
http://www.y2y.net/events/minigrants_2003.asp "...Wilderness
and roadless areas continue to provide high-quality, non-motorized
recreation." - [excerpt]
http://www.wildwilderness.org/docs/interview.htm)
February 14, 2007
By James Hagengruber, Staff Writer
[email protected] or 208-765-7126; Fax: 208-765-7149
The Spokesman-Review
P.O. Box 2160
Spokane, Washington 99210
800-338-8801 or 509-459-5000
Fax: 509-459-3815
To submit a Letter to the Editor:
[email protected] (200-word limit)
A popular backcountry snowmobiling area north of Upper Priest Lake has again been ruled off-limits to snowmobiles in an effort to protect the Lower 48's last herd of caribou. Wednesday's ruling from the bench by U.S. District Judge Robert Whaley applies only to the relatively remote Trapper Burn area. Snowmobiling remains open on hundreds of miles of groomed trails that ring Priest Lake. The Trapper Burn area is a critical migration route between Idaho and British Columbia for caribou, according to expert testimony offered by environmental groups during a federal trial earlier this week in Spokane. Growing snowmobile traffic is keeping caribou from using the route and preventing the endangered ungulates from reversing their rapid plunge toward extinction, according to the testimony. Although Whaley issued a ruling Wednesday that closed the area, the exact boundaries were still being worked out, said Laurie Rule, a Boise-based attorney for Advocates For the West, who represented the Selkirk Conservation Alliance in the case. "We're very pleased with the ruling," Rule said. "It's the main corridor that would allow the animals in Idaho to go back and forth to Canada." Groomed trails don't cross the wide expanse of the Trapper Burn, but it's a popular backcountry play area for snowmobile enthusiasts, said Tim Piver, a rider from Deer Park, Washington. "That will be a major loss," he said. "It's a compromise I'm not willing to step aside for." Piver attempted to reach the Trapper Burn area Wednesday on his snowmobile, but was turned back by foggy conditions. He frequently rides through the area, drawn by the opportunity to race through the treeless powder. "I have never seen a track from a large game animal in there, ever," Piver said. The fight over snowmobile access to the federal land around Priest Lake has resembled a pingpong match recently. Last season, Judge Whaley banned grooming on the trails but allowed riding to continue. In September, environmentalists rejoiced and snowmobilers howled after the judge banned all snowmobiling on about 300,000 acres of federally designated caribou recovery area west and north of Priest Lake. But before snow fell, Whaley reopened most of the area to motorized sports. Environmentalists then argued successfully for a new trial on the issue, which began Monday and concluded Wednesday. Fewer than 40 caribou live in the temperate rain forest north of Priest Lake. Most of the animals are believed to be in Canada, but they wander back and forth across the border. This time of year, the animals move into the high country, using their dinner plate-sized hooves to walk across snow as deep as 20 feet. This ability to stand atop the snow allows caribou to avoid many predators and graze on lichens growing on high tree limbs. Mark Sprengel, director of the Selkirk Conservation Alliance, said that protecting migration corridors for caribou, such as the Trapper Burn, increases the chances of interbreeding between herds, which is vital for the long-term survival of the species. "Unless we ensure caribou have unimpeded movement throughout the recovery area, they're doomed to extinction," Sprengel said. "Caribou should be given the benefit of the doubt." Snowmobilers say they are being unfairly singled out for the demise of the caribou. They say the logging of old growth forest and increased predator populations have done more to harm caribou than the sound of their machines. Businesses in the Priest Lake area say last year's grooming ban resulted in millions of dollars of lost business.
Copyright 2007, SpokesmanReview.com.
Interesting related reading:
Posted at the Port Huron Times-Herald, Port Huron, Michigan :
Julie from Memphis: "My husband and I have been
snowmobiling for years, and our teenagers have taken snowmobile
safety as soon as they were eligible. We usually go to the Upper
Peninsula snowmobiling. On Sunday, however, we went up to the new
Thumb Snowmobile Trail and parked behind the new Dairy Queen in
Sandusky, for access. It was wonderful.
Thank you to the farmers, landowners, etc. for
allowing this trail to happen. Also, we stopped for
lunch at Champions in Deckerville, along the trail, and had great
service and food."
Related reading:
Selkirk Conservation Alliance
http://www.scawild.org
Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation
Initiative (Y2Y) Science Grants
Program: Grant Recipients
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