A state commission concerned about winter air pollution and recreational conflicts has denied funding for 413 miles of snowmobile trails in the Sierra Nevada.
According to officials of the state agency that administers off-highway vehicle recreation programs, the decision by the California Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Commission will close 20% of state-maintained trails used by snowmobilers, cross-country skiers and others and will cost rural communities that depend on winter tourism $6.5 million.
The affected trails are in four national forests: the Humboldt-Toiyabe, Eldorado, Lake Tahoe Basin and Sequoia. Funding was denied for the first three. The issue was tabled for the Sequoia forest, and state officials doubt that the grant will be approved.
The commission approved funding for trails in nine other national forests.
National forests routinely request grants from the commission for winter trail grooming and related law enforcement and conservation programs. State officials said that without properly maintained and monitored trails, snowmobiling and cross-country skiing in the affected forests will be unsafe.
"What's disturbing about all of this is that law enforcement is a critical part of this," said Barry Jones, who administers the $16-million off-highway vehicle grant program under the jurisdiction of California State Parks. "Search and rescue is going to be tough. In some of these areas the only way to get injured people out is on groomed trails."
Critics contended that the seven-member commission's actions are politically motivated and will do unintended harm to wildlife, watersheds and wilderness areas.
"I think it's an agenda by a group of people -- three appointees who micromanage the commission based on their anti-off- highway vehicle beliefs," said Ron Rawlings, former president of the California-Nevada Snowmobile Assn.
The three members who voted against funding said they have no agenda other than better management of forest resources. The three prevailed because of the absence of one member, and a tie vote denied funding.
The opponents said their votes were based mainly on three concerns: the effect of high-polluting snowmobiles on the air around Lake Tahoe; conflicts with other trail users, especially cross-country skiers; and inequities in the funding program that allow snowmobile users to get more money back in state services than they put in.
