The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Sticking with “Gang of Nine” decisions
[ By Mark Reaman ]
As we move into deep winter, the U.S. Forest Service is again emphasizing that snowmobiles are not permitted in the Gothic Valley corridor.
The USFS this winter signed an order prohibiting the vehicles in that area. It simply reauthorized the order signed in 2015 with no change in conditions.
“The Forest Supervisor’s closure order restricts motorized use in the winter from the Gothic Townsite to Schofield Pass,” explained Gunnison Forest district ranger Matt McCombs. “The purpose of the order is to prevent winter use conflicts within the Upper East River Analysis area in alignment with the 1995 ‘Gang of Nine’ decision. This order grants Forest Service personnel with law enforcement responsibilities the authority to cite visitors in violation of the order.”
McCombs said generally, the Forest Service feels the community desires the tenets of the status quo (the Gang of Nine Decision) to be adhered to and the unique experiences offered by separating uses to be sustained. In the 1990s a group of local citizens hammered out appropriate winter uses for the various drainages around Crested Butte. Some recommended allowed for extensive motorized use like up Kebler Pass, while others, like the Gothic area, emphasized “quiet” recreation. Other drainages had a mix of the two.
“Occasionally, we hear reports of wayward riders finding their way into the upper east above Gothic and it causes concern and frustration,” said McCombs. “This order gives the folks we have patrolling in the winter the authority to enforce the long-standing policy in the valley.”
Under current protocols, the Crested Butte Mountain Bike Association can groom the road between Mt. Crested Butte and Gothic once a week using a snowmobile. That route is the easiest way to access Schofield Park, where several lots of private property are located. McCombs said he has been having conversations with some of the Schofield landowners.
“Unrelated to the order reauthorization, we’ve been working through the process with a couple of property owners responding to requests for special use permits to access private property via the Gothic corridor,” McCombs said. “There may be situations where I might authorize limited access via the upper east corridor. That said, those individuals would need authorization from the county as well, since the county manages the road from Mt. Crested Butte to the Gothic Townsite. The public can expect an opportunity to weigh-in via the NEPA process before any lasting decisions are made.”
McCombs said a more comprehensive winter travel plan for the area won’t happen tomorrow but is not too far out. “We’ll all get an opportunity to rethink winter travel in the north valley soon enough, as I’ve committed to endeavoring forth on winter travel planning, as required, once the forest plan revision is buttoned up, likely a year or so from this summer if all goes well.”
