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June 2021

The Environmental Impacts of Winter Recreation

We are excited to share this comprehensive survey of the best available science on how undeveloped (non-resort) winter recreation affects wildlife, soundscapes, snowpack, air and water quality, and more. This literature review breaks down the ways in which winter recreation can impact wildlife and the environment in order to better inform public land management decisions.

A burgeoning field of scientific research, climate change threatens – and shrinks – winter landscapes even as snow-based recreation use grows. It is important to research and learn about the effects of winter recreation so that we can manage these activities in a sustainable manner.

Wild Winter [Summer] Swag

What we wear, what we use, and how we use it impacts wild winters for years to come (yes, even in the summer). To embrace the eco-flow, we’ve added mountainFLOW’s latest product to our webstore: All-Weather Bike Lube! Why not protect the lands you’re recreating on all year round with plant-based products? Get yours today and get out on the trail wherever it takes you.

An Update on Chugach National Forest Planning

Recently, one year after completing the Chugach Forest Plan revision and in response to our call to the Forest Service to commit to defining the baseline of the WSA’s “presently existing character,” the Chugach National Forest published a Nellie Juan-College Fiord Wilderness Study Area Existing Character Baseline Report. This baseline report on the area as it currently exists will inform future management decisions in the WSA and is a direct result of our engagement in the plan revision alongside Alaska Quiet Rights Coalition, Alaska Wilderness League, Prince William Sound Stewardship Foundation, and the Eyak Preservation Council.

Photo by Boise State University / John Kerry (on the ancestral lands of the Shoshone-Bannock and other Nations)

SnowSchool End-of-Season Report

SnowSchool at Home, National Snowpack Prediction Contest, and so much more. While we are already planning for the coming winter, we put together this season-end report to update everyone on all the SnowSchool developments made possible by your support. Thanks so much, we couldn’t have done this without you!

Photo by Emily Sierra (on the ancestral lands of the Arapaho, Ute, Cheyenne and other Nations)

Partner with Backcountry Film Festival

Attendees, hosts, and partners are vital to keeping the Backcountry Film Festival tradition alive. Every winter, BCFF tours 100+ cities and is hosted by local retailers, grassroots groups, SnowSchool sites, outdoor affinity groups, avy centers, and many more community organizations. Funds raised stay in the local community to support human-powered recreation and conservation efforts, winter education and avalanche/safety programs and to raise awareness of winter management issues. Find out how you can become or get further involved with BCFF and our national community!

Photo by Sofia Jaramillo (on the ancestral lands of the Shoshone-Bannock, Eastern Shoshone, Cheyenne and other Nations)

Policy Update – May 2021

In this month’s policy update from our Policy Director, Hilary Eisen: a month of surveys, reports, and publications vital to and in celebration of winter recreation!

Wild Winter Events

Don’t miss out on the following upcoming wild winter events hosted by us and our partners! Make sure to bookmark our website calendar or follow us as we post events in the next few weeks.

SheJumps presents “The Living Snow Project: How to Become a Mountain Scientist” tonight (Thursday, June 3 at 6:00pm MT) via Zoom! This event is an opportunity for women/girls who are interested in doing science in the mountains. Join Dr. Robin Kodner, the founder and director of the Living Snow Project to learn more about how to volunteer and how she is using the data to understand how climate change and changing snowpack habitats. Dr. Kodner will talk about their sampling kits and how to work this process into your mountain adventures.

Join Colorado Mountain Club Press author Norm Lewis on Tuesday, June 22, at 6:00pm MT for a free online Introduction to Bird Hiking clinic. Learn what birding is all about and how you can start to incorporate birding into your hiking. Norm will cover tips for beginners, necessary equipment, and the basics of bird identification, as well as the best seasons for bird identification and some good destinations for summer hikes to see birds.

#KEEPWINTERWILD

“#WWAMember, Kate explains why she is an alliance member: ‘Somehow it is easy to justify spending hundreds of dollars on a ski resort seasons pass, but when thinking of supporting an organization that protects and advocates for public land access, it’s difficult to comprehend. I truly cherish and never take for granted the access we have here in Idaho and the tremendous terrain when I lived in Wyoming. The quiet of the backcountry and the fulfillment of human powered adventure fills my cup to the brim. I am a better person, wife, daughter, sister, friend, nurse, neighbor, and dog mom because I have the opportunity to find reprieve in the wintery mountains.’

Join our wild winter Alliance today! winterwildlands.org/membership“

Read more at our Instagram profile.