Episode 7: Project 2035: Mapping the Future of Winter, One Community At a Time

Release date: August 14, 2026 

Twenty-five years ago, conflict between skiers and snowmobilers in Idaho’s Sawtooth National Recreation Area reached a breaking point. Guns were reportedly brandished, and a beloved backcountry ski hut was burned to the ground. The Forest Service gave local stakeholders an ultimatum: come together and create a shared winter recreation map, or the agency would draw the lines for them.

The process took nearly a year and required difficult compromises. But the result created space for both wide-open snowmobile recreation and quieter Nordic and backcountry zones—and, for the most part, that map still guides winter recreation in the area today.

Now, communities across the country face that challenge on a much larger scale. Under the EXPLORE Act, the Forest Service is required to develop over-snow vehicle use maps for dozens of national forests by 2035. These winter travel plans determine where snowmobiles and other over-snow vehicles may travel—and where areas are managed for non-motorized recreation, wildlife habitat, and other natural resources.

But the Forest Service now faces shrinking staff, funding, resources, and capacity. What might planning across our forests actually look like under those conditions? And what role can local communities play in ensuring that recreationists, wildlife, and the full range of values connected to these landscapes are reflected in the final maps?

In this episode, panelists share lessons from community-driven planning efforts in Idaho, Colorado, and Montana. They explore what it takes to bring motorized and non-motorized recreationists to the same table, build trust across longstanding divides, preserve high-quality winter experiences, and turn local knowledge into plans that can endure.

At a moment when the future of winter travel planning is increasingly uncertain, these stories offer a practical and hopeful possibility: lasting solutions may still begin with people sitting down together and deciding what kind of winter future they want to share.

This conversation was moderated by Winter Wildlands Alliance Executive Director David Page, who died unexpectedly in July 2026. We are deeply grateful to share David’s voice and to hear him doing what he did so well: asking thoughtful questions, bringing people together, and helping us imagine a better future for public lands. This episode is dedicated to his memory.

Speakers:

• Brittany Leffel, Colorado Policy Manager, Winter Wildlands Alliance
• Lynn Padgett, Commissioner, Ouray County, Colorado
• Zach Angstead, Federal Legislative Director, Wild Montana
• Moderator: David Page, Executive Director, Winter Wildlands Allianc

These panelists emphasize that increasing access is not simply about getting more people outside. Meaningful experiences on public lands help build lasting connections to place. Those connections often become the foundation for stewardship, advocacy, and conservation.

Tune in to Trail Break Radio as we dive into who gets access to winter wildlands, and what stands in the way? How do we remove barriers to winter recreation while creating the next generation of people who will care for and protect public lands?