Author: Sunny Madden

19DEC24 SRSC Meeting Minutes
9 people in person at 6 PM. A few more joined after that. Had several folks join via Zoom.
Elway Powersports brought in pizza and customer appreciation cards for 10% off. Thank you Elway! Cameron will have these cards available in the shop if you missed out.
Trails: Grooming has begun. Safety shelters are now in. Little thin to start the year, but forecast is promising. Heads up on avalanche danger: sugar snow for the base will be a problem for a long time.
Sheridan Trails meeting: Didn’t see a demo of the new sales program. Feedback welcomed
from users of the trail sticker program. Trails Council starting work session to go out twice yearly to go out to different communities throughout the state and check out how users are using trail systems, the amenities, parking lots, etc. First will be end of Jan/Feb in Lander: ski trails, new snowmobile trails.
New Ehlin Road parking lot: Open for use. Trail D is groomed from there up to Trail T.
Feedback welcomed. Please use it if you’re up for doing so, as use will help justify additional parking areas. There’s a new webcam up for the new parking lot.
Outdoor Recreation manager position is open with the state: Are you interested? See the state job board if you are. Motorized enthusiast representation could be helpful for snowmobilers.
Lake Marie Shelter: Solar and lighting system for Lake Marie shelter with strobe light on top, hoping to get that up in early January. Logos of businesses that helped purchase the Reefer trailer went into the trailer, they look great and will last a long time. New signs with ground rules went in too (no smoking, vaping, please pack out what you pack in).
12” rule reminder. These low snow years are when we’ll be under a microscope on resource
damages. Please treat the land with respect & be a good representative of the sport.
Snow Update: Snow conditions have improved. Coverage is about average for this time of year. The base is still sugar, with a slab on top: heads up for avalanches. Lake Marie hill slid recently. Check out the site for observations, with Sheriff Bakken’s new avy observation team there’s much more being posted than years past:  https://ewyoavalanche.org/#/view/observations
Treasurer Update: $15466.59 in our checking account.
Secretary Update: Membership update: ~120 members.
Wood for Sierra’s: if we have wood dropped at the groomer, they’ll pack it in. $500 donation from Colorado Blizzards. Thank you!
Next Meeting: Thursday January 16th, 6 PM, same Zoom link.

UPDATE: After speaking with retailers of the trail permits, it sounds like it is best (most efficient) for folks to do registration online and set up in-store pickup at the retailer of your choice. Yes you can register and purchase in person if needed, but each registration takes a few minutes, and if there’s a line in the store this wait can become significant. If you’ve got lots of time before you need it, you can have the sticker mailed to you. Reminder that residents will need the VIN of the sled. We’ve also had reports that the adhesive on the stickers hasn’t stuck well for everyone. I’ve had good luck cleaning the area with rubbing alcohol, warming up the sled with a heat gun, then placing the sticker. Others have added a layer of packing tape over the top. To purchase online visit: https://wyotrails.onewyo.gov/wyotrails?id=wyo_snow_home

On behalf of the Wyoming State Trails Program we would like to clarify some misinformation that is being circulated amongst the snowmobile community about our online sales platform. Registrations can still be purchased on-site at the selling agents around the state listed below. You can also purchase online for either delivery by mail or in-store pickup, please reference the selling agent map for these in-store pickup locations. The Selling Agent map can be found at: https://wyotrails.onewyo.gov/wyotrails?id=wyo_orv_home

We also want to let you know that we have received some reports of the new stickers falling off of sleds. We are working to find a resolution to this. In the meantime, if you have the ability to improve the adhesive of the sticker you received when applying it to your sled with a 3M product or something similar, that will hopefully help keep it attached. We apologize for the inconvenience and are working to address this issue with the decal supplier.

9 people in person at 6 PM. A few more joined after that. Had several folks join via Zoom.
Highway WY-130 is closed for the season, woohoo!
Search and Rescue request for support: Are we willing to write a letter of support for Albany County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue’s grant proposal? Yes. The Club supports this effort. Sunny offered to write the letter. ACSSAR is applying for a grant from Wyoming Intertie (Community Investment Program)
to purchase two snowmobiles (SkiDoo Expedition sleds, capable of all around use) with a tow behind trailer for transporting patients from Elway. They currently own 1 functional snowmobile, ~2013 RMK 600 144” track, otherwise they are entirely reliant on volunteers using their own personal equipment for rescues. Grant app is due December 15th for this. ACSSAR will be buying the on-road trailer for transporting this equipment if the grant is funded (as their matching funds).
Membership update: 25 memberships have come in through PayPal (as of 20NOV24), a handful more via mail. (Post meeting update: memberships continue to come in. Please renew if you have not already done so.)
Parking Lot: The easiest to implement lot is going in this year, across the highway from the USFS visitor center just above Centennial. State Trails will groom Ehlin Road up to T trail once there is sufficient snow. Hopefully this provides useful parking for folks that aren’t deadset on riding from GreenRock, and demonstrates users are willing to try new parking areas. Longer term, we’d still like to expand the Half-Moon lot off WY-130 and add in the gravel quarry lot off Sand Lake Road (this would be the most effective). There’s a brush pile that needs burned at the new lot location, State Trails will do that. State Trails needs to approve the plowing contract to keep it clear and accessible, in progress. This is a 3 year pilot project to give it a trial run before it becomes permanent. The more use it gets, the more it shows there is a need & it will be permanent. Advertise this lot, encourage folks to use it. It is multi use lot, please share well.
Gravel pit off Sand Lake will run another year, once that permit is up and gravel is done this will be targeted as a larger lot.
Trails: Logging between Rob Roy and Q trail. Road is being plowed until Dec. 15th. Heads up on that.
Safety Shelter updates: Trailer went up on Friday the 15th to the Lake Marie site. New platform/landing up on Saturday, new steps going up shortly. Steps were donated by a rider out of Michigan, thank you! Cody made us new signs for inside of it. Burkhart has some solar powered lights to go inside. Plan to add a vent at the same time. Still seeking a permanent shelter for Quealy (think Strawberry outside Pinedale). Is the Sierra Madre hut going in again? Checking with Josh at State Trails: yes. What is the wood situation? We could drop a dump trailer of wood off up there. We could purchase a load. This was motioned, and seconded. Motion passed. We’ll buy it locally to Saratoga, or exchange for a business membership. (post meeting update: the road was closed the morning the wood was to be delivered: working on a solution).
Snow Update: It’s slowly stacking up. Not much yet for riding. Remember the 12” rule for off trail riding. Certainly A-arm season.
WSSA Update: Justin will be our area representative for this season. Fun Days in Rock Springs, March 7th-9th. Ride SxS in Killpecker sand dunes, sledding out of LaBarge Creek. WSSA scholarship is coming up for club members with kids in school. Due date is February 1st, 2025 https://snowmobilewyoming.org/scholorship/
Donation: Check in the mail, $2593.65 from “Recreationists of the Bow”. This was formed years ago for the Forest Planning process last time (20-ish years ago). This is the remaining money from that organization, which they donated to us as they said during formation that any leftover funds would be donated to support local snowmobile advocacy. Thank you to all those involved.
Treasurer Update: $14xxx in the checking account. ~$600 in additional memberships incoming via Paypal transfer.

Applications are now available for the 2025 Wyoming State Snowmobile Association scholarship program. Completed application, essay and letter from club president must be submitted by February 1st, 2025. Winners will be announced at Fun Days 2025 in Rock Springs, WY.

All comments must be made by Friday, May 10th, 2024

Below you will find a link to the BTNF forest plan revision story map. Please scroll to the very bottom of the story map for the public comment section. It has a map and a separate scroll down bar where you will find four questions to be answered. This is how the Forest Service would like to see public comments submitted. The deadline for this process in May 10th, 2024.

Even if you have only rode in the Bridger Teton once, it is very important to voice your opinion in favor of keeping motorized access as it is. What happens in one forest in Wyoming can greatly impact how other Wyoming forests are managed.

The snowmobile & motorized communities need to give input on what is important to us as users. The more input we have from our side, the better. Of course it is encouraged to have positive comments that will be valuable information for the Forest Plan revision team to incorporate in the assessment document.
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/0b29baa2acce4bb39311e112389c39a2

Here is also a QR Code to access the website:

6:00 PM at 3C Guiding in Laramie WY

Officers Present: Mitch (secretary), Cameron (president), Sunny (treasurer), Justin (VP),
Heather (social media officer), Keith (business liaison).
We had a BBQ for everyone that came. Burgers, hot dogs, cookies, chips. Thanks to Justin for cooking the food!

Snow Report: Cameron said it was headlight deep fresh up top on Tuesday of this week. The snow has stacked up recently. Beacon check point at Lake Marie is nearly buried. If anyone wants to dig it out to raise it up, please feel free!

Assorted: We’ll need to find a place to store the Lake Marie safety shelter this summer, City of Laramie won’t be okay with keeping it on Cameron’s land in town. Justin may have a place for it. Over in the Sierra’s the Adopt a Highway is available at the main parking area. We’d like to grab that and involve folks in the Saratoga valley. We’ll also need to cut firewood for the Sierra hut next fall too.

Events: April 20th BBQ at Lake Marie. Food at noon. This will be our April meeting too.
AAIRE Avy Level 2 Class: 3C hosting, first weekend in April. Email Cameron at
Cameron@3CGuiding.com if you’re interested and want more information. This will include a Rescue class on day 1, so if you’ve taken a Level 1, you’re all set to take this. There’s space
and it will be a great class!

Avalanche Forecasting: Sheriff Bakken in Carbon County is working with Wyoming Outdoor
Recreation Collaborative and USFS to try to secure a grant (State Recreation Board) to start a Level 2 Avalanche Forecasting Center for the Snowy Range and Sierra Madres. This is a
$500,000 grant to fund a center for 3 years, after which the USFS would take over (similar to how Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center is run). He has requested a letter of support from us. We are happy to support this effort. Heather volunteered to write the letter of support. The deadline is likely April 1 so we’ll get this out quickly.

WSSA Update: WSSA is going to add a calendar on their website to list out all the activities of Wyoming snowmobile clubs. Fun Days was in Dubois this year. Too much snow for groomers to go out, so the “mellow trail ride” ride was interesting and involved breaking trail. Sounded like it was good time. They raised funds for the WSSA Scholarship program, totaling nearly $30,000, and 8 scholarships were given out this year. Next WSSA meeting is this fall. The meeting will be September 14th in Buffalo, WY.
Stemming from the scholarship discussion, Sunny had an idea: discounted SRSC memberships for people that are club members in their hometown but living here currently (e.g., students), to try to increase younger generation participation. Focusing their membership more on getting together and riding may be an attractive way to get them interested: meet fellow riders around their age and ambition level.

State Trails: Looking at increasing the permit fee from $30 to $50. Same price for resident & nonresident. Haven’t had a price increase in ~10 years. 2⁄3 of funds come from nonresidents. This will take legislation to take effect; the club is in support of it. Note that the State will be reinstating the online permit process in about 3 months after a brief hiatus.
Nelson & Quealy huts coming out first week of April. Trail markers coming out that week too and grooming will cease. We’ll want to advertise this on socials to warm visitors.

Parking: April 25th meeting with SWORC & USFS. This is for the Ehlin Road parking area.
There may be an opportunity to seek out a grant from the Recreation funds from the State to help support this.

Cameron’s idea: would like to have local OSV permit sales to include parking guidelines for
Green Rock. Small pamphlet sort of thing to help give people some guidance, since the parking situation up there is chaos. People are getting mixed messages and authorities aren’t taking ownership of enforcement (Sheriff’s office, USFS LEO’s, WY-Highway Patrol, all saying it is the other ones job/jurisdiction). Signage may be more effective at reaching all users? Would need permitted with WY-DOT. This may help most with a consistent message and clarity for all users. Maybe 6 or so signs to cover it, specifically calling our “Winter Parking Rules” or something to that effect.

Treasurer Update: $18786.89 in checking. $252.80 transfer from PayPal in progress from
recent memberships. We need to file our non-profit federal taxes via a 990 form. We have until May 15th of this year.

Secretary Update: 121 members for this season to date. Thank you all for the support.
Carbon County Sheriff Bakken sent us an invitation for an in person thank you for our recent $750 donation to their SAR team. None of us were available to attend but he wanted to be sure we knew they were grateful. Albany County SAR is also very appreciative of the donation and continued support over the years.

Broader Wyoming Related: Bridger-Teton forest travel management plan is in progress.
They’ve got a website & want public comments submitted there. This will have a large impact on snowmobiling on the B-T forest. More info to follow separately with links.

We’re having a BBQ on the hill this Sunday, at the Lake Marie safety shelter at noon. Hope you can make it! It’s been snowing most of the week, should be a great weekend. 

Be careful out there. There was a local fatality last Friday, and a skier died Sunday in central Colorado (he was the 3rd person down the slope, no sign of instability until it was too late). 

Please find the February meeting minutes attached and quoted below. Meeting Minutes:

SRSC Meeting Minutes: February 2024. 18:00-19:00, located at 3C Guiding (and Zoom)

Attendance: Mitch (secretary), Cameron (president), Justin (VP), Sunny (treasurer), Heather (social media officer), Corey (WSSA District 1 rep). 18 people in total in person, a few more on Zoom.

Events: BBQ at Lake Marie safety shelter this Sunday, February 18^th. We’ll provide food. Donations welcomed. We’ll be able to sign folks up for membership on site. Food will be ready around noon.

Next meeting is the 3^rd Thursday of March.

WSSA Fun Days, weekend of March 1^st in Dubois. They are finally getting some snow on Togwotee, should be a good time!

Treasurer Update: $18831.90, plus $445.82 in Paypal from recent memberships (transfer in progress).

We’ll need to file our 990-N postcard for federal 501(c)3 reporting with the IRS soon for 2023.

Secretary Update: Member count of 101.

Assorted:

Hooks for safety shelter at Lake Marie? Planning on a cage over the stove with hooks to hang gear, but need it off the mountain to build & install. In the mean time some folks have put up a rope.

Safety shelter went in the Madres, off of WY-70 near Haskins Creek last month. Not sure of firewood situation.

Time for our annual donation to search and rescue organizations in our area. $750 each to Carbon and Albany SAR. All were in favor.

WSSA Scholarship: We will donate $1000 for that. $250 of that will go to the Access fund. All were in favor.

Parking Lot

SWORC Meeting February 15th: USFS (including Frank, forest supervisor), WY-DOT. Cameron, Sunny, Heather, David, Corey were representing the motorized crowd. State Trails was there too (Josh). There is a need for a survey asking if people would use new parking lots to gauge usage/determine need. Need to work with the SWORC group to create the survey: they’ll want input on the questions. Heather will work with Brynn (SWORC meeting facilitator) to help figure the logistics out. We believe people will use the parking lots, but some data would be more convincing.

The non-motorized crowd doesn’t necessarily understand why we need improved parking near Greenrock. They had concerns about people riding the ditch or generally not using additional lots. Next meeting will be in April. There were also concerns about avalanches at Centennial Ridge with a trail on the road bed (Ehlin Road) and how that may impact other users. The idea is a trial lot (no serious dirt work) at the old RV dump station across from the USFS Visitor Center. Another concern is folks using Barber Lake Road after parking at the lower lot; fair point and this will need to be addressed via signage.

Aaron Voos (USFS) asked something to the effect of: Why do we want improved parking? Is there a consistent reason? Our response has been consistent: Safety is the #1 reason. There are people all over the highway near Greenrock, including children, its slick, it gets narrow, vehicles & trailers have been damaged, the whooped out ditch is very unpleasant to ride, snowplows struggle to get through, emergency access is sketchy. Albany County SAR struggles to find parking up top unless we deploy at night or weekdays.

Rico Vercoe from the UW Hobb’s school has been working with his students to study how many people go up there, there could be good usage data with them that may inform access decisions and motivate improvements to this challenging situation.

One key aspect is that this will be parking for all forest users, it will benefit many, not just snowmobilers. This should help garner broad support.

Next meeting will be in April.

Avalanche Information:

Cameron hosting a Level 2 avy course in April. Yes. Should be listed on the 3C Guiding page soon. The plan is to do a Companion Rescue class first then the Level 2 class: Friday through Sunday. April 12^th-14^th or the weekend prior. DJ Osbourne will be leading it. Up to 18 people. $695 per person for both Rescue & Level 2.

Fatal avalanche in Carbon County in the Sierra Madres on Friday, February 9^th 2024. East facing slope around 10,200’. Deep slab that propogated very wide: up to 8’ deep and >2000’ wide. Two riders caught, one buried and killed. Be careful out there! Sincere condolences to the family and friends. Cameron proposed donating $500 to the victim’s family through the existing GoFundMe page. None were opposed, the motion passed. If members are interested in donating themselves, please visit:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/jacob-fluty or https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/qov631

In case you haven’t heard, there’s now a website for avalanche observations in our area: https://ewyoavalanche.org/

                You can submit observations, (even if you aren’t a total snow geek), and they’ll be helpful for others to get a handle on the stability (or lack thereof) in our local mountains. Check it out, submit observations, especially if you see signs of instability or recent avalanches!