Past Project:
Brockway Summit Commercial Snowmobile Permits

The North Shore Commercial Outfitter-Guide Snowmobile and Grooming Project was an environmental analysis looking at whether or not approximately 26 miles of snowmobile trails should continue to be groomed in the Mt. Watson Road area, whether extensive commercial snowmobiling should continue in the area, and whether two snowmobile "play areas" be designated for commercial use. The area straddles Brockway Summit and lies between Truckee and Kings Beach on Lake Tahoe.

Snowlands Network opposed the grooming and permits citing that these uses have extreme negative impacts on other forest users — backcountry skiers and snowshoers. The scope of the analysis was so limited that there was no possible way to mitigate the impacts short of simply not allowing the uses.

Snowlands recommended the addition of an alternative that would have declared the nearby Martis Peak area closed to snowmobiles as mitigation. This area was not heavily used by snowmobiles yet the Forest Service rejected the recommendation saying that the Martis Peak area was outside the scope of the project.

The Forest Service claim that the Martis Peak area was outside the scope of the project was totally self-serving in that they had the ability to define the project area in any manner they pleased.

The final decision passed down by the Forest Service allowed both the grooming and the commercial snowmobile use. They documents stated that the use of snowmobiles at Martis Peak is an issue that should be addressed in the next Lake Tahoe Basin Land and Resource Management Plan. Snowlands is pursuing that.