Current Project:
Quiet Quadrant
A place at Lake Tahoe for skiers, snowshoers and snow players

As part of their participation in the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit planning process, Snowlands Network is combining several small requests for non-motorized winter recreation areas into a single request for a "Quiet Quadrant" extending from Brockway Summit to Spooner Summit along the northeast shore of Lake Tahoe. Gail Ferrell, the local coordinator on this project, points out, "We're looking for land planning that fosters a balance in opportunities for winter recreation. Without the designation of some areas non-motorized in winter, the proliferation of snowmobile use will eventually drive away all those who seek a safe, quiet, odor-free place to recreate."

There are three distinct areas that make up the Quiet Quadrant. They are the Martis Peak area at Brockway Summit, the Mt. Rose Highway at Tahoe Meadows including the newly Forest Service acquired Incline Lake property, and the north side of Spooner Summit.

The Tahoe Meadows area on the Mt. Rose Highway has 40,000 visitors each winter and as many as 1500 on a single day. It is estimated that this number will increase 1.6% per year over the next 20 years. Over 95% of all visitors to this area in winter are muscle-powered, including skiers, snowshoers and snow players. Unfortunately there are many unmanaged problems including noise pollution, air pollution, speeding, and social conflicts from snowmobile use in this small area. Many skiers and snowshoers have been driven away from accessing the Mount Rose Wilderness and Galena drainage from Tahoe Meadows by the snowmobile use here. Unsafe sledding areas that terminate at the highway, inappropriate use of parking space, highway congestion, and excess automobile speed are among additional management problems in the area.

South of Tahoe Meadows, the Chickadee Ridge area is highly popular with snowshoers and skiers as a family picnic, play and touring area. This area is open to snowmobiles and snowmobiles occasionnally disrupt the peace and serenity sought by hundreds of users. This area needs to be closed before conflicts develop and use of the area is effectively taken from the many current users and usurped by relatively few notorized users.

Snowlands Network has long argued that the entire Tahoe Meadows area should be designated non-motorized in winter as it is designated in summer.

At Brockway Summit between Truckee and Kings Beach at Lake Tahoe, the Mt. Watson Road was a favorite place for skiers and snowshoers in years gone by. Now, 10,000 snowmobile user-days per winter, both commercial and private, have essentially eliminated muscle-powered winter recreation here. On a Saturday or Sunday, a skier or snowshoer can expect to be passed by 180 snowmobiles or more in an afternoon.

Marcus Libkind, Chairman of Snowlands Network, thinks back to when he and friends would rent a nearby cabin and ski the Mt. Watson Road. Judy, a blind skier, would join them for an annual trip. "Today the Mt. Watson Road would be a horrible place for a blind skier. With heightened senses of smell and hearing, the conditions created by heavy snowmobile use would be horrendous for a blind person," says Marcus.

Snowlands Network proposes that the opposite side of Highway 267 at Brockway Summit, the Martis Peak area, be designated non-motorized in winter to provide for a balance of winter uses in the area. Skiers, snowshoers and snow players are the vast majority of the users of this area. However, snowmobilers are permitted to speed up and down the Martis Peak road, often endangering other users, and definitely making conditions difficult for pedestrian travel. Then, once the snow conditions get bad, snowmobilers avoid the area, and skiers and snowshoers are left with a rutted jumble of frozen snowmobile tracks.

There was a time when skiers and snowshoers could travel south on a snow-covered road from Spooner Summit enjoying the serenity of South Camp Peak, Genoa Peak, and majestic views of Lake Tahoe. Today, the south side of Spooner Summit receives over 45,000 snowmobile user trips per year — not a very friendly or desirable place for a ski or snowshoe experience. Snowlands believes that this area can support both motorized and non-motorized uses. To do this, the north side of Spooner Summit must be set aside for non-motorized use.

Snowlands Network's vision for a "Quiet Quadrant" along the northeast shore of Lake Tahoe is in keeping with the needs of the public. Snowshoeing is the fastest growing winter sport in the United States. Healthy winter recreation requires areas where the average person can get away from the noise pollution and air pollution of snowmobiles. We deserve a place to recharge our internal batteries and our souls. It is the Forest Service's duty to provide opportunities for this, and Snowlands is letting them know exactly that.

Snowlands is currently participating in a winter recreation workshop sponsored by the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit to address conflicts between recreation users in the Tahoe Basin, in particular the Mt. Rose highway corridor. Snowlands appreciates the efforts of the LTBMU and local snowmobile clubs to collaboratively address winter recreation conflicts, but believes that Forest Service management action is needed to address the primary issues of area closures and use restrictions. If you would like to participate in this workshop on behalf of Snowlands, please contact Gail Ferrell.