Limiting access to Wilderness "hot spots" successful in other national forests

The changes the White River National Forest is considering to minimize crowds in wilderness areas have been successful in other forests. Last week, Forest Service officials began an informal outreach effort around how to bring back solitude to busy trails and backcountry camping. As Aspen Public Radio’s Marci Krivonen reports, their ideas have been tried in other wilderness areas. Aspen Sopris District Ranger Karen Schroyer is delivering a presentation to a packed house in Aspen. She’s working to educate people about problems in the forest and solicit feedback. “As we go through this slideshow together, I’d like you guys to think about this one question I have. What would you like the Maroon Bells/Snowmass Wilderness to look like 50 years from now?” Her slide show focuses on the 183,000-acre Maroon Bells Snowmass Wilderness. The popular area is seeing overcrowding at spots like Conundrum Hot Springs, the Four Pass Loop and on a short trail from Maroon to Crater Lake. “In two separate days in September of 2014, we had over 1200 people a day, hiking that trail. Now, if you’re going to wilderness to experience solitude, that’s probably not where you want to go.”  The crowding leads to ecological degradation. Campers leave behind trash, human waste and illegal campfires. Some don’t store food adequately. “In August of 2014, we were forced to close all of the sites, the camping sites around Crater Lake, and we were forced to close them for the remainder of the season because there had been so many bear-human conflicts up there. It was becoming a very serious, dangerous situation.”...more

The anti-human philosophy of wilderness rises to the fore again.  How can you have solitude when other humans are around?  Limit those humans who can enter.  This raises the issue of wilderness visitors.  According to the gov'ts own studies, the typical wilderness visitor is an upper income white male with a higher education.  The enviros are aware of how vulnerable they are on this issue, which is why you see them falling all over themselves to court hispanic groups.  Right now, only the elite are entering.

Other humans may disrupt your solitude, but according to Little Tommy YouDull and his sidekick Marty, noise and machines won't.  They have introduced legislation to designate wilderness where 80 trains a day run by its boundary, and the traffic will soon double.   With 160 trains a day, that means one will go by every 9 minutes.  You can enjoy your solitude and sing Kumbaya to the clickety clack of the railroad tracks all at the same time.  Come to think of it, only a spoiled, white, trust fund baby would enjoy that.

As for me, I'd be with the let's get naked and swim crowd.