January 30, 2006
Bill Broadbear - Manti LaSal
National Forest
599 West Price River Drive
Price, Utah 84501-2838
Dear Bill:
Thanks for taking the time last
week to discuss with me potential parking expansion
opportunities off of State Highway 31. As follow-up to that
conversation I would like to provide you the following written
comments on behalf of the Utah Snowmobile Association (“USA”).
It may be helpful to note that USA is a non-profit,
all-volunteer organization that serves as a strong voice for the
approximate 34,000 registered snowmobile owners in Utah. Our
core values and beliefs are very simple: “We support multiple
use of public lands, sharing of this privilege, environmental
stewardship, safety in the backcountry, education and overall
accountability that contributes toward our goal for fun, mental,
physical and social benefits.”
We understand there may be an
opportunity to arrange for certain Federal funding that can
provide for expansion of the current Fairview Canyon Trailhead
Parking Lot (often referred to as Gooseberry Snowmobile Parking
Lot) and develop parking further down State Highway 31 in the
area knows as Big Drift. USA is in full support of this
potential project. We offer the following reasons why
winter recreation parking expansion in this area makes a lot of
sense.
·
The usage for
snowmobile parking off State Highway 31 over the recent years
has grown exponentially and is likely to continue in the
future. Primarily on weekends it is not uncommon to find
vehicles and trailers parked on the highway as much as a mile
before and a mile after existing parking. This creates a
tremendous safety hazard, particularly on a bad weather day. I
have personally watched accidents occur near the Fairview Canyon
Trailhead as a result of improper parking on the highway.
·
Cabin ownership has
increased and overloaded the existing parking facilities off of
State Highway 31. Furthermore, we are seeing an increase in
“winter sightseers” and other recreationists that are traversing
the “National Scenic Byway.” State Highway 31 certainly meets
the highest standard of scenic, recreational and historical
criteria for a great visitation experience.
·
With respect to
snowmobiling, it is obvious that tow vehicles and trailers are
much larger today than equipment of the past, which minimizes
the number of rigs that can park in current facilities.
·
Existing parking is
totally inadequate with respect to the ability to provide for
effective snowplowing and snow removal. By the middle of each
winter season the current parking facilities are a fraction of
the size compared to the beginning of the winter due to the
inability to push snow beyond existing boundaries. The small
size of current parking makes plowing an unnecessary challenge,
further increases safety hazards and depletes budgets.
Additionally, in the Big Drift area it is critical to develop
off highway parking due to the numerous days of low visibility
that increases chances of accidents resulting from vehicles
parked on the side of the highway.
We applaud and support all effort
that can be expended to enhance winter recreation parking
opportunities off State Highway 31.
If there is anything USA can do to help make this a reality,
feel free to use me as a contact. In the meantime, thanks for
considering our comments and please pass them on to other
partners for this project.
Sincerely,
Curtis C. Kennedy
