New Organization Formed to Protect Winter Wildlands

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TO ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:

New Organization Formed to Protect Winter Wildlands

Winter Wildlands Alliance Preserves the Human-Powered Snow Sports Experience

IDAHO, BOISE, Mar. 8 -/E-Wire/-- Snow sports enthusiasts today announced the formation of Winter Wildlands Alliance, a new national nonprofit organization that preserves winter wildlands and a quality human-powered snow sport experience on public lands. Formerly known as the Backcountry SnowSports Alliance, the Winter Wildlands Alliance represents non-motorized winter recreationists and wilderness activists alike, and brings a national voice to the need for separate use areas and monitoring of motorized regulations on public lands.

Formed by backcountry ski and quiet-use groups from California, Idaho, Nevada, and Colorado, Winter Wildlands Alliance is the only national organization advocating the need to manage snowmobiles in order to reduce their impacts on human-powered snow sports, a healthy environment and safe and intact wildlife habitats. In addition, Winter Wildlands will assist local backcountry conservation activists and groups by offering networking and outreach support.

"Winter Wildlands Alliance hopes to preserve the pristine backcountry winter experience for everyone to enjoy," says Executive Director Sally Grimes. "We want to ensure that the nation's special places and wildlife are protected from the negative aspects of snowmachines. And we'd like to minimize the air and noise pollution caused by these vehicles, which take away from the solitude of the backcountry -- the reason most of us venture there in the first place." Grimes recently joined the Alliance after five years with the nonprofit trail conservation organization American Hiking Society, where she worked in communications, development, policy and administration. She also holds a bachelor's degree in Outdoor Recreation and Resource Management from Indiana University.

In February 2000, WWA Board President Sarah Michael began creating a national organization. Since then, she and the rest of the Board of Directors have built the infrastructure for the organization, raised start-up funds and hired staff. Michael co-founded Sun Valley, Idaho's Nordic and Backcountry Skiers Alliance and was recently elected to the Blaine County Board of Commissioners. "This new organization recognizes there are many uses of our public lands in winter, and that everyone has a right to enjoy them," said Michael. "We believe there is a need to protect fragile winter lands from unregulated snowmachine access and provide separate use areas where skiers and snowshoers can enjoy their sport in peace and quiet."

Winter Wildlands is the winter component of the Natural Trails and Water Campaign -- a coalition made up of the Wilderness Society, Wildlands CPR, Sierra Club, Bluewater Network, SUWA, American Lands Alliance and dozens of other national and grassroots groups working for regulations on or complete bans of motorized vehicles on public lands. Among the Alliance's first order of business is cooperating with the National Park Service to maintain the recent ban on snowmobiles in Yellowstone and other parks, and working with other land management agencies such as the Forest Service to negotiate separate use areas for motorized and non-motorized snow sports.

Since its inception, the group has been featured under its former name, Backcountry SnowSports Alliance, in publications such as Couloir Magazine, Off-Piste, and Back Country Magazine. The Board of Directors voted unanimously to change the name from Backcountry SnowSports Alliance to Winter Wildlands Alliance to better reflect the organization's conservation focus in addition to its work to promote and preserve human powered snow sports.

For more information, call Sally Grimes at [REDACTED-PHONE]; email [REDACTED-EMAIL]; write 910 Main Street, Suite 235, Boise ID 83702; or visit www.winterwildlands.org.

Winter Wildlands Alliance

Sally Grimes of Winter Wildlands Alliance, [REDACTED-PHONE],

[REDACTED-EMAIL]

http://www.winterwildlands.org

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