By Ted Angle
Members of the Wood River Valley Winter Coalition deserve a resounding round of applause for stepping up to the plate and having the conviction to resolve lingering issues that have pitted snowmobilers and cross-country skiers against each other for far too long.
It's been said that it takes a community to raise a child. To that, I would add that it takes a concerted community effort to resolve contentious issues. But getting representative members of the community together to discuss problem areas rationally is not always an easy task. Case in point: conflicts of interest between those interested in recreating on snowmobiles and those who are interested in recreating in some of the same areas on skis.
Most often this situation concerns the use of public land, but sometimes the issue may be in our own backyards, whether within city limits or out in the county. At other times, the problem may not relate to recreation at all but center more on safety and noise concerns. These issues are not new, but to some extent seem to resurface most every winter as new people move into the community and as others from around the country come here to enjoy our fabulous scenery, good snow, and friendly atmosphere.
Where do you get volunteers, willing to give up their valuable free time? While we all have opinions, a most important part of the problem solving process is to bring to the table well informed members with an ability to listen well and to communicate well. These are acquired skills that are lacking in most of us. The good news, however, is that we have in this valley worthy people on both sides of the fence who are able and willing to represent the rest of us. Through their personal sacrifices, the wrath, angst, and frustration that goes with the job is carried on their broad shoulders, thus sparing us the inherent trauma that all too often comes with the conflict resolution process.
Can we have a drum roll now for those brave souls who bared their chests and looked the opposition in the eye? Those selfless and dedicated volunteers who gave up time at home with the family to negotiate a settlement, to resolve safety concerns, and to draft guidelines for a new snow pact agreement. I'm talking about the members of the Winter Coalition group: skiers, snowmobilers, staff from the Blaine County Recreation District and the U.S. Forest Service, representative members of the Nordic and Backcountry Skiers Alliance and representative members of the Sawtooth Snowmobile Club.
It hasn't always been a fun experience for these members of the Winter Coalition to meet, but it has nearly always been an educational experience whereby they have come to better understand their collective differences, yet mutual appreciation for the winter landscape. And while they have sat down to the collaborative process with the opinions, if not positions of their respective organizations, they have not always come away with what they may have initially thought was the best and only solution.
By definition, a coalition is an alliance of factions or parties uniting in times of need. And the collaborative process, by its very nature, is one where compromise will be suggested, tried and tested, until a mutually agreed upon solution is achieved. The approach is often painful and time consuming, but it has been proven time and again to be the best process for problem solving and conflict resolution.
So, hats off to the members of the Winter Coalition group for their selfless contributions to this community. Let us, as concerned or impacted members of the community, recognize these people, support them and their decisions, and become part of the overall solution to these conflicts rather than part of the problem itself. And let's keep the dialog, the unity, and the collaborative process that has been established in our valley going.
A local Snow Pact Agreement was formally put into action by the USFS five years ago to define areas of motorized and non-motorized winter travel. This agreement was reached through a collaborative process between the above mentioned participants who came together under the banner of the "Winter Coalition" group. The work is not finished. Education and voluntary monitoring and enforcement by members of both communities are ongoing requirements.
