January 5, 2001, Press Release:
VOLUNTEER SKI-WITH-THE-RANGER POSITIONS OPEN NOW PRATHER: “The Sierra National Forest, in partnership with Sierra Summit Mountain Resort, is seeking volunteer natural resource field interpreters to present “Ranger” programs at Sierra Summit Mountain Resort from January through March of 2001,” said Pineridge/Kings River District Ranger Ray Porter. “Sierra Summit offers a spectacular opportunity to involve all ages in environmental education and winter sports.” Interpreters will be part of a collaborative team to develop and present high-quality interpretive programs for school groups, families, and visitors to Sierra Summit Mountain Resort…
That was the vision. In reality, Ski with the Ranger was an idea before its time.
When I became the Recreation Officer on the Pineridge Ranger District, I inherited the Ski with the Ranger Program. In the slow of the winter, Forest Service employees would go to Sierra Summit Ski Area, meet students from all around the San Joaquin Valley and make a short environmental “Ranger” presentation. It was the ski area’s way to recruit new skiers and the environmental education program was the rationalization for the school’s expenses. The best part was being a Ranger for the remainder of the day. Skiing in uniform was very cool. “Do you get paid for skiing?” was the most common question. People loved to talk to you (some of which were very handsome) and to top it off, Rangers did get paid to ski and talk about the Forest Service.
The program goals were adapted from the goals developed by the USFS Winter Sports Partnership Team with direction from the Chief and the National Memorandum of Understanding with the National Ski Areas Association:
- Visitors will become aware of the USDA Forest Service and its mission.
- Visitors will realize the role that the USDA Forest Service plays in managing Ski
Areas that operate on National Forest and public land.
- Visitors will realize their role in managing and protecting National Forests and
public land and they are motivated to act responsible when using that land.
- Visitors will recognize opportunities for recreation activities on National Forest
and public lands.
- Partners will strive to provide programs that are accessible and available to all segments of the public despite disability, age, economic situation, or other limitations, and the public will be made aware of this.
The Mammoth Mountain Ski with the Ranger Program was our inspiration and our model. I could see it; a volunteer program as strong as the Sierra Snowmobile Association and the Nordic Ski Patrol. The Ski Rangers would be the third leg of the Sierra National Forest winter program. It would be managed by and staffed with volunteers that were excited about the Sierra National Forest and were ready to ski for free.
I and my fellow rangers were so excited about the prospects that we made a short video describing the program and presented it during a Department of Agriculture review of Forest Service ski area management. Twice, I was able to get Regional funding for $5,000 seed money to get the program going. Unfortunately, I also discovered that I did not have Forest support for my vision. Twice, the funding I was going to use to hire staff and fortify the program was diverted to other recreation activities. No money, no staff, no volunteers. To top it off, the re-organization and downsizing of the Sierra had begun. One by one, the few Rangers participating in the program promoted, retired, moved to another forest, were reassigned, or became too stressed to even think about spending a day at the ski area. This year, the only Ranger on skis was the Permit Administrator inspecting for permit compliance.
Yet, today the Forest Service (in partnership with the ski industry) provides more skiing opportunities than any other entity in the world. Outdoor recreation is still a part of the multiple use objective of the Forest Service mission; over 31 million people participate in skiing on national forest lands each year. There are nearly 140 downhill ski areas in 66 National Forest from New Hampshire to California. That doesn’t include the more than 100 cross-country operations and the 115,000 miles of forest trails open to snowshoes, backcountry skiers, and winter adventures. Winter recreation on the National Forests is thriving.
So where are the Rangers?
I went to the web to see what I could find on long range forecasts for the ski industry. Where are ski areas going and where would this take the Ski with the Ranger program? Searching for that choice definitive website that would support dramatic increases in ski area demand, I found only a few articles that supported the premise that the ski industry in on the way up, ski use is on the way up, and the Ranger program will be ready when use increases. An example from the Billings Gazette reports in a 2003 Analysts: Future looking brighter for ski industry.
BEAVER CREEK, Colo. (AP) — The future is looking brighter for skiing, a sport once seen as facing extinction with the passing of the baby boom generation and the sale of the last expensive condominium.
“There definitely is room to grow,” said analyst Stacy Forbes, who follows the ski industry for Janco Partners.
Skiing grew dramatically as baby boomers reached adulthood. Community-based resorts that relied on rope tows became industrial giants that used real estate profits to build dozens of high-speed lifts.”
But in searching websites for the future of the ski industry, I found myself swimming through sites discussing the potential affects global warming on ski areas. I did not foresee that. What if the ski industry isn’t on the incline, but is facing a decline due to environmental changes namely, global warming? Some examples from my Google search:
Warming trends are more likely than cooling, affecting ski areas.
A PowerPoint presentation on data supporting the assertion that ski areas in New Hampshire are being lost.
And, in the opinion of the “Internetwork for Sustainability”: “Warning signs are already easy to spot. The ski industry, for example, is already starting to suffer from the warmer climate, as is the wine industry, and extreme events such as last year’s European heat wave in which some 20,000 people died are likely to become commonplace, he predicted.”
So in what direction does that take the future of the Ski with the Ranger Program?
Go back to one of the goals of the program: “Visitors will realize their role in managing and protecting National Forests and public land and they are motivated to act responsible when using that land.” If the ski industry realizes what they could be facing environmental catastrophe of global warming, there could be an even stronger environmental partnership based on preserving our love of skiing. The Ski with the Ranger program could be a link to the realization that what we do today affects our environment and our ability to ski. Rangers could draw attention to the need for environmental activism.
Or, the people of the United States and the ski industry could ignore their dependency on a healthy environment and carry on until the season when the snow doesn’t fall.
In the mean time, I’ll keep hoping that the Ski with the Ranger Program is an idea before its time, and I’ll be on the lookout for a few dedicated volunteers “interested in being part of a collaborative team to develop and present high-quality interpretive programs for school groups, families, and visitors to Sierra Summit Mountain Resort…”
