I support the SPECIAL RECREATION MANAGEMENT AREAS PROPOSED OPTION for the following reasons:


I have been snowmobiling the Great Burn area for over 20 years.

Snowmobile tracks completely disappear when the snow melts and we ride in such deep snow that there is no big game and only minimal small game in the area when we ride.  So it seems snowmobiles have no affect on wildlife.  There is talk of snowmobile's affecting goats in the area, but we ride in 10-20' of snow.  I have never seen goats in the area and they would certainly travel to lower elevations to winter.

Motorized traffic in the area has doubled over the last 5 years while foot traffic has remained the same.  The Great Burn was closed to snowmobiles on March of 2014.  This is a historic snowmobiling area and there is no reasons shown for it to be closed.  This area contains some of the best backcountry snowmobiling in the lower 48.  The only places that compare are at least a 9 hour drive from here.

One thing is that SMAGB2 needs to be expanded to include: Goat Lake and surrounding bowls, Blacklead Mtn. and surrounding bowls, Doe Cr. drainage and surrounding bowls , Deer Cr, drainage and surrounding bowls. This contiguous area needs to be added to the Williams Lake cherry stem access. No access would be provided on the west side of Blacklead Mtn. off road 581.

The 1964 Wilderness act is outdated and needs to be changed to keep up with technology.

Thanks for your time.
Jesse Tuma
406-239-8438
8 Whitewater Ln
Plains,  MT  59859