Opinion ID: 170192
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Wasatch-Cache and Uinta Forest Plans

Text: Under the National Forest Management Act, the Forest Service manages national forests pursuant to forest plans periodically developed for each forest. The Wasatch-Cache and Uinta forest plans were initially adopted in 1985. At that time, the Wasatch-Cache plan expressly recognized helicopter skiing as a legitimate use of the National Forest and called for one helicopter ski special use permit on the present permit area. Supp.App. 669-70. The original Uinta plan also directed the forest would be open to helicopter skiing under a special use permit. Supp.App. 666. The Forest Service revised the Wasatch-Cache plan in 2003. The 2003 plan established the following as forest-wide goals: Manage for an array of recreation opportunities and settings to improve the quality of life for a variety of Forest recreation users. Balance growth and expansion of recreation by managing within the capability of sustainable ecosystems found on the Forest for today and the future. Supp.App. 672. Specifically regarding helicopter skiing, the 2003 Wasatch-Cache plan provides, Helicopter skiing will continue to operate as a component of the recreation picture in the Central Wasatch. Helicopter skiing and ski mountaineering will continue to compete for untracked conditions, and those users seeking quiet in the winter backcountry may continue to object to helicopter skiing. Information will continue to be available to all backcountry visitors to help them make informed decisions and avoid conflicts. . . . It is uncertain, however, whether helicopter skiing can be managed to remain profitable over the long term while accommodating a reasonable level of compromise with competing backcountry uses. Supp.App. 673. The Uinta forest plan was also revised in 2003. The 2003 Uinta plan provides for [d]iverse and suitable recreational opportunities . . . responsive to public demand while maintaining ecosystem health and contribution to social and economic sustainability. Supp.App. 667. The Uinta plan specifically provides for helicopter skiing consistent with the resource capability, other land uses, and other resource management goals. Supp.App. 668.