Yurt lovers are getting frustrated with the closure of the Idaho City yurts while the U.S. Forest Service and state of Idaho haggle over liability insurance.
A coalition of prominent Treasure Valley outdoor-recreation professionals, business owners and other community leaders released an open letter to officials with the Boise National Forest, Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation and Idaho Attorney General's office urging a speedy resolution to issues that have indefinitely closed the six popular state park yurts amid the Idaho City Park and Ski Areas.
The letter calls for state and federal officials to reopen the yurts by New Year's holiday weekend. Extending the closure into 2013 would be "a great disservice to the public that has long cherished and financially supported these trail and yurt systems," the letter said.
The 21 signers of the letter noted that the obstacle to reopening the yurts, located along trails off Idaho 21 northeast of Idaho City, appears to be a dispute between state and federal government agencies over how much liability insurance is necessary and whether a special-use permit is necessary for Idaho Parks and Recreation to operate the yurt system.
About 2,500 people use the yurts annually — mostly in winter — and the user fees generate $80,000 in annual revenue that’s critical to maintaining the state Parks and Recreation’s popular Park and Ski cross-country ski trails in the Boise National Forest.
The state had to cancel yurt reservations last fall after the Boise National Forest discovered that no special-use permit existed for the yurt operations, losing $26,155 in revenue. Yurt revenues are critical for grooming the 30-plus miles of cross-country ski and snowshoe trails in the area.
In September, the state Parks and Recreation Department, which manages the six backcountry yurts, sent e-mails to holders of yurt reservations for this fall and winter cancelling those reservations. I lost my reservation for January. This occurred after the Boise National Forest discovered that it didn't have a special-use permit with IDPR for operating the yurt system.
The Idaho City yurts are really fun. Watch my video from a past winter!
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How about posting a PDF for us?
Here's a copy of the letter
December 12, 2012
To: Cecilia Seesholtz, Supervisor, Boise National Forest
Mary Faurot, Idaho City District Acting Ranger
Nancy Merrill, Director, Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation
Steve Strack, Deputy Attorney General
Dear Ms. Seesholtz, Ms. Faurot, Ms. Merrill and Mr. Strack,
As recreationists who frequently use the Idaho City Park and Ski Areas and the wonderful companion system of six yurts contained therein, we are disappointed that the Boise National Forest and the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation have yet to reach an agreement that would allow cross-country skiers and snowshoers to use the yurt system in the winter of 2012-2013.
It's our understanding that the Boise National Forest wants IDPR to obtain a special use permit to operate the yurt system, and provide a certificate of liability insurance coverage for the yurt system.
This should not take months to resolve. It's our opinion that the Forest Service is making a "mountain out of a molehill" with respect to concerns about liability insurance to indemnify the Forest Service from self-guided people using the Park and Ski trails and the yurts.
Here are the facts:
• The yurt-rental system has been running seamlessly on a sustainable basis since the first yurt was built in 1996, without any significant concerns or complaints—or any lawsuits.
• The Idaho City Park and Ski Area yurts are used by approximately 2,500 people per year—mostly in the winter—and yurt rentals generate approximately $80,000 in revenue, according to IDPR. The temporary closure of the yurts in Fall 2012 resulted in the loss of $26,155 in revenue.
• The Idaho City Park and Ski trails and yurts were initially a collaborative partnership project between the Idaho City Ranger District and IDPR. The first yurt, Banner Ridge, was built in 1996. Volunteers from the Southwest Idaho Mountain Biking Association (SWIMBA), Nordic Voice and REI helped build the yurt. Since that time, there has been significant community investment in the yurt system on an ongoing basis.
• Former Idaho City Ranger District Recreation and Trails officer Terry Sexton was instrumental in the creation of the Idaho City Park and Ski Areas and yurt system. The Idaho City Ranger District should be a partner in the trail and yurt systems and assist in making the program successful, not erect bureaucratic obstacles.
• Yurt-rental revenue is critical for paying for grooming the cross-country ski trails. By temporarily halting the yurt-rental program, the Forest Service and IDPR are jeopardizing the revenue stream that makes the Park and Ski trails usable by winter recreationists.
Mr. Strack has indicated that the Forest Service is asking for more liability insurance than IDPR can afford. Forest Service officials have indicated that a special-use applicant that receives all of the revenue from a yurt operation should be expected to pay for liability insurance. The question is, how much?
We urge the USFS and IDPR to find a short-term fix this month so that the yurts can reopen by New Year’s. Postponing this matter any longer would, we strongly believe, be a great disservice to the public that has long cherished and financially supported these trail and yurt systems.
Thank you for your immediate consideration of this matter of great importance to many Idahoans.
Sincerely,
Steve Stuebner
Outdoor recreationist, blogger and author
Mike Lanza,
Outdoor recreationist, Backpacker Magazine Northwest Editor, blogger, and author
Dean Meer
Boise REI store manager
Chris Haunold
Idaho Mountain Touring
Tomas Patek
World Cycle
Tom "Chel" Chelstrom
Former Boise REI store manager
Joyce Fabre
Boise Women's Hiking Network
JT More
Backcountry skier and frequent yurt user
Mike Needham
Boise Trailheads Meet Up Facebook group
Mark Menlove
Executive Director, Winter Wildlands Alliance
Brad Acker
Patrol Director, 705 NSP Backcountry Ski Patrol
Santiago Rodriguez
National Ski Patrol—SW Idaho Avalanche Instructor Trainer
Author of “Mores Creek Summit” Blog
Sandy Epeldi
Recreationist, vice president of the Idaho Outdoor Association, author
Branden Durst
State Senator, District 18, Boise
Mat Erpelding
State Representative, District 19 House Seat A
Holli Woodings
State Representative, District 19 House Seat B
Janie Ward-Engelking
State Representative, District 18 House Seat A
Lauren McLean
Boise City Councilwoman, recreationist, skier
Suki Molina
Recreationist, skier
Kay Hummel
Backcountry and Nordic skier and volunteer
Marianne Nelson
Recreationist, skier
This is such a petty and asinine move by the Feds.
A temporary permit should have been issued in Sept. to allow for useage and much needed revenue, while the Feds do their usual job of feet-dragging coupled with obstructionalism. Kinda reminds me of Congress, unfortunately...Sunny...
If you open them now it will be mighty drafty!
PS the thingamajig on the top got scabies and died.
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