Forest Service Winter Sports Team Saves Money Private Ski Areas Pay Salaries and Contractors

The newly formed "Eastern Region Winter Sports Team" has 11 members with a mix of business, environmental and engineering expertise who oversee the winter sports programs on the White Mountain and Green Mountain National Forests. Although all the team members benefit with salary financing, the Forest Service environmental coordinators on the team are financed up to 80% of their salaries by 7 alpine ski areas and 10 nordic permittees as they work on the winter sports proponent's environmental documents for such items as expansion, adding new ski lifts or trails, or snow-making. Savings in employees' salaries range between $150,000 to $200,000 dollars per year. Government efficiency has also multiplied. Because the environmental studies are contracted out and paid for by the winter sports permittees, Forest Service specialists can review instead of write the documents; and they can work on five to six winter sports projects each year on top of their regular program of work, instead of only one to two projects. An additional bonus from the team approach is to ensure consistency amongst the 5 different districts and 2 national forests by designating the team leader equivalent to a ranger with decision making authority. With one team in charge, what goes for one area, goes for all.

(Beth LeClair:R09F20A; Eastern Region Winter Sports Team Leader, USDA-Forest Service, RR#2 Box 35, Rochester, VT 05767; 802-767-4261.)