There has been an effort by the NRCM, Restore, and a small group of people, to request the area of the AWW from Churchill Dam to Round Pond be ruled a non motorized area (for example no snowmobiles) for cross country skiing. A suggestion was made by several council members and the BPL director to designate an area running from the little arm of Chamberlain thru Baxter and R. Quimby's land (if permitted for a cross country ski area).The requesting ski group flatly turned down the Chamberlain area idea.

There has been no skiing activity in the Churchill north area ,no demonstrated need for exclusive skiing use, and no plans presented as to how the area would be safely utilized. The area around Allagash lake and stream are no snowmobiling areas and the "group" requesting Churchill has said this.

Allagash Lake area is not suitable to meet their needs. They are, however, unwilling to trade the Churchill area for Allagash Lake allowing snowmobiling back to Allagash Lake .This type of tactic makes us wonder what is next on the agenda of those involved with the non used to date cross-country skiing scheme.

In 2001, we requested several snowmobile access sites, taken away by mistake in 1995, to be reinstated.( We even offered to trade these trails for those seldom used but authorized one for one.) We have been using them all since the new rules in 1995 with the full knowledge of the BPL. Two sets of sporting camps derive a significant portion of their winter income from trails left off the official list. There have been no complaints recorded concerning the use of the taken away trails. The new tack is to somehow push a trade where we lose Churchill north for snowmobiling to regain 4/5 trails taken away because the Waterway mgr did not place them in the 1995 list. The reason for the 1995 rule making trail list was to prevent the proliferation of new trails, yet several of those old existing on the ground were not included for approval. No one went and protested at rule making because the explanation for the rules did not explain the true scope of the 1995 proposed rule changes. No one had a clue old trails would be viewed as proliferated new trails by the BPL..

At this point in time, we believe the price for regaining official status use of the 4/5 trails is too extreme. We will be seeking other ways to regain official use of these trails we have continued to use for the past 10 years, but not by hostage negotiations. We believe we tried to be reasonable and compromising by suggesting we give up the Chamberlain area east for non motorized use and believe in continuing to share the whole AWW with skiers but not at the expense of being further ejected from snowmobiling in it.