National Forest Service Mandate

The present gift formula of ski areas started in Colorado, has been sharing 150 ski/snowboard opportunities - tickets, lessons and rental equipment with local tribes each season. Donating 100 tickets... at the beginning of the season and opportunities for 25 Native Americans for the ceremonial weekend. Ski areas wanting additional Indian cultural/eco education ceremonies, like Telluride and Deer Mountain, give an additional 25 Native Americans (50 tickets...) a chance to ski/snowboard for the weekend. The National Forest Service has a “mandate to provide opportunities for Native Americans on Forest lands (ski areas).” Now that we know how Native ski and ceremony program dramatically upstep education on how we can take better care of our forests. Now that we know the effectiveness of this gesture in uplifting Native youth while honoring Native Americans this Olympic year. Therefore, NVF suggests, to make it easy, that the rest of America’s ski resorts could donate at least 50 snow sports opportunities per season.

This will cost ski areas virtually nothing, as the kids inspire instructors to often  volunteer (like Aspen), ski shops share donating  rental equipment, and Native dancers, singers and drummers are in demand and well paid for cultural shows around the world. Town Councils, County Governments, Arts and Humanities Councils, usually chip in around $2,000 each to be part of the historic healing, in additon to churches, lodge associations, grocery stores, restaurants and families. Billy Kidd loves to host Utes kids at his home for both winter and summer fun activities. This program can, in turn, provide badly needed economic stimulation for both cultures this season, giving ski areas and tribes an Olympic connection, including a chance to participate in NVF’s documentary “Red Road to the Olympics.”

Added to the gracious equipment gift by SIA and the Olympians, tribal leaders and youth agree, that fulfilling the National Forest Service mandate, whereby each American ski area on forest lands gives at least 50 snow sports opportunities, is a meaningful step toward healing the past. NVF also applauds the many ski areas, pioneered by Taos, New Mexico, who include Native Americans in schools programs and we encourage others to do so - diversity enriches everyone. By thanking Natives for their contributions and making some amends like this, we are reconnecting hearts and awareness of America’s rich ancient heritage.

“Knowing the contributions of the heroic American Indian will help us make wiser decisions in the future,” wrote JFK 40 years ago. (full statement - “Reconciliation Press”) With some of the most respected statesmen in Washington being skiers and NVF supporters, we are working for a speedy agreement by those political leaders, National Forest Chief Bosworth and NSAA’s Michael Barry, to go forward with this plan, or something that may fit them even better. Bjorn Dahl has already had a lengthy conversation on how they could get this to work.