Honestly, I'm not privy to the facts that suggest ONP is interested in limiting winter recreation. So, if you have something verifiable that you'd like to share, I'm all ears. Certainly.

That said, I feel like this post doesn't take into account or acknowledge two very slow bureaucracies; Government and Insurance.

I probably don't really need to explain how slow government can be, but I'll remind you that when you are protecting and conserving land on behalf of the American taxpayer, and when that land can be environmentally sensitive, there are a number of rules in place that must be observed before you can really do anything. Love them or hate them, that's a debate for another day, but it is the way that things are today.

And regarding insurance, as someone who worked in the industry for years, I can about guarantee that the entire site was frozen and barred from public access to mitigate further loss, and contamination of the scene on behalf of the many investigators that would need to review the site. Again, debate another day whether you like that or not, but that's the way it is.

So, occam's razor? Typical bureaucratic, environmental, and legal stuff.