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| Friends of Snodgrass Mountain Thank Richmond and his Staff |
November 16, 2009
Charles Richmond, GMUG Forest Supervisor
2250 Hwy 50
Delta, CO 81416
Dear Charlie,
The Friends of Snodgrass Mountain thank you and your staff for conducting
a thorough, fact-based pre-NEPA review of the Snodgrass proposal. We support your
decision to do the right thing by honoring the "broader public interest" and maintaining
Snodgrass in its traditional lift-free condition. Your decision protects the recreational
and environmental benefits the mountain now provides while avoiding the unneeded
environmental damage that the expansion would have entailed.
Some in our communities
seem unaware of the recent history of the proposed Snodgrass expansion. They also
have forgotten what you clearly communicated to the ski company and the local
public about the Pre-NEPA/NEPA process.
A 1/6/2006 Crested Butte News article
stated, "...according to Richmond, 'The Forest Service has learned that with ski
area expansion, it's really important to address the main issues before you get
into the NEPA phase'...explaining that too many times a ski area comes up with
a proposal and the Forest Service takes it into the NEPA phase, where it gets
stalled. 'We could get caught into the NEPA process for several years. Then it's
sort of a losing proposition for all the parties involved.' With the Snodgrass
expansion, Richmond says, the Forest Service is trying to get most of the real
issues that could affect the expansion addressed before the process gets started...Richmond
encourages the public to make specific comments" although cautioning that, "'Your
comments do matter, but it's not a vote.'"
Some local citizens now claim that they
did not have the opportunity to comment during the pre-NEPA period. However, not
only did the USFS welcome public comments, but both CBMR and FOSM have been actively
encouraging citizens to provide you with comments via our local newspapers, citizen
recruitment campaigns and through both organizations' websites.
Gunnison County
has previous experience with the "losing
proposition" of a "stalled" NEPA process. In 1994 a Snodgrass expansion EIS was
begun that required substantial expenditure of resources by the USFS and by CBMR.
In addition, a Coordinated Review Process (CRP) was initiated which included
the USFS, Army Corps of Engineers, Colorado DOW, Colorado Div of Water Quality,
Gunnison County, Crested Butte, Mt Crested Butte, High Country Citizens' Alliance
and CBMR. The CRP, which met monthly during the 1995-1996 period, was a perfect
example of limited public and private resources being uselessly expended on a
project that was eventually deemed to be non-viable. Those hundreds of people-hours
ended up being wasted when CBMR opted to terminate their application upon being
informed by then-GMUG Supervisor Robert Storch in his 4/25/96 letter that the
EIS process was uncovering "substantial issues" which, "could in fact lead to partial
or even complete denial of authorization to develop Snodgrass."
Governments, particularly
our Federal government, are often castigated for being wasteful and inefficient.
We congratulate you for making a decision that will prevent further wasteful
and inefficient consumption of both public and private resources on this non-viable
project.
It should be noted that in response to Mr.
Storch's letter, Edward Callaway,
then-CBMR president, assured the Forest Service that, "The
resort will continue to refocus on the existing ski area and improve it in such
a way that the Snodgrass expansion may not be necessary."
CBMR's commitment to refocus
and improve the ski area on Crested Butte Mountain was reiterated in a letter
that Mr. Storch sent to CBMR's then-president John Norton on 9/16/03. The USFS
told Norton that, "CBMR and the FS agreed to shelve
that [expansion] proposal and halt the EIS process in 1996 'in light of public
and agency concerns and permitting considerations.' One outcome of that process
'was the concept that CBMR could try to meet its objectives for upgrading the
resort to maintain market share by making more effective use of the existing
ski mountain.' That concept was the root of the proposal submitted by CBMR in
1996, evaluated in an EA in 1997, and approved by the FS in 1998." Mr. Storch continued, "CBMR,
Inc. is actively working to sell the resort. It is not uncommon for new owners
to have different visions and plans for a ski area. We will welcome and consider
such new plans. We will still, however, expect the first focus to be on the existing
mountain.The
GMUG NF is in the process of revising its Forest Plan. The allocation (zoning)
of Snodgrass Mountain will be an issue to be addressed in the Plan revision.
Outcomes could vary from leaving it as is (allocation as a downhill ski area)
to not allowing resort-provided skiing...I hope this clarifies my expectations."
In
2008, you approved CBMR's Mountain Improvement Plan (MIP) that included substantial
upgrades CBMR can make to Crested Butte Mountain whenever they so choose. CBMR's
2009 Master Development Plan (MDP), which was rejected by the USFS along with
the Snodgrass proposal, noted that, "Approved projects from the 1998 and 2008 Decision
Notices include: new/upgraded/realigned lifts; new trails and glades; trail improvements;
additional snowmaking; a new tubing hill; a new dining facility; expansion of
the Ice Bar; and new biking and hiking trails." The MIP notes that, when implemented,
these approved upgrades will "Enhance the role of CBMR as an attractive destination
area within both the regional and destination markets, in order to provide further
year-round economic stability for the community." However, the MDP informs us that, "To
date, none of Forest Supervisor Richmond's 2008 approvals at the Main Mountain have
been exercised; all of the MIP projects remain 'previously-approved/unimplemented.'"
Charlie, your decision dovetails perfectly with the "new direction for the U.S.
Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Forest Service" mandated by Secretary of
Agriculture Tom Vilsack. It is also in accord with public statements by Regional
Forester Rick Cables and with the request made by the Crested Butte Town Council
(see page 3).
It is not necessary to reiterate the many reasons why this project
was non-viable - they are well documented. The many negative impacts that would
have been created by the expansion would have been counter to Mr. Vilsack's "new
direction". We thank you for researching them and concluding that Snodgrass is not
viable and therefore an inappropriate NEPA project. We are encouraged that the
process works and our voices were heard! We intend to move forward and support
CBMR's efforts to thrive as a ski area on Crested Butte Mountain.
THANK YOU!
The 1,500 Friends of Snodgrass Mountain, LLC |
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| Page 3 attachment as referenced above |
Tom Vilsack, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, 9/13/09 Denver Post column:
"Most people also don't realize that when you turn on your faucet, a forest may have
helped the water get to your home. Eighty-seven percent of our country's fresh water
supply originates from forest and agricultural watersheds.
"And yet, our nation's forestlands are threatened like they've never been before.
Climate change, catastrophic fires, disease and pests have led to declining forest
health. We are losing our privately owned working forest lands to development and
fragmentation at an alarming pace. All of these changes have enormous potential impact
on drinking water, greenhouse gas emissions and the climate, local economies, wildlife
and recreation.
"It is time to reverse the trend of declining forest health and set forth a new direction
for conservation, management and restoration of these natural treasures.
"My vision for the future of our nation's forests sets a new direction for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Forest Service. It will make our forests more resilient to climate change while protecting water resources, improving forest health and creating new jobs.
"A healthy and prosperous America relies on the health of our nation's forests - and the health of our nation's forests depends on the efforts of the Forest Service and Americans working together to help tackle complex forest health issues.
"The path ahead is challenging but full of opportunity. I am excited that the U.S.
Forest Service will be leading these efforts in partnership with citizens in Colorado
and across the nation."
Rick Cables, Rocky Mountain Regional Forester, U.S. Forest Service, 12/17/07,
Denver Post column:
"Mountain snows supply 75 percent of the inland West's water, almost half of it from the highest elevations. The health of forests is critical to the quality and quantity of water that flows from them. Forests are nature's sponge, storing and filtering vast amounts of water and slowly releasing it in summer when it is most needed. The mountain snowpack functions as a high-altitude reservoir that feeds headwater river basins. The streams in these basins ultimately flow to our water systems. so our water supply depends on the health of our forests and their streams.
"The stakes are now higher than ever with projections of a warming climate, less
snowpack, earlier snowmelt, and more severe droughts and wildfires that will strain
our water supply and threaten our water source. We need to plan for such a future."
Rick Cables, Rocky Mountain Regional Forester, U.S. Forest Service, 5/12/08,
Denver Post column:
"As stewards of your water source, we take forest and watershed health to heart.
"There
is growing interest among water providers to invest and assist in forest health
and watershed restoration projects to sustain their source of clean water. This
offers hope that we are on a new path to better protect forests and water supplies
as concerned neighbors.
"Land managers and grassroots groups must work together to conserve the forests
that supply us with water and so many other benefits from recreation to wildlife
habitats. The task is as vast as Colorado's forests and will take sustained long-term
commitment and cooperation.
"When we turn on our faucets, we tap into our forests. Let's continue to join hands
to care for the forests in the headwaters as a legacy for our children."
Town of Crested Butte, May 2008 Snodgrass letter to Supervisor Richmond:
"We ask
that the Forest Service help Crested Butte become an environmental leader.
Help Crested Butte and the Gunnison National Forest become the place that everyone
else tries to emulate...We feel this could be an opportunity for the Forest
Service to be an inspiration and a leader by using public land for something
other than private fiscal speculation by a few people."
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