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Headwaters Heritage Initiative
Mt. Ashland Ski Area Expansion
The National Center has joined with Oregon Natural Resources Council and Rogue Group Sierra Club in filing a lawsuit designed to prevent the Mt. Ashland Association from expanding into the ecologically delicate Middle Branch area of the Ashland watershed.
The expansion proposed by the Mt. Ashland Association would develop 41 acres within the McDonald Peak Roadless Area.
In filing this suit, we seek only to stop expansion into the fragile, pristine Middle Branch area. The complaint does not challenge expansion, including new ski runs, lifts and buildings, to proceed in other parts of the permit area. Watershed restoration projects, skier services facility improvements, and run improvements within the existing development footprint are allowed to move forward while the court hears the case.
In
reviewing the expansion project, we believe that the Forest Service has
violated the National Forest Management Act and the National Environmental
Policy Act, while failing to adequately analyze impacts to the Pacific Fisher,
which is known to inhabit the Middle Branch area.
In addition to the planned development of land in a designated roadless area, we are concerned about the inappropriate use of the Watershed Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) model in the analysis of the expansion's potential impact on the fragile granitic soils found on Mt. Ashland. This model is being used in a questionable way on various projects throughout the Forest Service so a favorable court ruling may create a land management benefit far beyond the small land base of the Mt. Ashland project.
In this process, we have worked proactively with the skiing and snowboarding community to create a community alternative that would address the recreational needs of the users while protecting the delicate middle branch area.
