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SUNNY Temp: 78 °F Wind: SSE at 5 mph Friday, August 1, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend July 23, 2003 Debate mounts on expansion of ski area By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune Tom Rose and Jeff Hanson picked up their summer reading Tuesday: the Forest Service’s draft environmental impact statement for the Mount Ashland ski area expansion proposal. But it won’t be a light read. Like many others who have been debating the issues in the controversial proposal, they expect to spend days poring over the hefty 1,000-page, two-volume tome. "It’s appropriate this new document be produced to help resolve the community’s position on the expansion issue," said Rose, a member of the Rogue Group Sierra Club, which has led local opposition to the Mount Ashland Association’s proposal. Advertisement Rose hopes the document will include portions of a "community alternative" produced by the club and the Headwaters environmental group. "We will certainly be commenting," Rose said. So will the proponents, said Hanson, Ski Ashland’s general manager who had read the document’s summary Tuesday afternoon. His gut reaction is that the weighty document is the result of a "good faith" project that thoroughly covers the issues. Moreover, the agency’s preferred alternative contains many of the same components proposed by the Mount Ashland Association in its proposal for expanding the non-profit, community-owned ski area, he said. "We’re pleased with it," he said. Like Rose, Hanson called for a community effort to resolve the debate which has centered around environmental issues, including how expansion could affect Ashland’s water supply. "But we will never compromise a design away that would not help the ski area work for the future," he said. Meanwhile, Eric Navickas, a citizen activist in Ashland who has read both the agency’s preferred alternative and the ski area’s proposed alternative — two of six proposals in the document — wasn’t impressed with the new draft plan. "Basically they are offering the same alternatives as they have all along with only some minor differences," he concluded. He said the expansion plans would ultimately damage the watershed the city depends on for its water. The agency’s preferred alternative includes 65 acres of new ski area. Modifications to the existing ski area also would produce 70 acres of novice- to intermediate-ski terrain. Under the preferred alternative, the Engelmann spruce stand, which is on the southernmost range of its species, would not be disturbed, said Steve Johnson, the project leader for the Forest Service. Nor would the mountain wetlands and the Mount Ashland lupine and Henderson’s horkelia, two sensitive plant species found high in the Ashland Creek watershed, he said. "The whole point is to minimize negative environmental consequences and at the same time provide a quality recreation experience," he said. The expansion would allow the ski area to adjust to changes in winter recreation made in the last 40 years, said John Schuyler, acting Ashland District ranger. "To put it in perspective, the ski area was built back in 1963 — we had leather ski boots that laced up and wooden skis," he said. "Essentially, the ski area is unchanged in configuration since 1963." The ski area currently includes 123 acres of ski runs, four chair lifts, a day lodge, ski rental shop building, ancillary structures and parking area for up to 600 vehicles. About 27 acres are in beginner to intermediate-level terrain, while 96 acres are considered in upper intermediate to expert-level terrain. The lion’s share of the ski area is on the Rogue River National Forest’s Ashland Ranger District but a small portion is on the northern edge of the Klamath National Forest. Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. 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