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53 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, January 28, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Opportunities Moving to Southern Oregon? MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend January 11, 2005 Lawsuit seeks halt to ski area expansion The Associated Press GRANTS PASS — Environmental groups filed a lawsuit Monday to block expansion of the Mount Ashland ski area, claiming that building new lifts, runs, a lodge and a bigger parking lot in sensitive watersheds will harm wildlife and the city of Ashland’s water supply. The lawsuit was filed by the Rogue Group Sierra Club, Oregon Natural Resources Council and Headwaters in U.S. District Court in Medford against the U.S. Forest Service, which manages the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest property where the ski area is located and approved an environmental impact statement for the expansion. A similar lawsuit has been filed by Ashland environmental activist Eric Navickas. "We’re not anti-skiing. We’re really pro protecting the water supply and the old growth forest," said Tom Dimitre, chairman of the Rogue Group Sierra Club. The lawsuit contends that the Forest Service violated the National Environmental Policy Act by failing to adequately analyze the amount of erosion generated by the project and not considering an alternative plan that stayed out of the sensitive Middle Branch of the East Fork of Ashland Creek and the MacDonald Roadless Area. The ski area, operated by a nonprofit corporation for the city of Ashland, has been trying for years to expand into more beginner and intermediate terrain so that it can attract more skiers. The plan, estimated to cost $5 million to $8 million, calls for expanding the area by 57 percent to 196 acres, still ranking it among Oregon’s smallest ski areas. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers