November 9, 2004

Activists appeal Mt. Ashland expansion to Forest Service

By Emily Morris
Tidings Correspondent

Thirteen people showed at the Ashland District Ranger Station on Monday to present their appeals to the U.S. Forest Service's authorization of the Mt. Ashland Ski Area expansion, two hours before the final deadline.

Forest Service approval of a 71-acre expansion that includes sensitive ecological habitat and incursion into a roadless area has been a divisive community issue for years.

Opponents say the Forest Service decision does not take into account the cumulative effects of ground disturbance and is based on unsound soil science. Proponents say the expansion will have minimal ecological impact and is necessary for the continued operation of the community-owned resort.

About 30 individual appeals and two group appeals were filed, said local environmentalist and event organizer Tracy Bungay.

The appeals must have been postmarked by Monday to the appeal deciding officer, Pacific Northwest Regional Forester Linda Goodman in Portland. She has until Dec. 23 to make a decision.

The appeals process is intended to uncover data that may have been missed by the Forest Service or errors that occurred during the federal approval process, said Ashland District Ranger Linda Duffy. Duffy had a prescheduled meeting, so was not able to personally receive the appeals Monday.

In the coming weeks, Rogue-Siskiyou Forest Supervisor Scott Conroy and appellants will hold mediations. However, Conroy will receive direction from the appeals resolution team in the regional office, Duffy said.

"I would like to think we spent the taxpayers' money wisely and did a good job on process," Duffy said. "The decision is really in Portland now."

Joyce Casey of the Forest Service's resolution team said controversial projects get maybe 10 appeals; the Biscuit timber sale received 37 unsuccessful appeals, a possible record, she said.

Only people who submitted substantive written or verbal comments during the scoping process or comment period have standing to file an appeal. Local environmentalists held a workshop in Ashland last month, during which residents learned about the appeal process and were given an appeal template.

Tom Rose was not at Monday's event, but submitted a personal appeal and was part of the Rogue Group Sierra Club's appeal. Rose stuck to two critical issues; concerns about the ski area's finances, and the estimate of future skier demands seems to be based on inappropriate data, he said.

Rose stops short of full confidence, but thinks environmentalists have a solid chance of halting the approved expansion plan.

Local environmentalist Eric Navickas was one of the organizers of Monday's events. He feels residents have solid ground for an appeal and has publicly said the expansion will not occur.