December 22, 2000

Mt. Hood expansion plan blocked

PORTLAND (AP) -- A federal judge has blocked Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Resort's planned expansion, arguing it would clog traffic on U.S. 26 and possibly disturb high-elevation wildlife habitat.

The resort, Oregon's second-largest ski area, won approval from the U.S. Forest Service in 1997 to add eight chairlifts, construct a restaurant, expand parking lots, allow more summer activities and boost skier capacity by about 60 percent.

U.S. District Judge Garr King's ruling in Portland this week was the latest setback for the planned expansion, which has already been scaled back at least twice.

Nine conservation groups led by the Friends of Mount Hood sued to halt the development, arguing it would pressure fragile alpine wetlands, tundra and forest in public lands near Portland that are growing more crowded.

King rejected most of the conservation groups' claims, but agreed that the Forest Service had not thoroughly weighed the effects of expansion alternatives.

Resort Vice President Dave Riley said the lawsuit marked a "last-ditch effort" by environmental groups to stall the expansion.

"The Forest Service has gone above and beyond the call of duty in analyzing and crafting a conceptual master plan," he said. In turn, he said the resort has met its responsibilities to provide "first-class facilities for the public, in concert with a sustainable ecosystem."

King said land managers should have considered placing parking closer to metropolitan Portland and hauling skiers via shuttle buses to Mount Hood's slopes -- accommodating more skiers without congesting U.S. 26, the main route between Portland and the mountain.

The Forest Service had concluded it was impractical to not provide parking because skiers would park on road shoulders.

King said there was "no evidence" a shuttle system wouldn't work.

He also found that the Forest Service had converted 96 acres of riverside meadows formerly slated as wildlife habitat to cross-country ski use "without taking a hard look at the impact on wildlife."

Previous columns:

• Medicinal mushroom dinner Dec. 19, 12-15-2000
• A taste of the arts, 12-15-2000
• A Gulf Island holiday, 12-15-2000
• Kayak Snohomish's quiet waterways, 12-15-2000
• California Adventure prepares for February debut, 12-15-2000
• Feed on crab Dec. 18-22 at McCormick's, 12-15-2000
• Milwaukee's Miller Park awarded 2002 All-Star game, 12-15-2000
• Inn at Langley wins award, 12-08-2000