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A Delicate Balance
by Doug Norlen
The following is a guest editorial.
Doug Norlen is a member of the
Waldo Wilderness Council, a coalition
of conservation and outdoor groups
and concerned individuals working to
protect the wild lands of the Waldo
Region. Norlen was also a member of
the Forest Service Interdisciplinary
Team that assessed the proposed ex
pansion at Willamette Pass.
Local conservation groups re
cently filed a Freedom of Infor
mation Act Request to the U.S.
Forest Service in Eugene to obtain
information regarding violations
of a special-use permit by the
Willamette Pass Ski Corporation
(WPSC).
The conservationists, working
to protect the Waldo Lake Basin,.
were stunned to learn of unauth
orized timber cutting by WPSC.
, WPSC operates its ski resort on
public land under a special-use
permit from the U.S. Forest Ser
vice. While the latest timber out
ting was done on existing runs, all
logging requires a timber sale con
tract. However, the recent logging
was done without any timber con
tract.
The logging is the latest in what
may be a series of special-use per
mit violations by WPSC including
a 1983 incident where WPSC
twice broke state law by building
its ski lodge and septic facility be
fore obtaining a required sewage
permit from the Oregon State De
partment of Environmental Quali
ty
While USFS Supervisor Mike
Kerrick has granted tentative ap
proval to WPSC to allow expan
sion of its present boundary, a
stay of action is currently in effect
as a result of an appeal filed by the
Waldo Wilderness Council, the
Oregon Natural Resources Coun
cil, the Eugene Chapter of the
Izaac Walton League of America,
The Sierra Club, Earth First!, the
Survival Center at the University
of Oregon and the Emerald
Chapter of the Native Plant Socie
ty of Oregon.
Conservationists, many of
whom are downhill skiers, are not
opposed to expansion of the Wil
lamette Pass Ski Area. Conser
vationists strongly endorse a 69
percent expansion in skier capa
city, but cannot in good con
science support the excessive 116
percent expansion plans proposed
by WPSC and supported by the
USFS.
Since the proposed expansion
would have permanent effects
upon public land, economic via
bility of the project is a public
concern. The draft Environmental
Impact Statement for proposed
expansion included an economic
analysis which showed Alterna
tive II, the plan endorsed by con
servationists, as having the best
chance to break even financially.
This analysis, however, was with
drawn from the final EIS without
any explanation from the USES.
Also, last year, WPSC enjoyed
the best snow conditions and most
aggressive marketing campaign in
its history, yet skier demand failed
to reach even 50 percent of USFS
estimates.
Expansion at WPSC would af
reet the Roosevelt Elk habitat and
hreaten other habitats such as the
Gold Lake Bog Research Natural
Area which contains rare plants
ound nowhere else in the world.
Expansion also would affect
cougars, bears, martens, bald
eagles, and wolverines. De facto
wildlands in the proposed Maiden
Peak Wilderness also would be af
fected.
The argument that the strict
terms for expansion under
a
special-use permit would mitigate
environmental effects is question
able when WPSC has failed to
comply with such permits in the
past, as was the case with the
lodge expansion.
In addition, any environ
mentally sound plan for
ex
pansion is contingent upon the
Forest Service enforcing the terms
of the agreement; however, Forest
Supervisor Mike Kerrick has fail
ed to prosecute WPSC for any
previous violations.
Those of us that are conscien
tious skiers should endorse an ex
pansion plan that will balance
economic and environmental con
cerns with the desires of the ski
area developer.
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