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March 16, 2010--Forest Service wants ski-area expansions to reflect demand (Denver Post)

The Forest Service has said that in its quest for forest sustainability, it wants expansions to reflect demand. The ski industry says expansions can stir interest, draw new visitors — and sustain business. Resort insiders, worried that the Forest Service will make it much harder to get expansions on public land approved, point to a single memo penned by a Forest Service official in 2005. That memo, a ski-area needs assessment of Montana's Lolo and Bitterroot national forest lands, was written by Ed Ryberg before he retired as the agency's National Winter Sports Partnership Coordinator — the point man between resorts and their government landlord. In his assessment, Ryberg pointed to global warming threatening skiing, declining trends in resort visitation and growth of population centers in the West. He concluded the Forest Service should focus its expansion approvals on hills closest to growing populations, like the Front Range, and leave the remote ski areas unchanged.

To view the full article, visit the Denver Post. For a copy of the original article contact the WIP at (970) 247-1302 or stop by the office at 841 East Second Avenue in Durango.


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