TAKE ACTION: Weigh in on the proposed Loon Mountain Resort Expansion!
The public has until Friday, October 23rd to comment on Loon Mountain Resort's proposal to construct new trails, glades, lifts, and buildings across 300 acres. In conjunction with another concurrent expansion project, Loon plans to double the size of the ski area in future years, even as the town of Lincoln, NH, struggles with current development impacts. Speak up now to help guide the US Forest Service and the Loon Mountain Resort to a better outcome for the White Mountain National Forest.
You might have thought you earned a break after the Roadless Rule comment period wrapped up, but the US Forest Service didn't want you to get too comfortable!
Loon Mountain Resort is proposing to double in size, and with recent Trump Administration changes in Forest Service regulations, the public only has two weeks - a shockingingly inadequate amount of time - to review, ask questions, and weigh in.
The "Loon Mountain Resort Expansion Project" would involve almost 300 acres of direct impacts on Forest Service land (145 acres of tree clearing and grading for traditional ski trails, an additional 135 acres of thinning for new ski glades, as well as additional clearing for lifts and other development), as well as additional impacts on private land. This comes on top of yet another recent project that approved 300 acres of thinning for new glade skiing on the eastern end of Loon Mountain resort.
The planned expansion will involve 145 acres of additional snowmaking on west-facing ski terrain between 800 and 2,300 feet in elevation. Considering the rate that the climate is changing in New England, and scientists' predictions for diminishing snowfall in the White Mountains, expanding a resort into such marginal ski terrain is a risky proposition and one that will require massive amounts of artificial snow and water withdrawals. We detailed these climate-related concerns in our recent comments about the proposed expansion of the Waterville Valley ski resort.
All of this for-profit, corporate development on public land falls on top of a community struggling to provide essential services to local residents. In recent years, the town of Lincoln, NH, where Loon Mountain Resort is located, has been unable to ensure a reliable and abundant water supply for public consumption and for fire-fighting. According to a recent article by InDepthNH, the Lincoln Planning Board has "learned that at least twice in recent years during structure fires in town, the fire chief was asked by the public works director to stop using town water to put the fire out because there was a lack of water." Despite these ongoing safety issues, neither the Forest Service nor Loon Mountain Resort appear to be planning to consider the water consumption impacts of the proposed expansion.
TAKE ACTION:
Key details:
Comment deadline: 11:59:59pm on Friday, October 23rd.
Project link: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r09/whitemountain/projects/426425
Electronic portal to submit your comment: https://cara.fs2c.usda.gov/Public/CommentInput?Project=426425
Public meeting: Wednesday, October 14th, 6-7pm, Microsoft Teams: https://usfs-public.app.box.com/s/gqlqgtsqqe1zffeu4kg02kbfjf5pdvqk/file/2509600751958
CONSIDERATIONS FOR YOUR COMMENT:
This is an unprecedented 2 week comment period for an Environmental Assessment. There is absolutely no reason the Forest Service should shortchange the public on the amount of time it has (and needs) to properly review, ask questions about, and comment on this project. Two weeks is an outrageously short period of time; it's unacceptable for this to become the new normal under the Trump Administration or any other President.
The Waterville Valley Resort Expansion project, which is extremely similar to the Loon Mountain proposal, is actively being reviewed with a much more robust "Environmental Impact Statement" instead of a shorter "Environmental Assessment." The Forest Service has provided zero explanation for why the Loon Mountain project warrants a lower level of review. Both projects should be analyzed with an EIS to ensure that a full range of impacts and alternatives are reviewed.
For no apparent reason, this expansion project is being reviewed independently of another simultaneous expansion project at Loon Mountain Resort, which makes the total expansion appear to have a smaller footprint than it does in actuality. The entirety of Loon's expansion plans, especially the projects that are advancing at the same time, should be reviewed together.
Under the Trump Administration's new interpretation of the National Environmental Policy Act, this may be the only comment period, even though the public has minimal information at this time. Normally, a second comment period would occur after a Draft EA or EIS is published.
The community of Lincoln, NH, is already unable to provide a reliable water supply to customers and emergency responders. How much worse will the situation become if this project moves forward?
There is a tremendous amount of information that we don't yet have from the Forest Service. What are the unique characteristics of the forests that will be logged and graded to build ski trails, lifts, and lodges? How old are the forests? Is there any "old growth forest" or "old forest habitat" (two categories protected by the 2005 WMNF Forest Plan) threatened by the project? What threatened or endangered species (or habitats for threatened or endangered species) are present in the project area? What will the impacts be on water quality, flooding, etc? How much water will be consumed for snowmaking, and what impact will this have on local streams and rivers?
Comments