Wolf Creek Massive Village - not so fast my young friend!

Court Throws Out Mineral County Approval of Massive Village at Wolf Creek Development

State District Court Judge John Kuenhold threw out Mineral County’s approval of the controversial Village at Wolf Creek development. Kuenhold ruled that Mineral County’s “decision to abandon a requirement for meaningful year-round access was arbitrary and capricious”, and that they “misconstrued the state statute and the Mineral County Subdivision Regulations”. The developer will now need to first gain genuine approval from the Forest Service and Colorado Department of Transportation before returning to the Mineral County Commission for another round of review. According to Jeff Berman, former Executive Director of Colorado Wild now directing the Friends of Wolf Creek campaign: “It will be a long, arduous, and very uncertain process for the developer to gain access approvals for this massive development. Even with numerous likely impacts on local communities, traffic, wildlife, air quality, water quality, water supply, valley agriculture, and recreation, the developer wants the public to pay for highway upgrades needed to accommodate huge projected increases in traffic.” “We’re pleased that the Court played its badly needed check and balance role here, especially given the recent revelation that the developer ghost-wrote the Forest Service policy that was used to attempt to demonstrate the requisite access”, noted Colorado Wild attorney Jeff Parsons. Documents released under court order reveal that Texas billionaire developer Red McCombs’ Washington, D.C. lobbyist Steve Quarles authored that federal policy – codified in a March 11, 2004 letter signed by the Forest Service – providing just seasonal access across National Forest lands for the proposed Village. Following a Colorado Wild Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed June 23, the Forest Service was required under court order to release those internal documents regarding the proposed Village by October 7, 2005. With the Forest Service in potential contempt of court, Colorado Wild on Oct. 6 agreed to an extension through Nov. 11, but with the condition that the Forest Service’s Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for access to the proposed development not be published until Nov. 28. On June 23, 2005, Colorado Wild also sued the Forest Service for granting temporary access to the inholding for the summer of 2005 without any public notification or process. This litigation is ongoing, but will likely also be affected by the release of additional documents. Eyes now turn to the Forest Service’s forthcoming decision and Final EIS on if, and under what conditions, they should grant the needed access to McCombs and development front-man Bob Honts. McCombs needs access to gain approval from Mineral County to construct their proposed city of 10,000 on a 287.5-acre inholding – exchanged in 1986 out of public hands under highly questionable circumstances. That land exchange included a contract between the developer, Forest Service, and ski area that banned hazardous products storage, industrial facilities, airports, and other facilities, yet the current development proposal includes many of those components

Resort Skiing - Where to Go?

This is probably the norm for everyone cc'd on the email list - and yes, we have to have 1 big resort trip with warm beds, cold beers, good eats, lift served terrain, etc

First off, I am ok with having a few/several trips outside of Colorado so do not feel like you have to attend all or any. We also have various options - British Columbia (Whistler or do the Fernie cirque), Cat Skiing in Colorado, BC, or anywhere else ($$$ unless in Colorado), Hut Trips in Colorado or elsewhere, Lake Tahoe (never been), Utah (good snow - bad bars), etc, etc . . . See other posts for those interested in non-resort skiing (hut trips, cat trips, etc)

Colorado (we have connections)
Utah (bad bar scene, good steeps)
Wyoming (Ghee/JH - Trav/Stan+)
Montana (Trav?)
Whistler BC
Fernie BC + others (we have connections)
Lake Tahoe
Vermont (kidding)

One Bad Ass Teledude!

Colorado Hut Trips

Warren/Pam - were you guys serious about the early Dec trip to the Eiseman hut (see pics from last year)?

Pin-heads unite - - you can also snowshoe in - Eric I would not suggest this for you (that air tank thingy you use at night is too darn heavy to carry in on your back). You could rent a snowmobile however!

Cat Skiing - Who is In?

For those that have never been - Cat skiing can be absolutely awesome - - and there a few spots in Colorado that are not that $$.

Luke - this is for you to work your magic - - (please have better snow than last year - my only request)

Kary L - you need to get us free passes at Keystone sometime this year - do you carry any weight there?

When do we want to Go?

I assume after the Holidays . . but I would not mind a cat trip in Dec?

Feb has always seemed to be the month for a large group of us?

Dec
Jan
Feb
March
April (early)

Who is Attending? Boyz, Girlz, New Peeps?

Feel free to add peeps' to this blog! (cool ones) . . . and if we are at that point where "chicks", "wives", "ex-wives" (craig!) etc are invited - - we can discuss the bene's (better cooking, less funk in the air, someone to look at besides each other in the hot tub, more heads to spread the co$t across, someone to pick up your yard sale, better odds than trying to hook up with other single euro chicks at the Irish bar in Whistler (not that anyone accomplished said feat) . . . Dubh Linn Gate Old Irish Pub & Restaurant - -hands down the best $500 bucks we ever spent in a bar! . . . so chime in.

Ladies . . . please do not be offended by this post (Travis made me say those things), we luv every last one of you!