Another candidate for Montana wilderness: The Lolo Creek IRA
by John Q. Murray
With the Democrats taking control of the U.S. Congress, it suddenly looks a lot more likely that President Bush could see a Montana wilderness bill coming his way in 2007-2008.
Last week’s issue reported that one certain candidate for wilderness in Chronicle Country is the Great Burn, which straddles the Idaho-Montana border.
Another potential local candidate is the 15,000-plus-acre Lolo Creek inventoried roadless area.
Wilderness designation for the Lolo Creek IRA, which includes the Carlton Ridge Research Natural Area, would make Bob Clark of the Sierra Club very happy.
Permanent protection as wilderness, attached to the Selway-Bitterroot wilderness area, would go a long way toward addressing his concerns about the proposed Bitterroot Resort, a 15,000-acre downhill and cross-country ski development.
It would also make the Sierra Club more likely to work with the resort on the 6,000-acre nordic, or cross-country, portion of the proposal.
“The Sierra Club is not opposed to developed recreation. It just needs to be appropriate,” he said. “There are opportunities in the roaded portion of the forest, close to private land, especially for nordic skiing,” he said.
Bob emphasized, however, that the Sierra Club considers the proposed 6,000-acre downhill skiing section to be inappropriate, and will fight to stop the development.
The spectrum of recreation uses as defined by the Forest Service goes from primitive backcountry to highly developed recreation. The Bitterroot Resort is in effect proposing that the land use move from one end of the spectrum to the other, he pointed out.
That use would directly threaten Carlton Ridge, he said.
Carlton Ridge is rare for two main reasons, he said. It is one of the few ridge tops to sport a soil mantle after glaciers scoured the landscape. It also represents one of the few areas where two distinct species, alpine larch and western larch, have grown together in contiguous stands. In that area, the two species have naturally hybridized, creating a completely new and distinct, third, species of larch, he said.
“The area has been managed for the last 20 years as a non-motorized backcountry area. They haven’t planned any roads or timber sales, and it’s high-quality wildlife habitat. The developers are asking for a complete reversal of that, from primitive backcountry recreation to a full-blown developed area,” he said.
With 12,000 acres of public land and almost 3,000 acres on Tom Maclay’s private land, the proposed resort would be the largest in North America, Bob pointed out.
For comparison, Snowbowl covers 1,138 acres. The proposed resort would be equivalent to 13 Snowbowls placed next to each other, he said.
Bitterroot Resort says construction of the 2,200 homes and hotel rooms associated with the resort will bring $1 billion to the greater Missoula area. In addition to the cross-country skiing, downhill skiing and snowboarding, the initial designs for Bitterroot Resort include ice skating, mountain biking, fly-fishing, and a Tom Weiskopf signature golf course.
Bob’s standard presentation, which he is currently presenting to local groups throughout the area, strongly criticizes local landowner and resort CEO Tom Maclay.
Local residents who grow up on land that backs up against public land tend to spend a lot of time on that public land and come to think of it as their own. But, Bob said, that public land belongs to all of us.
He pointed out that Maclay is currently involved in a dispute over cutting trees along an access road—including some in the Carlton Ridge Research Natural Area and one that was 30 feet away from the road. Bob said that while the court is yet to decide in that case, Maclay’s actions in logging the route call into question his stewardship of the land.
“Anybody who has lived in Montana for any amount of time knows that you don’t just go onto Forest Service land and start cutting down trees,” he said. Maclay’s actions should make the Forest Service pause before granting a special-use permit for 40, 80, or 120 years, Bob said.
He added that the economy of western Montana is doing fine without the project, and that low-paying service jobs are not worth the loss of the Research Natural Area, the roadless area, and wildlife habitat, reduced access for other recreational uses, and loss of the majestic views of Lolo Peak.
He said the Forest Service Needs Assessment, released in April 2006, did not show sufficient demand for the existing ski resorts, let alone a new one. He also said Missoula Mayor John Engen has publicly opposed use of the public lands for the Bitterroot Resort, and expressed that view to Montana’s Congressional delegation.
Bob pointed out that work is already underway to create a full-service town of Carlton that will include homes, stores, restaurants, ski shops, and all of the tourist shops that would cater to resort visitors. That is the real purpose of the development, he suggested. While the alpine ski area itself is a money-loser, its presence enhances the value of the real estate.
Still, with work already well underway on the private land at the base of the proposed development, wilderness designation for the Lolo Creek IRA could set up a high-stakes battle. If the Lolo Creek IRA is part of a Montana wilderness bill, it alone might be enough to draw a presidential veto.
For that matter, Bob noted that the Sierra Club is very concerned about other “political shenanigans” during the final weeks of the lame-duck 109th Congress. He said the organization worried that a rider or amendment added in the waning hours of the session could exempt the land from the usual Forest Service review.
As long as the primitive areas are protected, and development of the nordic area is not merely a “foot in the door” toward the alpine resort, the Sierra Club would be willing to work with the resort, he said.
There is a long way to go, however, he pointed out.
He said the proposal would have to address public safety issues around a landslide area, as well as elk winter range, but “there is certainly an opportunity,” he said.
###
Next in the series: What kind of Montana wilderness bill would Rep. Denny Rehberg support?
With the Democrats taking control of the U.S. Congress, it suddenly looks a lot more likely that President Bush could see a Montana wilderness bill coming his way in 2007-2008.
Last week’s issue reported that one certain candidate for wilderness in Chronicle Country is the Great Burn, which straddles the Idaho-Montana border.
Another potential local candidate is the 15,000-plus-acre Lolo Creek inventoried roadless area.
Wilderness designation for the Lolo Creek IRA, which includes the Carlton Ridge Research Natural Area, would make Bob Clark of the Sierra Club very happy.
Permanent protection as wilderness, attached to the Selway-Bitterroot wilderness area, would go a long way toward addressing his concerns about the proposed Bitterroot Resort, a 15,000-acre downhill and cross-country ski development.
It would also make the Sierra Club more likely to work with the resort on the 6,000-acre nordic, or cross-country, portion of the proposal.
“The Sierra Club is not opposed to developed recreation. It just needs to be appropriate,” he said. “There are opportunities in the roaded portion of the forest, close to private land, especially for nordic skiing,” he said.
Bob emphasized, however, that the Sierra Club considers the proposed 6,000-acre downhill skiing section to be inappropriate, and will fight to stop the development.
The spectrum of recreation uses as defined by the Forest Service goes from primitive backcountry to highly developed recreation. The Bitterroot Resort is in effect proposing that the land use move from one end of the spectrum to the other, he pointed out.
That use would directly threaten Carlton Ridge, he said.
Carlton Ridge is rare for two main reasons, he said. It is one of the few ridge tops to sport a soil mantle after glaciers scoured the landscape. It also represents one of the few areas where two distinct species, alpine larch and western larch, have grown together in contiguous stands. In that area, the two species have naturally hybridized, creating a completely new and distinct, third, species of larch, he said.
“The area has been managed for the last 20 years as a non-motorized backcountry area. They haven’t planned any roads or timber sales, and it’s high-quality wildlife habitat. The developers are asking for a complete reversal of that, from primitive backcountry recreation to a full-blown developed area,” he said.
With 12,000 acres of public land and almost 3,000 acres on Tom Maclay’s private land, the proposed resort would be the largest in North America, Bob pointed out.
For comparison, Snowbowl covers 1,138 acres. The proposed resort would be equivalent to 13 Snowbowls placed next to each other, he said.
Bitterroot Resort says construction of the 2,200 homes and hotel rooms associated with the resort will bring $1 billion to the greater Missoula area. In addition to the cross-country skiing, downhill skiing and snowboarding, the initial designs for Bitterroot Resort include ice skating, mountain biking, fly-fishing, and a Tom Weiskopf signature golf course.
Bob’s standard presentation, which he is currently presenting to local groups throughout the area, strongly criticizes local landowner and resort CEO Tom Maclay.
Local residents who grow up on land that backs up against public land tend to spend a lot of time on that public land and come to think of it as their own. But, Bob said, that public land belongs to all of us.
He pointed out that Maclay is currently involved in a dispute over cutting trees along an access road—including some in the Carlton Ridge Research Natural Area and one that was 30 feet away from the road. Bob said that while the court is yet to decide in that case, Maclay’s actions in logging the route call into question his stewardship of the land.
“Anybody who has lived in Montana for any amount of time knows that you don’t just go onto Forest Service land and start cutting down trees,” he said. Maclay’s actions should make the Forest Service pause before granting a special-use permit for 40, 80, or 120 years, Bob said.
He added that the economy of western Montana is doing fine without the project, and that low-paying service jobs are not worth the loss of the Research Natural Area, the roadless area, and wildlife habitat, reduced access for other recreational uses, and loss of the majestic views of Lolo Peak.
He said the Forest Service Needs Assessment, released in April 2006, did not show sufficient demand for the existing ski resorts, let alone a new one. He also said Missoula Mayor John Engen has publicly opposed use of the public lands for the Bitterroot Resort, and expressed that view to Montana’s Congressional delegation.
Bob pointed out that work is already underway to create a full-service town of Carlton that will include homes, stores, restaurants, ski shops, and all of the tourist shops that would cater to resort visitors. That is the real purpose of the development, he suggested. While the alpine ski area itself is a money-loser, its presence enhances the value of the real estate.
Still, with work already well underway on the private land at the base of the proposed development, wilderness designation for the Lolo Creek IRA could set up a high-stakes battle. If the Lolo Creek IRA is part of a Montana wilderness bill, it alone might be enough to draw a presidential veto.
For that matter, Bob noted that the Sierra Club is very concerned about other “political shenanigans” during the final weeks of the lame-duck 109th Congress. He said the organization worried that a rider or amendment added in the waning hours of the session could exempt the land from the usual Forest Service review.
As long as the primitive areas are protected, and development of the nordic area is not merely a “foot in the door” toward the alpine resort, the Sierra Club would be willing to work with the resort, he said.
There is a long way to go, however, he pointed out.
He said the proposal would have to address public safety issues around a landslide area, as well as elk winter range, but “there is certainly an opportunity,” he said.
###
Next in the series: What kind of Montana wilderness bill would Rep. Denny Rehberg support?