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Mt. Adams ski resort?
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- Jeff Huber
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<br><br>I strongly oppose all MHM development, however what you just said is not correct. Thanks to intense opposition MHM is actually relenting to developing Cooper Spur. The land they acquired (via a dubious land swap) adjacent to CS they now want to trade for land in Government Camp, and they've suggested scaled-down plans for CS. See: <br>www.cooperspur.org/updates.htmThey have been unrelenting in the face of local opposition.
A ski lift to 11,100ft within reservation boundaries seems improbable, so I wonder how accurate the story is. I've emailed the author, Sierra Club, CSWFC to inquire if they have additional details.
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Yakama tribe gets proposal for Mount Adams ski resort
Mt. Hood Meadows outlines an 11,000-acre project that would include a casino, housing, golf courses and cultural museum
Thursday, September 23, 2004
MARK LARABEE
Mt. Hood Meadows Development Corp. is proposing a destination resort on tribal land on Mount Adams in rural south-central Washington that would have 10 ski lifts and three 18-hole golf courses.
As presented to the Yakama Indian Nation, the 10,000-member tribe that owns the land, the resort would encompass 11,000 acres near Bird Creek Meadows. It's a popular area now used by campers, climbers, backcountry skiers and hikers.
Meadows' proposal includes eight chairlifts, a gondola and a tram that would take skiers as high as 11,100 feet above sea level from 5,400 feet -- the biggest vertical rise for any ski area in North or South America. It also proposes three golf courses, a spa, a casino and 2,500 housing units -- a mix of hotel rooms, condominiums and single-family homes. There also would be ski lodge and golf clubhouse buildings, plus a small village with restaurants and shops.
Meadows has struggled to build destination resorts at Government Camp and Cooper Spur on Mount Hood.
Dave Riley, Meadows general manager, said the project also would include the Yakama Nation Institute of Learning, which is envisioned as an interpretive center for classes and a museum to highlight the tribe's history and culture. He said everything from the building design to food would incorporate Yakama culture.
Although acknowledging opposition from environmental groups, Riley said Meadows will use cutting-edge building practices that focus on sustainability and environmental ethics.
"It's clear that if this resort is developed, the Yakama Nation will insist that it will be the most environmentally sensitive development in the history of resorts," Riley said. "At the end of the day, they are going to do what they think is right for their resources and their people."
At 12,276 feet, Mount Adams is the second-highest peak in Washington after 14,411-foot Mount Rainier. Its massive girth makes it the second-largest Cascade volcano in volume behind 14,162-foot Mount Shasta in California. But Adams is far from major towns, and a resort there would require significant road improvements to handle traffic, Riley said.
Ownership dispute
The mountain is not without controversy. For nearly five decades, the Yakama tribe battled with the U.S. government over its ownership. The tribe said boundary lines were incorrectly drawn after a surveying error. President Richard Nixon ended the dispute in 1972 when he signed over half the mountain to the tribe.
Tribal leaders acknowledge that such an aggressive development would drastically change the character of the mountain they hold sacred.
"Our understanding, even in a contemporary setting, is that if it was not for Mount Adams, the watershed would not be there to provide the nourishment for our timber, and all the food and medicine for our people," said Jerry Maninick, Yakama tribal chairman. "That's part of the commitment the mountain made to the Creator for all of eternity. Her task would be to take care of us and provide for us."
Maninick said some tribal members think the resort proposal fits within that cultural belief. He agrees with Riley that the resort would be a financial boon for the economically struggling tribe. Today, tribal members rely on forest products, a small casino in Toppenish, a juice company, a land-holding company and farms for income.
Benefits for Yakamas
Riley said the proposal would be a partnership in which the tribe would own the land while Meadows would build and run the resort. Tribal members would get jobs and a share of the profits, he said.
Maninick said the tribal council has formed a committee to look at whether such a development is feasible and in its best economic and cultural interest.
Meadows has not yet released its proposal to the public. But similar proposals in the past have gone nowhere, and the tribe shut down a small ski resort on the land after it regained ownership.
So far, Maninick said tribal members seem to be split over the idea. Eventually, all voting members will be asked to weigh in -- a vote Maninick expects to come by year's end. Maninick said the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs also would review the proposal and take testimony.
The resort proposal is drawing critics outside the tribe.
"We will fight the Meadows proposal with everything that we have," said Brent C. Foster, a Hood River attorney with the Gifford-Pinchot Task Force, an environmental group focused on reducing clear-cutting and road density, and preserving wildlife habitat. "This is incredibly important habitat, and the idea of putting thousands of luxury vacation units up there is an outrage, to put it mildly."
Opposition on Hood
Meadows' proposal to build a similar resort on Mount Hood's Cooper Spur continues to have fierce opposition from environmental groups and some Hood River Valley residents who rely on the watershed for drinking and irrigation. The ski company and opponents are in mediation over the plan.
Riley reluctantly acknowledges the political fight ahead. He said many people will try to tell the Yakama Nation what to do.
"Central Oregon has 25 golf courses," Riley said. "Some people think that's a great thing in terms of quality of life, and others would say Central Oregon would be better off it if didn't have any. This is the Yakama Nation's decision, not the Sierra Club's."
Maninick said although he's undecided, he's intrigued by the long-term economic prosperity the resort promises. Even so, he said, the tribe might not be ready to take such a drastic step.
"One of the areas our people have difficulty in is economics," he said. "It's almost always difficult for us to adjust ourselves to the contemporary setting. It's a high-risk area for our people, and they're a little gun-shy."
Mark Larabee: 503-294-7664; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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<br><br>From Thursday's (9/30/04) Seattle Times:<br>Ron Judd / Times staff columnist<br> Trail Mix: A Northwest Mailbag full of bad news <br><br>Q: What's the buzz we're hearing about a new ski resort on Mount Adams? <br><br>A: It's basically just that at this point — buzz. The Yakama Tribe, which owns a huge chunk of the east side of Mount Adams, is being pitched by Mount Hood Meadows Development Corp. to build a major, 11-lift ski resort complete with 36 holes of golf, a restaurant, a casino, a spa, various shops, a night club and 2,500 hotel and condominium lodging units, The Oregonian and Yakima Herald-Republic both reported this month. <br><br>Would-be resort developers have the gall to call this planned sprawling city stretching to 11,000 feet, proposed for the gorgeous and largely unspoiled Bird Creek Meadows area, an "eco-resort." <br><br>The pitch hasn't even gone before the full Yakama Tribal Council yet, but it's already being dissed by tribal religious leaders, who call it a blatant, money-grubbing desecration of sacred tribal grounds. <br><br>"I feel that that would be a terrible violation of our people if they open that up," Regina Jerry, assistant minister of the White Swan Shaker Church, told the Herald-Republic. <br><br>Hear, hear. <br>We love the idea of a new Northwest four-season mountain resort as much as anyone else with skis quivering in the garage. And heaven knows the Yakamas have reasons to be tempted by the potential payout. <br><br>But get real, and keep Mount Adams wild. <br><br>To contact Ron Judd: (206) 464-8280 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.Would-be resort developers have the gall to call this planned sprawling city stretching to 11,000 feet, proposed for the gorgeous and largely unspoiled Bird Creek Meadows area, an "eco-resort."
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...sounds like marketing-speak.
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<br>If there were no ski areas on Mt Hood there would be no close lift skiing for Portland area residents. Do you live in the Portland metropolitan area?It's bad enough that ski areas encircle Mt. Hood. <snip>I love skiing<snip>
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- Jeff Huber
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<br><br>No, but you can infer from my post that I was classifying Mt Hood Ski Bowl as one of the areas that "encircles" (SierraStealth 's term) Mt Hood. I realize this is a broad classification that may or may not be what SS intended. Maybe SS doesn't feel Ski Bowl falls into the "encircling" classification, in which case he'd allow one dinky, low-elevation resort that closes early, opens late, rains often and has highly limited terrain to service the entire metropolitan area (I do *love* Ski Bowl when condtions are right).<br><br>I feel there should be a careful balance between ski areas and wilderness. To me a large resort at Cooper Spurt (MHM's other proposal) would upset this balance, as would a resort that dramatically alters the character of Mt Adams. Hypothetically, if we had no resorts on Mt Hood's edifice that would also not be an adequate balance.<br>Jeff,<br>Am I correctly interpreting your statement to suggest that the venerable Ski Bowl, of Tom Dick fame, fails to meet your criteria for either ski area or close to Portland?
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