|
|
The time has come to weigh in on Lutsen Mountain Ski Resort’s proposed expansion onto adjacent public land.
The draft Environmental Impact Statement was released on September 9th and is accompanied by a 45-day public comment period. For anyone who does not know, this is a proposed expansion onto public land. It includes all of the rest of both sides of Moose Mountain (of which Lutsen Mountain currently owns the northeastern 1/3), as well as some acreage adjacent to Lutsen Mountain’s property on Eagle Mountain. It is a huge plan, designed to double their acreage and skier capacity over the next 20 years. Nothing about current alpine ski industry trends indicates that there will be an increased customer base to support such growth.
As part of the last public comment period, we explained to the Forest Service that Moose Mountain has the most ideal terrain in all of Minnesota for backcountry skiing. We will be continuing to clarify our position and to advocate for the development of an alternative plan which would leave the front side of Moose untouched, allowing for its continued use by backcountry skiers, hikers, hunters and tribal members.
Contrary to the narrative that Lutsen Mountain has been presenting, they do not need access to our public land to survive as a business. (As any local skier will tell you, there are plenty of opportunities for improving/updating their current operations: high-speed on bridge, rope tows on bridge return trail, brush out the current unused tree skiing acreage, terrain park with rope tow…?) While ski resorts out west tend to operate on public lands, we are in a different situation here, where vertical feet and skiable pitch are a scarce coveted resource. In a time when backcountry sports in general, and backcountry skiing specifically, are growing at a steady pace, we should be thinking about how to preserve this terrain to attract a new and diverse demographic of visitors to our area. This is not an “either/or” situation, rather an opportunity to enrich the offerings that our area has, both for our local residents and our steeply growing stream of visitors.
I urge residents of Cook and Lake County to look closely at this proposal and give your opinion to the Forest Service. The full proposal and instructions on how to submit comments are available at www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=52440, or by contacting the Project Leader, Michael Jimenez, at 218-626-4383 or by email at michael.jimenez@usda.gov.
Sincerely,
Elli King, Grand Marais
Chairperson of Superior Highland Backcountry and Co-owner of Lutsen Recreation, Inc.
Leave a Reply