Mt. Crested Butte, CO – Operators of Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) today confirmed that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has advised that U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwill will conduct a formal review of a recent appeal decision denying the Colorado ski and snowboard resort permission to expand onto neighboring Snodgrass Mountain.nThe ski resort has received communication advising that Associate Deputy Chief for National Forest System Gloria Manning, as reviewing officer for Chief Tidwell, will review Deputy Regional Forester James Peña’s decision concerning the resort’s Snodgrass Mountain expansion proposal appeal. A decision from the reviewing officer is due within 30 days of the date of the notice, June 14, 2010. CBMR therefore expects a decision by July 14.
On May 6, Deputy Regional Forester Peña released his decision regarding the Snodgrass Mountain expansion proposal appeal filed by CBMR in December 2009. Peña affirmed Forest Supervisor Charlie Richmond’s refusal to consider the Snodgrass Mountain expansion proposal in a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process with public involvement.
CBMR asked Chief Tidwell to review the decision and set it aside based upon the issues identified in CBMR’s original appeal: that the Forest Service did not follow its own regulations, and Forest Supervisor Richmond made a fundamentally unfair decision in a private process that violated federal law and excluded the public from a watershed public lands decision that determined the future of the ski area and the community.
On December 18, 2009, Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) filed an appeal with the U.S. Forest Service disputing the agency’s November 2009 decision to reject the resort’s proposed expansion onto Snodgrass Mountain without conducting a public review under NEPA. In its appeal CBMR asked the Forest Service to initiate a public and objective NEPA process for Snodgrass.
On March 4, 2010, CBMR received a response to its appeal from GMUG Forest Supervisor Richmond. The response is not the Forest Service’s decision on the appeal; it is the GMUG’s reply to specific points raised in the appeal.
The reply filed by CBMR on March 25, 2010 was the last document filed in the appeal.
The proposed Snodgrass Mountain expansion would increase the amount of intermediate and advanced ski and snowboard terrain at CBMR with 276 acres of skiing served by three lifts, a beginner carpet, and a connector Gondola from Crested Butte Mountain. Snodgrass Mountain is located adjacent to Crested Butte Mountain.