Purgatory upgrades see daylight

Major upgrades to Durango Mountain Resort may be just around the corner. After three years of review, the Forest Service has completed a draft environmental impact statement that could open the way for new trails, lifts and restaurants at the ski area.

DMR has a 20-year vision for the ski mountain and has proposed an update to its master plan. As a result, the resort is in the process of seeking Forest Service approval to make a series of improvements to the resort’s main mountain. These proposed upgrades include lift replacements, terrain expansion, new restaurants and increases in uphill carrying capacity and snowmaking. The current master plan was set in 1979, is out of date and much of the resort’s infrastructure is aging.

According to the new plan, DMR has a variety of improvements scheduled for the next 20 years. In that time, the resort would like to increase its carrying capacity from 6,850 guests per day to 9,600; upgrade three existing lifts and install 10 new lifts; improve four existing trails, add 17 new trails and develop two gladed areas for a total 22 percent increase in the trail network; enlarge the current on-mountain restaurants and build a new restaurant/lodge adjacent to the top of Lift 4; and increase snowmaking capacity from 215 to 364 acres. As a second component of the master development plan, the resort has proposed creating permanent trails for the Nordic center and summer horse and adaptive trails across U.S. Hwy 550 from the ski area; a new trailhead for snowmobiles; and improvements to the mountain bike trail network.

Much of DMR’s focus will be on the Chair 8, or Legends Area, of the mountain. As a first move, the area would like to upgrade the existing fixed-grip triple chair into a high-speed quad. In addition, the majority of new trails and the new gladed areas would be created at Purgatory’s western end, around Chair 8.

Last week, the Forest Service put the finishing touches on a draft environmental impact statement for the entire master plan. In the lead-up to the release, the agency held a public open house, conducted one public scoping two years ago, and a second scoping last summer. The Forest Service has also conducted exhaustive on-the-ground research on wildlife impacts.

Richard Speegle, recreation project manager for the San Juan Public Lands Center, noted that during the review there was very little public opposition to upgrading the ski resort. “We’ve conducted two public scopings on this, and we didn’t get more than a dozen comments each time,” he said. “I think the locals generally liked what they saw in the plan.”

As a result, the draft impact statement contains a preferred alternative directly in line with DMR’s desired improvements. Speegle commented that the planned upgrades come with acceptable impacts, and the resort has offered ample mitigation, particularly in terms of water-quality improvement.

“Our preferred alternative is their proposed action,” he said matter-of-factly. The public now has an opportunity to view the proposal and offer comment. A public open house will be held Feb. 13 from 4-8 p.m. at the San Juan Public Lands Center. In addition written comments can be submitted for the next 45 days. The complete EIS and further information can be found at: http: //www.fs.fed.us/r2/sanjuan/projects/projects/dmr.shtml.

HDs drilling plan draws lawsuit

As expected, Forest Service approval of gas drilling in the nearby HD Mountains has led to litigation. Organizations representing landowners, farmers, hunters and other users of the HD Mountains filed a lawsuit last week challenging the approval of new wells and roads for the roadless area near Bayfield. The lawsuit is in response to last summer’s authorization by the San Juan Public Lands Center for 27 new wells and 11 miles of new roads within the HD Mountains Roadless Area.

“The HD Mountains are the last tiny, little corner of the San Juan Basin not yet drilled for natural gas development,” said Jim Fitzgerald, who farms on 320 acres adjacent to the HD Mountains. “We rely on the undisturbed watersheds of the HD Mountains for our irrigation water and for keeping our farms healthy and productive.”

Residents charge that drilling threatens not only the environmental welfare of the area, it endangers their health and safety. The Forest Service’s preferred alternative waives a long-standing health and safety regulation that bans drilling along the outcrop of the coal-bearing Fruitland Formation that holds the coalbed methane. In addition, plans for drilling the HD Mountains, as approved by the Forest Service, will bring at least 27 miles of new roads to the area, 11 miles of which would be within a designated roadless area.

The lawsuit alleges the Forest Service and BLM decision to approve drilling violates the current San Juan Forest Plan to protect old-growth forest, wildlife habitat, water quality and riparian areas. The plaintiffs also claim the project will worsen the region’s ozone pollution and further impair declining visibility at Mesa Verde National Park and the Weminuche Wilderness.

The lawsuit was filed by San Juan Citizens Alliance, Oil and Gas Accountability Project, Colorado Environmental Coalition, Colorado Wild and The Wilderness Society. The plaintiffs are represented by Earthjustice, a public interest environmental law firm.

Wildlife trail closures violated

Wildlife trail closures are being routinely violated in the region. As a result, Bureau of Land Management law enforcement officers are stepping up enforcement of closures on the Animas Mountain and Grandview Ridge areas.

“This has been a more severe winter than those in recent years, and the animals are having a tough time,” said Chris Schultz, a wildlife biologist with the Columbine Public Lands Office. “Regardless of a human’s intentions, these wild animals will move to avoid people and pets. Even in heavy brush, elk can detect a person or dog from 1,000 feet way. As a result, they may move up to a mile to avoid the perceived danger.”

The Animas Mountain Trail is closed, with the exception of a 1.5-mile loop on the lower portion of the mountain. This loop can be accessed by either the Birkett or Animas City trailheads. In the Grandview Ridge area, the Sale Barn and Big Canyon trails are closed at their trailheads off U.S. Hwy 160, and the Telegraph Trail, or Crites Connect, is closed at its intersection with the Carbon Junction Trail.

Newly installed interpretive signs at trailheads explain why this kind of disturbance poses a threat to the survival of deer and elk. The temporary closures will remain in effect at least until March 1 and possibly as late as April 15 depending on weather and wildlife conditions.

Colorado Trail forum scheduled

Mountain bikers have another opportunity to address concerns about the proposed Hermosa Wilderness plan. The recently released proposal would create a 55,000-acre West Hermosa Wilderness but result in the closure of 5 miles of the Colorado Trail along with the Clear Creek and Corral Draw trails.

Trails 2000 has organized a meeting for today, Jan. 31, from 4:15-5:30 p.m. at the San Juan Public Lands Center. The idea for the meeting arose at the recent presentation of the San Juan Forest Plan last week, and it will offer an opportunity for mountain bikers to learn more about the Wilderness proposal and understand which trails may be impacted.

“Mountain bikers are environmentally minded and want to learn more about the plan in order to find a compromise that both protects the area and maintains the current recreational access,” said Mary Monroe, Trails 2000 executive director.

Mark Stiles, San Juan Forest supervisor, Thurman Wilson assistant center manager and Mike Van Abel, executive director of the International Mountain Bicycling Association will be on hand to aid in the discussion. The San Juan Public Lands Center is located in the Durango Tech Center at 15 Burnett Court.

– Will Sands