Mt Hood Meadows Ski Resort	NWSA is Northwest Snowsports Advocates
Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Resort

Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Resort

Local communities, concerned citizens, businesses, conservation organizations and others have been working for years to set in place a new vision for Mount Hood and its surrounding forests.

In 2004 Senator Wyden introduced the first of several proposals to come that would legislate a new vision for Mount Hood. Since 2004 there have been a number of subsequent proposals varying in size and shape from Wyden, Smith, Walden and Blumenauer. All of the proposals have focused on protecting additional Wilderness around Mount Hood and the Columbia Gorge and a land exchange between Mount Hood Meadows and the US Forest Service.

For Mt. Hood’s many skiers and boarders this bill has an important provision which would expand options for housing and overnight accommodations in Government Camp, making it the center of recreational activity for Mt. Hood. A land exchange authorizes Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Resort to trade approximately 775 acres near Cooper Spur for 120 acres in the Mount Hood National Forest near Government Camp. This provision has been modified from the original proposal to include new appraisals for the involved lands, which resolves concerns about the method of determining the land values in the exchange. The Government Camp parcels -- a 40-acre plot east of the unincorporated town and an 80-acre plot to the west -- are zoned for residential development. This is good news for many who would like to have the opportunity to stay overnight in Government Camp taking traffic off Highway 26 at peak times.

The US Senate is now very close to passing the Lewis and Clark Mount Hood Wilderness Act of 2007 (S. 647) that would protect 125,000 acres of Wilderness, designate 80 miles of Wild and Scenic Rivers, address forest health concerns, address recreation concerns, and directs three land exchanges. The current proposal has been held up in the US Senate by Senator Coburn (R-OK) who has objected to all legislation that includes expenditures. Fortunately a work around for problem has been found. The Mount Hood bill has been combined with a number of other unrelated bills into a larger package (S. 2180) and is now waiting for a full vote on the senate floor. Once the Senate has voted on the bill it will be sent to the US House of Representatives and hopefully move more quickly through the US House.

The Lewis and Clark Mount Hood Wilderness Act of 2007 is a compromise that doesn't protect all of the Wilderness areas conservations groups would like, nor does it provide all of the logging provisions the timber industry would like. The land exchange has been modified from its original format and is now reliant on new appraisals for the involved lands. The land exchange authorizes Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Resort to trade approximately 775 acres near Cooper Spur for 120 acres in the Mount Hood National Forest near Government Camp. The Government Camp parcels -- a 40-acre plot east of the unincorporated town and an 80-acre plot to the west -- are zoned for residential development.

The time frame for passing legislation is narrowing. In an election year such as we will be entering into in 2008, it has historically been very difficult to pass legislation the closer you get to an election. The fate of Mount Hood hangs in the balance, and congress only has a short window in which to move forward with a new vision for Mount Hood.

Senate Bill 647:  http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s110-647

For more information on this issue, contact:

Dave Tragethon, Executive Director of Marketing, Sales & Communications
Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Resort
8800 SE Sunnyside Road Suite 112N
Clackamas, OR 97015
PH: 503.287.5438 
FAX: 503.652.1257