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LITTLE COTTONWOOD CANYON — It may be just a concept and is years and years away from being a reality — if it ever is — but Snowbird's plans to expand into American Fork Canyon are already raising concerns.
The Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest Service agreed to vet the expansion proposal by allowing Snowbird to begin the environmental review process, which will include the formation of a draft Environmental Impact Statement.
That step involves going through an exhaustive information-gathering stage that will delve into a host of potential impacts and possible alternatives, one of which could end up being the "no" option which would put a thumbs down on any expansion.
Salt Lake City's director of public utilities Jeff Niermeyer said because of watershed concerns and the fear over cumulative impacts brought on by the increase in resort customers, the city wants a thorough environmental analysis conducted.
"We want to make sure there is a robust environmental review done because of the direct, indirect and cumulative impacts to Little Cottonwood Canyon," he said.
The actual resort expansion mostly involves Snowbird-owned property in Utah County's American Fork Canyon, outside of Salt Lake City's municipal watershed area.
Niermeyer says while that may be true, Little Cottonwood Canyon would bear the brunt of the expansion, and all the headaches that come with increased usage.
Components of Snowbird's expansion proposal include:
• A lower capacity tram to the top of the American Fork Twin Peaks
• A chairlift from Mary Ellen Gulch that would return skiers to the Mineral Basin area of the resort and extension of the Mineral Basin express chairlift
• Possibly adding beginning skiing terrain adjacent to Baby Thunder area
• Providing night-skiing from the Gadzoom chairlift and expansion of the Adaptive Sports facilities.
A statement by Snowbird indicates the resort is not proposing to put ski lifts in the White Pine area, but Niermeyer said the city is concerned that the proposal would facilitate more back-country skiing options, and more negative impacts.
We want to make sure there is a robust environmental review done because of the direct, indirect and cumulative impacts to Little Cottonwood Canyon.
–- Jeff Niermeyer, SLC director of public utilities
Brian Ferebee, supervisor of the Wasatch-Cache-National Forest Service, said an agreement to move forward on a environmental review of the proposal is a far cry from any agency endorsement and simply one step in the process.
The general plans for the Uinta and Wasatch-Cache national forests have not been updated since 2003, and going through the environmental impact statement process will allow all interested parties to lend their voice to how the forest properties should be managed, particularly in the context a ski resort expansion.
While the current Uinta plan includes the general premise that there should be no "further" development of recreational infrastructure, Ferebee said there is nothing in the plan that demonstrates how or why the Forest Service reached that decision.
"It does not have that kind of robust dialogue in it," Ferebee said. "The Uinta National Forest has never had a ski area. It was before we consolidated (forests) and it would not have been unreasonable to think that it would probably never have a ski area."
Ferebee said the agency and Snowbird are months away from sitting down to kick start the review process, which could play out over several years and will include a variety of public "scoping" periods in which comments are solicited.
Story compiled with contributions from Amy Joi O'Donoghue and Jed Boal.
