>I don't know a whole lot
>about this specific scenario, but
>to me it comes down
>to whether or not this
>is private land or not.
> If he is only
>developing his own land, then
>I think he should be
>able to do whatever he
>wants.
The owners first problem is the area does not get enough snow. He will have to make snow to survive. The ski area will be basically a bunny hill with man made snow. I used to Hike up the NC and ski it when I was a kid. We managed to do it one year, and I thrash my skis on the rocks. NC hill is less than a mile from the propose location. I am guessing that owner believes that with the cold winter temps he can make snow and pull people in to ski. Richmond has a population of 5000, Cove 23 and 10 dogs (and they are all related), Lewiston 2000 (maybe), Preston ID (no clue how many rednecks live there), oh and mighty Trenton 200 residents (who go outside to pee). Richmond does not have a store, only 1 gas station, 1 bar, and 3 places to eat. Oh ya, Napolean Dynamite ate there once, I think. It makes you think vacation destination, right...
Richmond is right up against the foothills. There are 3 major canyons that feed down to the winter range (High Creek, Cherry Creek, and City Creek). Each has winter range that can support deer through the winter months. When there are hard winters the deer live in the city. Pushing the Cherry Creek herd into the other canyons will put an excessive strain on the winter range at a risk of loosing a lot of animals out of both drainages. Stress placed on the deer will have an effect, as well as reduced fawn birth weights because of the stress caused by human interactions. Predators are a problem in the area, I spent a lot of time killing dogs in that area. Lions have been a major problem in the past, not sure how they are at this time. Wolves are in the area. I personally saw a wolf just over the border 2 years ago. You know they are in the area now.
So if this goes through and the deer herd becomes concentrated, predators will move with the herds, and human caused stress will continue to build because of the close proximity. What do you think will happen to the resource? Who will be responsible for the actions? How will will the herds recover?
For a guy that has some money, this investment is not a smart one. My guess is that he will go and thin some trees and brush (which will be good for the area), but in the end the ski hill will not go in. The place is beautiful. I would hate to see it change.
