The public outcry to stop the Vail Corporation from destroying the Two Elk Roadless Area fell on the deaf ears of the Eagle County Commissioners in March of this year. Eagle County, Colorado held special hearings to consider the environmental impacts of Vail's proposed Category III expansion. The original Category I expansion was the 1962 agreement witht he US Forest Service allowing the development of the resort. Following the Category II development phase of the 1980s, the most recent development proposal would add 2,200 acres of skiable terrain to the Vail resort. Sixty of the 70 people who testified at the hearing opposed the expansion.
"These are not nice people that we're dealing with here," said Earle Bidez, mayor of the near-by town of Minturn. "These are people who want to maximize their investment and take it out of the valley." Minturn is a rural community struggling to maintain its roots amidst sprawling resort development.
Long-time skiers also vented disgus a the project. "I love Vail, I truly feel its the best ski area in the world, I truly do. But enough is enoough," said Anne Egan, Vail skier since 1966. "It is ime for Vail Associates o leave some widde-open spaces for wildlliffe. Bachelor Gulch used to be a prime calving area for elk; now it is a prime playground for the rich and famous," she said, referring to VA's recent ski development a their Beaver Creek Resort.
The area at stake is a pristine forest comprised of much old growth. The Two Elk Roadless Area, located south of Vail, is an unprotected wilderness and an important refuge for forest interior species and habitat for the imperiled lynx. Since 1935, only four lynx have been documented in Colorado; three sighting were in the immediate vicinity of the proposed Category III expansion. Vail's deal with the Forest Service will bring the resort lifestyle into some of the last, best old-growth habitat for lynx in the southern Rockies.
Even without this expansion, Vail is the largest ski mountain in North America. The Vail resort carves up 4,600 acres of skiable terrain. This would be its largest expansion in history. But being the biggest has not satisfied Vail's greed. Besides Vail Mountain, Vail Inc. also controls Beaver Creek, Arrowhead, Bachelor Gulch, Keystone and Breckenridge (all on public land), giving Vail Inc. almost half of the skier market share in Colorado.
The Forest Service has agreed to the construction of four lifts, 12.2 miles of road and ski ways, a 350-seat restaurant that will span Two Elk Creek, ski patrol buildings, two warming shelters/food service buildings, utilities, water and sewage. Twelve hundred logging trucks would be needed to haul away six million board feet of spruce and fir. In return for the destruction of this backcountry area, the public would get back a pitiful 1.5 cents on every dollar made by Vail Inc. on this expansion, or less than $1 for every $56 lift ticket.
Vail Inc. is a master at exploiting public land for massive profits. Last year it had net revenues of $291 million. The corporation is now on the New York Stock Exchange. When the company went public last year, Vail Inc.'s top three investors made $64.4, $59.4 and $32.1 million that day. Vail Resort Management Company already owns six hotels, 72 restaurants, 40 retail and rental outlets and over 1,300 residential condominiums.
Vail Inc.'s ultimate goal for this roadless area invasion is not more skiable terrain. The cash cow is selling condos. Vail has an option to buy 50 percent of 6,000 acres of private land called the Gilman tract on Vail's front side, just south of Minturn. In places, this property is only one mile from Category III. Vail Inc.'s own hired biologist Rick Thompson even said, "I thought the private land east of Highway 24 was confidential. How did this make it into the Environmental Impact Statement? Development of this land and a connection to the Category III area could have significant wildlife impacts. Consideration of this development exacerbates cumulative impacts, particularly with respect to the lynx, movement corridor and elk winter range issues."
Two years ago Vail added Bachelor Gulch between its Arrowhead and Beaver Creek resorts. After years of denying any secret plan for a major new real estate development near Minturn, Vail admitted under oath in a court case this February that it has been investigating the possibility for a new base area, village-to-village gondolas and luxury condominiums. Category III only enables the Vail Resorts Development Company.
The Eagle County Commissioners will not make a decision until late April, but their power is limited since this is federal land. The Two Elk Roadless Area is closed to construction for elk calving season until June 30. On July 1, we expect Vail to begin bulldozing roads through the forest. Ancient Forest Rescue, with the help of locals, is planning a gathering in the area during the last week of June. We're seeking a court injunction, but keep your ears open for a summer campaign. For more information you can contact AFR at POB 7566, Boulder, CO 80306; (303) 492-6870; http://bcn.boulder.co.us/environment/vail.