FEDERATION OF WESTERN OUTDOOR CLUBS

---

OPPOSITION TO A RESORT ON MT. ADAMS, WASHINGTON

A ski resort operator on Mt. Hood, Mt. Hood Meadows Development Corporation, which had been pursuing a controversial development at Cooper Spur on Mt. Hood, has now also broached the idea of building a large ski resort on Mt. Adams to the north within the Yakama Indian Reservation.  With the site to be at Bird Creek Meadows, it would encompass 11,000 acres, with ten ski lifts, taking skiers up to the 11,100 feet level.  It would also include a ski lodge, a casino, a village with shops, three golf courses, and 2500 housing units in a mix of hotel rooms, condominiums, and homes.

This development would intrude on an area that the tribe now opens to the public and which is heavily used by hikers, climbers, and backcountry skiers.  Prior to 1972, Bird Creek Meadows was within an area the Forest Service managed as wilderness.  In a settlement of a boundary dispute, this area was turned back to the tribe in 1972.  The development would also intrude upon an area reserved for tribal members only.  Many tribal members view this area as sacred land.  All of the area is valuable habitat.

Before this proposal can go forward the tribe must approve of the development, which it has not yet been willing to do.

The Federation of Western Outdoor Clubs opposes this intrusion into the backcountry of Mt. Adams and urges the Yakama Nation to continue to protect the integrity of this area.

next >>