Mt. Hood Polallie-Cooper Timber Project:
Tartan Sale    (courtesy Bark)

FEDERATION OF WESTERN OUTDOOR CLUBS

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COOPER SPUR DEVELOPMENT AT MT. HOOD

In 2002, the Federation of Western Outdoor Clubs went on record to oppose the Cooper Spur ski development around Mt. Hood in Oregon.

The Cooper Spur area, located on the northeast side of Mt. Hood, includes the sensitive Crystal Springs watershed and continues up the mountain to the spur itself, high up in the wilderness boundary. The area consists of national forest lands managed by the Forest Service and approximately 800 acres of privately owned land, acquired by Meadows North, LLC, through a land exchange with Hood River County and the purchase of the inn at Cooper Spur on the Dillard property. The overall area contains pristine wilderness, some minimal development, the Tilly Jane Ski Trail, and the Cloud Cap-Tilly Jane Historic District and Special Interest Area. Use of the Cooper Spur area is light and primarily nonmechanized. There is an abundance of old-growth trees and wildlife, and the area is at the heart of wildlife corridors for elk and deer.

In 2001, the Cooper Spur area was threatened by massive commercial development, including a four-seasons destination resort, complete with 450 housing units, an eighteen-hole golf course, shopping malls, an ice skating rink, and an amphitheater. In addition, development plans for the existing Cooper Spur Ski Area, which is currently 50 acres in size, included a 1,350-acre expansion complete with several new chairlifts and numerous new ski runs (expanding into the Cloud Cap/Tilly Jane Historic District and crossing the Tilly Jane Ski Trail).

Recently, thanks to the efforts of the opposition, Mt. Hood Meadows is giving the appearance of scaling back their 2001 plans. However, the Cooper Spur area is still threatened by massive commercial development. There is currently a willingness to keep the development within the 160-acre Dillard property, which is just outside of the Crystal Springs watershed. However, the size and type of the development remains the same, and the Meadows company has plans to exchange the remaining 640 acres for other adjacent land--so that they may continue to expand the resort development.

Therefore, the stand of the Federation of Western Outdoor Clubs remains the same as in 2002.

The Federation of Western Outdoor Clubs opposes any new development in the Cooper Spur area and the surrounding land at issue, including the Crystal Springs watershed and Cloud Cap-Tilly Jane Historic District, expansion of the Cooper Spur Ski Area, and encroachment upon the Wilderness area directly adjacent to Cooper Spur area.


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