Mt. Hood Meadows (Meadows) requested, and the US Forest Service (USFS) has completed a draft Environmental Impact Statement for a proposal to build a 8-acre parking lot and clearing an additional 4.5 acres that will also include a new Nordic center and expansion of maintenance facilities. The Hanel Loop, Stump Lane, Beargrass Loop, and possibly Raven Way Nordic fee-based trails are currently located in the area of the planned parking area. The USFS proposes to mitigate the loss of these ski trails by building more trails equivalent in kilometers to the ones lost.

As many of you know, there has been construction along Highway 35 near this area, which includes a large paved detour route. Soon, most of this paved detour will be destroyed, except for an expansion of the Teacup Lake Sno-park to make up for the loss of the Clark Creek Sno-park. A local Nordic skier, Lee Greenwald proposes that the Highway 35 detour remain paved and used as overflow parking for Meadows and an extended Sno-park for the Teacup, Clark Creek and Pocket Creek trail systems. This would alleviate the need to destroy 12.5 acres of forest for the parking area, the destruction of additional acres of forest for the construction of mitigation ski trails, the loss of existing ski trails, and the waste of the destruction of forest already completed for the detour. Mr. Greenwald contends that Meadows’ current parking is insufficient for no more than six days a year, and Meadows could run shuttle buses to the proposed extended Sno-park on the days they need overflow parking. The Portland Chapter ONC board is considering what, if any comments to make to the USFS and other interested parties. Info about this USFS project is located at http://www.fs.fed.us/nepa/nepa_project_exp.php?project=26954.