The Summit at Snoqualmie Master Development Plan; Mt. Baker- Snoqualmie and Wenatchee National Forests, King and Kittitas Counties, Washington

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

The Summit at Snoqualmie Master Development Plan; Mt. Baker-

Snoqualmie and Wenatchee National Forests, King and Kittitas Counties,

Washington

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: The Forest Service, USDA, will prepare an environmental impact

statement (EIS) for Ski Lifts, Inc. (The Summit at Snoqualmie) ski area

proposal to develop its Master Development Plan. The Summit at

Snoqualmie consists of four ski areas: Alpental; Summit West; Summit

Central and Summit East. The proposed action would expand the area

under special use permit to 1,905 acres, an increase of 41 acres, to

provide for additional parking at Summit West and to connect the Summit

Central and Summit East ski areas. The proposed development includes

the replacement and addition of chair and surface lifts; addition of a

multi-user gondola at Alpental; new lifts and terrain within the

existing SUP boundary; and expanded night skiing at Alpental and Summit

Central. In addition, the proposal includes the expansion and addition

of parking lots at Summit West, Summit Central and Alpental, day lodges

and other related facilities, maintenance facilities and utilities to

support the skiing and other recreational opportunities. The project

also includes reforestation at Summit West and Summit Central, as well

as

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identified watershed restoration projects.

At Alpental, implementation of the proposed MDP would increase the

Skiers-At-One-Time (SAOT) capacity from 1,710 to 2,800. Accordingly,

the peak day capacity of the facility would increase from 1,881

Persons-at-One-Time (PAOT) to 3,080. At The Summit at Snoqualmie

(excluding Alpental), the MDP proposes to increase the SAOT capacity

from 7,410 to 10,900. Consequently, the peak day capacity of The Summit

at Snoqualmie will increase from 8,151 to 11,990.

DATES: Comment concerning the scope of this analysis should be in

writing and postmarked by March 5, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Daniel T. Harkenrider, Acting

Forest Supervisor, 21905 64th Avenue West, Mountlake Terrace,

Washington, 98043, Attention: The Summit At Snoqualmie Master

Development Plan.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Larry Donovan, Winter Sports

Specialist, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest Supervisor's Officer,

21905 64th Avenue West, Mountlake Terrace, Washington 98043-2278. Phone

(425) 744-3403. Internet: Idonovan/[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Summit at Snoqualmie operates under a

Special Use Permit from the USDA Forest Service. Presently, alpine

skiing/snowboarding and other four-season resort activities are

provided to the public through a Special Use Permit administered by the

Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.

Currently, there are four master plans for the Summit at

Snoqualmie, dating from the time each of the four areas (Alpental,

Summit West, Summit Central and Summit East) were managed as separate

ski areas. The purpose (objective) of this project is to develop one

Master Development Plan for the management and development of The

Summit at Snoqualmie over the next 7-10 years. The goal of the Master

Development Plan is to ensure the long-term economic viability of The

Summit at Snoqualmie, maintain the competitive position of The Summit

at Snoqualmie with other ski areas in the Puget Sound Basin; maintain

and restore a healthy ecosystem; and be consistent with the Mt. Baker-

Snoqualmie National Forest Plan.

The proposed action is the submitted Master Development Plan

proposal. At Alpental it would include: replacement of one existing

chairlift, re-alignment of one existing chairlift, construction of one

new chairlift and construction of a gondola, providing for year-round

access to the top of the facility. Two existing lifts would remain

unchanged and the two existing surface tows would be removed. Downhill

terrain would be expanded by 18.5 acres and night skiing terrain would

increase by 34 acres. The proposed action would include the addition of

17,500 square feet of visitor support facilities, including a mountain-

top restaurant. Parking would be expanded from 8.4 acres to 8.5 acres.

The proposed action would also include watershed restoration projects

as identified in the Upper South Fork Snoqualmie and Coal Creek

Watershed Condition Assessment. Implementation could begin in the

summer of 2000 and would continue for approximately 7-10 years.

At the Summit at Snoqualmie (Summit West, Summit Central and Summit

East), the Master Development Plan proposal would include 23 chairlifts

and surface tows. It includes the elimination, replacement or

realignment of 21 of the 22 existing chair and surface lifts. When

coupled with new chairlift construction there would be a total of 17

chairlifts and 6 surface tows. Downhill terrain would be expanded by 54

acres and night skiing would increase from 386 acres to 440 acres. The

proposed action would include the addition of 60,708 square feet of

guest support facilities, including a new mountain-top restaurant at

Alpental and remodeling the existing mountain-top restaurant at Summit

West. Parking would be expanded from 26.3 to 32.7 acres. The proposed

action would also include watershed restoration projects as identified

in the Upper South Fork Snoqualmie and Coal Creek Watershed Condition

Assessment. Implementation could begin in the summer of 2000 and would

continue for approximately 7-10 years.

The site-specific environmental analysis provided in The Summit at

Snoqualmie Master Development Plan EIS will assist the Forest

Supervisor in determining which improvements are needed to meet the

goals and objectives, as stated above.

An EIS will be produced, which will display alternatives considered

including (1) no action (continued management of the ski area under the

existing master development plans), and (2) the proposed action. Three

additional alternatives have been tentatively identified: (3) reduced

development in the area between Summit Central and Summit East (Section

16); (4) no development in the area between Summit Central and Summit

East (Section 16); and (5) reduced disturbance to riparian reserves.

The EIS will analyze the direct, indirect and cumulative effects of the

alternatives. Past, present and projected activities on both private

and National Forest System lands will be considered. The EIS will

disclose the effects of site-specific mitigation.

Comments from the public will be used to:

Identify potential issues.

Identify major issues to be analyzed in depth.

Eliminate minor issues or those that have been covered by

a previous environmental analysis, such as the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie or

Wenatchee Land and Resource Management Plans.

Identify alternatives to the proposed action.

Issues identified as the result of internal scoping include:

Consistency with the Forest Plan/Aquatic Conservation

Strategy Objectives.

Consistency with the Snoqualmie Pass Adaptive Management

Area Plan (1997).

Ability to maintain or increase the north/south Late-

Successional connective corridors in the areas between Summit Central

and Summit East; and Summit West and Summit Central.

Ability to maintain snag and large downed wood habitat

with the development of ski runs and chairlifts.

Maintenance of habitat for Threatened & Endangered,

Sensitive and Survey & Manage species.

Potential removal/degradation of wetland habitat.

Opportunity to implement restoration projects that will

improve visual quality and reduce erosion.

Potential disruption of the back-country skiing route to

Nordic Pass.

Scoping and public involvement are continuing. An initial scoping

letter was mailed on January 15, 1999. Two public scoping meetings will

be held: February 8, 1999, from 5:30 PM to 9:00 PM at the Cle Elum

Ranger Station, 803 West 2nd Street, Cle Elum, WA 98922; and February

10, 1999, from 5:30 PM to 9:00 PM at the West Coast Bellevue Hotel, 625

116th Avenue NE, Bellevue, WA 98004. The information and comments

received will be used in the preparation of the draft EIS.

Comments received in response to this solicitation, including names

and addresses of those who comment, will be considered part of the

public record on this proposed action and will be available for public

inspection. Comments submitted anonymously will be accepted and

considered; however, those who submit anonymous comments will not have

standing to appeal the subsequent decision under

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36 CFR 215 or 217. Additionally, pursuant to 7 CFR 1.27(d), any person

may request the agency to withhold a submission from the public record

by showing how the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) permits such

confidentiality. Persons requesting such confidentiality should be

aware that under the FOIA, confidentiality may be granted in only very

limited circumstances, such as to protect trade secrets. The Forest

Service will inform the requester of the agency's decision regarding

the request for confidentiality, and where the request is denied, the

agency will return the submission and notify the requester that the

comments may be submitted with or without the name and address within

30 days.

The draft EIS is expected to be filed in May 1999. Following the

release of the draft EIS, there will be a public comment period of at

least 45 days from the date the Environmental Protection Agency

publishes the Notice of Availability in the Federal Register.

The Forest Service believes that it is important to give reviewers

notice at this early stage of several court rulings related to public

participation in the environmental review process. First, reviewers of

the draft EIS must structure their participation in the environmental

review of the proposal so that it is meaningful and alerts an agency to

the reviewer's position and contentions. Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power

Corp v. NRDC, 435 U.S. 519,553 (1978). Also, environmental objections

that could be raised at the draft EIS stage but that are not raised

until after completion of the EIS may be waived or dismissed by the

courts. City of Angoon v. Hodel, 803 F.2d 1016, 1022 (9th Cir. 1986)

and Wisconsin Heritages, Inc. v. Harris, 490 F. Supp. 1334, 1338 (E.D.

Wis. 1980). Because of these court rulings, it is very important that

those interested in this proposed action participate by the close of

the 45-day comment period so that substantive comments and objections

are made available to the Forest Service at a time when it can

meaningfully consider them and respond to them in the final EIS.

To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues

on the proposed action, comments on the draft EIS should be as specific

as possible. It is also helpful if comments refer to specific pages or

chapters of the draft EIS. Comments may also address the adequacy of

the draft EIS or the merits of the alternatives formulated and

discussed in the EIS. (Reviewers may wish to refer to the Council on

Environmental Quality Regulations for implementing the procedural

provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act at 40 CFR 1503.3 in

addressing these points.)

The final EIS is scheduled to be completed in December 1999. In the

final EIS, the Forest Service is required to respond to comments and

responses received during the comment period that pertain to the

environmental consequences discussed in the draft EIS and applicable

laws, regulations, and policies considered in making the decision

regarding this proposal. The lead agency is the Forest Service. The

Forest Supervisors of the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie and Wenatchee National

Forest are the responsible officials. The responsible officials will

document the decision and the reasons for the decision in the Record of

Decision. That decision will be subject to Forest Service appeal

regulations 36 CFR Parts 215 or 251.

Dated: January 19, 1999.

Daniel T. Harkenrider,

Acting Forest Supervisor.

[FR Doc. 99-1974 Filed 1-28-99; 8:45 am]

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