peakbagger
In Rembrance , July 2024
Wildcat has had a policy regarding uphill and downhill non ski area traffic in place for at least three seasons. This policy has been reportedly poorly enforced/communicated to the ski area employees and the public leading to inconsistent enforcement of the rules. The USFS and Wildcat were aware of this and have worked over the summer to allow Wildcat ski area to put in place a new policy that is in compliance with federal requirements for leaseholders on federal lands.
Please remember that anyone in the world can search for and read this thread and most likely interested parties will. Like anything else on the internet, comments posted may live on forever and therefore please think before you hit the reply button.
A very simplified description of the ski area rulemaking process is that Wildcat Ski Area as a condition of their lease has to have multiple written policies in place regarding operation of the ski area. They have to submit these to the USFS. A designated USFS specialist reviews the proposed rules to ensure they comply with USFS rules and if they do, the WMNF chief ranger signs off on the proposed ski area rules and they become the rules that the ski area must follow. In exchange the leaseholder has to pay the US government a yearly lease fee that is based on multiple factors including skier usage. The lease fee currently paid was not disclosed by the USFS or the Wildcat representative but a knowledgeable member of the public reported an approximate amount of $63,000 per year based on a past Freedom of Information Act request. This cost is reportedly low relative to other regional ski areas that exist either partially or wholly on USFS land.
You may note that the simplified process does not have a formal requirement for public posting or public comments. When the USFS specialist was asked during a recent meeting, she stated a formal posting and comment period are not required per USFS rules as this procedure was not covered by NEPA (National Environmental Policy act). I also asked if there was an appeal mechanism and was told that no there was not.
In order to gain input, the USFS specialist did invite individuals who has expressed concerns over the past Wildcat access rules to a meeting on Friday Oct 26th at the USFS office in Gorham NH. There was no formal method of selecting attendees or notification that such input was wanted. Ultimately the people attended represented hikers, hikers who wished to hike with a dog, someone who used to actively participate in backcountry skiing and a hiker with ski industry experience. In actuality in my and at least some others opinion the presentation was intended to explain why the USFS has the authority to deal directly with Wildcat in getting Wildcat’s proposed rules approved by the USFS. Public input was accepted but the approach was predominately to inform the members of the public why Wildcat had the right to make the rules. It was mentioned several times by the USFS that the Wildcat Ski area is only 1000 acres out of 750,000 acres in the WMNF so that if the general public is unhappy with the rules in place at Wildcat, that there are plenty of other places to go.
Please remember that anyone in the world can search for and read this thread and most likely interested parties will. Like anything else on the internet, comments posted may live on forever and therefore please think before you hit the reply button.
A very simplified description of the ski area rulemaking process is that Wildcat Ski Area as a condition of their lease has to have multiple written policies in place regarding operation of the ski area. They have to submit these to the USFS. A designated USFS specialist reviews the proposed rules to ensure they comply with USFS rules and if they do, the WMNF chief ranger signs off on the proposed ski area rules and they become the rules that the ski area must follow. In exchange the leaseholder has to pay the US government a yearly lease fee that is based on multiple factors including skier usage. The lease fee currently paid was not disclosed by the USFS or the Wildcat representative but a knowledgeable member of the public reported an approximate amount of $63,000 per year based on a past Freedom of Information Act request. This cost is reportedly low relative to other regional ski areas that exist either partially or wholly on USFS land.
You may note that the simplified process does not have a formal requirement for public posting or public comments. When the USFS specialist was asked during a recent meeting, she stated a formal posting and comment period are not required per USFS rules as this procedure was not covered by NEPA (National Environmental Policy act). I also asked if there was an appeal mechanism and was told that no there was not.
In order to gain input, the USFS specialist did invite individuals who has expressed concerns over the past Wildcat access rules to a meeting on Friday Oct 26th at the USFS office in Gorham NH. There was no formal method of selecting attendees or notification that such input was wanted. Ultimately the people attended represented hikers, hikers who wished to hike with a dog, someone who used to actively participate in backcountry skiing and a hiker with ski industry experience. In actuality in my and at least some others opinion the presentation was intended to explain why the USFS has the authority to deal directly with Wildcat in getting Wildcat’s proposed rules approved by the USFS. Public input was accepted but the approach was predominately to inform the members of the public why Wildcat had the right to make the rules. It was mentioned several times by the USFS that the Wildcat Ski area is only 1000 acres out of 750,000 acres in the WMNF so that if the general public is unhappy with the rules in place at Wildcat, that there are plenty of other places to go.