Mount Ashland
Mount Ashland ski area in winter
Elevation	feet ( m)
Location	Oregon, USA
Range	Siskiyou Mountains
Coordinates	42°04′50″N, 122°43′02″W
Topo map	USGS Mount Ashland 42122-A6

Mount Ashland is the highest peak in the Siskiyou Mountains. It was named for the city of Ashland, Oregon, which is eight miles (13 km) north of the mountain. The Siskiyou Mountains are in the northern Klamath Mountains in northwestern California and southwestern Oregon in the United States. The mountain is part of the Rogue-Siskiyou National Forest, which encompasses most of the Siskiyou Mountains.

Ski area

Mount Ashland features a ski area with 23 trails on  acres ( km²) served by four lifts, in addition to chute skiing in a glacial cirque called the "bowl". The mountain receives over 300 inches (8 m) of snow each year, and the ski season is from early December until mid-April. The resort's motto is "It's Steeper Here", and rightfully so. Half of the terrain is rated as advanced (black diamond), and only 15% is rated beginner (green circle).

History

During the 1950s, the mountain was a popular destination for local back country ski enthusiasts, some of whom built the lodge and one lift in 1963. In the 1970s, the area was managed by the Southern Oregon College Foundation (now Southern Oregon University) until it was purchased by Dick Hicks, a local businessman, in 1977. In 1983, the ski area was sold to Harbor Properties of Seattle, Washington, the owners of Stevens Pass Ski Area. Two new lifts were built during their ownership and night lighting was installed. In 1991, the City of Ashland purchased the ski resort, funded by a community fundraising campaign and a grant from the Oregon Economic Development fund. The slogan of the community fundraising campaign was: "Save Mount Ashland."

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Mt. Ashland Timeline:

• 1929 — Cooperative agreement between City of Ashland and U.S.F.S. made for the purpose of conserving and protecting the water supply of the City of Ashland, Oregon.

• 1963 — The Mount Ashland Corporation raised enough money to put construction crews on the mountain during the summer of 1963. Local skiing enthusiasts built the ski lodge, Ariel chair, and a T-bar and rope tow through a grassroots effort. Medford businessman Glenn Jackson provided more than half of the initial $120,000 to build the lodge.

• 1970 — Southern Oregon College Foundation managed the ski area.

• 1975 — Memorandum of understanding between U.S.F.S. and City of Ashland. Details an agreement where City of Ashland agrees to hire consultants to monitor conditions of local watershed. Forest Service agrees to assist and implement any measures necessary to maintain quality of the watershed.

• 1977 — Dick Hicks purchases the ski area.

• 1978 — Windsor chair lift is installed.

• 1983 — Ski area sold to Harbor Properties of Seattle. Night lighting, vehicle shop, Sonnet, and Comer chair lifts installed.

• 1991 — $2 million is raised to save Mt. Ashland from bankruptcy. Money for the purchase is raised through donor-restricted contributions and a grant from the Oregon Economic Development fund. The mountain is then donated to City of Ashland who hires Mt. Ashland Association (MAA) to maintain and operate the ski area.

• 1992 — Lease agreement signed between City of Ashland and Mt. Ashland Association. Option to be renewed or terminated on June 30, 2017. "The sole relation of the parties hereto to be landlord and tenant".

• 1996 — Memorandum of understanding between U.S.F.S. and City of Ashland. City of Ashland agrees to provide fire protection services within the watershed area. U.S.F.S. agrees to implement a new wildfire prevention plan.

• 1998 — Watershed restoration agreement — "For the purpose of facilitating cooperation between the landowner (City of Ashland) and Forest Service in specific restoration, enhancement, or protection efforts." "Provides for the interchange of services, equipment, and funds ... to meet the mutually agreed upon objectives of the project."

• 1998 — $17 million expansion plan to double the size of the ski area is proposed by MAA. Met with strong resistance by local environmental groups who oppose logging and construction within the Ashland watershed.

• 2003- MAA lists their marketable assets as having fair market value of $1,251,093.

• 2004 — Expansion proposal upheld by the U.S.F.S. The proposal includes construction of a new lodge, a new lift serving 72 acres of beginner and intermediate terrain, and 200 more parking spaces.

• 2005 — The City of Ashland requests that Mt. Ashland Association provide a Business Plan showing capital expenditure and operating projections for the planned expansion. Requests that MAA include the following details:

-Projected construction expenditures for each year of the expansion build out. -Projected sources of funds for financing the expansion for each year of the build out. -Projected operating revenues and expenses reflecting historic skier visitation variability for at least a 10-year time frame during and after the expansion build out. -Sources of funding for financing restoration/rehabilitation reserves. -Sources of funding for financing the QA/QC team.

• August, 2006 — MAA submits an "Abbreviated business plan". Refuses to release many financial details publicly, citing "Obligations to stakeholders".

• September, 2006 — City of Ashland hires attorney to represent public interests to MAA. MAA threatens to sue City of Ashland for interfering with their business plan.

• October, 2006 — City of Ashland revokes MAA authority to deal directly with the U.S.F.S. MAA is informed that no construction or logging will be allowed until a proper business plan is submitted.

• September 24, 2007 —The US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals issues its decision, reversing Judge Panner's February 2007 US District Court ruling that the US Forest Service had not violated the National Environmental Policy Act and the National Forest Management Act. The 9th Circuit ruling declared that the US Forest Service failed to consider the impacts of ski area expansion on the Pacific fisher (a relative of the mink that is classified as a sensitive species) and that it had failed to properly classify landslide-prone terrain as Riparian Reserve as required by the 1994 Northwest Forest Plan. The appeals court also issued an injunction blocking any expansion activities until full compliance with the law has been attained. The full text of the appeals court ruling is at [1]. While correcting the failure to adequately consider effects on the Pacific fisher is a relatively straightforward procedural issue, the ruling regarding failure to properly classify Riparian Reserves is likely to require a complete redesign or abandonment of the ski area expansion idea.

Articles about Mt. Ashland at http://www.ashlandfreepress.com

Expansion

In the late 1990s, the Mt. Ashland Association proposed a ski area expansion plan that would build-out downslope of the existing ski area in the Middle Branch of the East Fork of Ashland Creek. Local conservationists strongly objected to the plan, citing concerns about soil erosion effects on streams and wetlands in the City of Ashland's municipal watershed as well as concerns for old-growth forest, the McDonald Peak Inventoried Roadless Area, and endangered wildlife.

In December of 2004, the United States Forest Service issued a Record of Decision (ROD) approving the Mt. Ashland Association's expansion proposal including a new chair lift accessing 72 additional acres of intermediate and expert terrain, 200 more parking spaces, and a second lodge at the bottom of the glacial moraine known as "The Bowl."

The Forest Service received 28 notices of appeal on its ROD from conservation organizations and individual members of the public, all of which were denied.

In January 2005, three organizations (Oregon Natural Resources Council, Headwaters and Sierra Club) and one individual (Eric Navickas) sued the Forest Service in the U.S. District Court of Oregon alleging that the ROD approving expansion violated the National Forest Management Act (NFMA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). U.S. Magistrate Judge Owen Panner issued summary judgment denying the lawsuits in February 2007, noting, "You cannot make an omelet without breaking a few eggs."

The conservation organizations, but not Navickas, appealed Panner's judgment to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which in turn stayed Panner's decision and enjoined the expansion pending review. The three-judge appellate panel, which included appointees of Presidents Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, cited a likelihood of irreparable harm to Pacific fisher, a rare forest carnivore known to live in the Ashland Creek watershed that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined in 2005 warrants listing under the Endangered Species Act as "endangered."

In September 2007, the appeals court ruled that the Forest Service violated the NFMA and NEPA in four ways when it approved the Mt. Ashland Association's expansion plan.

The court first noted the agency's failure to substantiate its assertion that expansion would not harm fisher, in violation of the 1990 Rogue River National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (LRMP) requirement to base its analysis on study of local and total populations of sensitive wildlife known to exist at sites proposed for development.

Second, the court ruled that the Forest Service overlooked adverse cumulative effects to fisher resulting from development in a known roadless forest corridor of significant biological importance linking the Klamath-Siskiyou Mountains with the Cascade Mountains, as well as from other concurrent forest management activities planned nearby.

Third, the court rejected as unreasonable a Forest Service claim that known landslide hazard zones should be excluded from Riparian Reserves under the 1994 Northwest Forest Plan. It noted "significant consequences" to the City of Ashland's watershed resulting from the erroneous agency interpretation of riparian management criteria in the 2004 ROD.

Finally, the court found that 35 acres that had been approved for development merit designation as Restricted Watershed under the 1990 Rogue River National Forest LRMP. That designation limits the extent of allowable soil disturbance caused by management activities. In its 2004 ROD, the Forest Service stated that it is not possible to limit soil disturbance below allowed thresholds in the course of ski area development.

Other activities

Mount Ashland is a popular destination in summer for hiking, mountain biking, and sightseeing. The southernmost stretch of the Pacific Crest Trail in Oregon skirts the south and east sides of the mountain. The Spring Thaw mountain bike festival, the largest cycling event in Southern Oregon, is a series of races and events held each year in early March, starting from the town of Ashland and including the lower slopes of Mount Ashland. The Jean Chinn Memorial Mount Ashland Hill Climb Race is a combination road and mountain bike race, starting from the town of Ashland and ending at the Mount Ashland ski area parking lot, with a different route for road and mountain bikes. The Siskiyou Out Back is a 50 kilometre (31 mi) ultramarathon trail run, starting and ending at the Mount Ashland ski area parking lot.

References

External links

• Mount Ashland Ski Area
• Ashlanders for Mt. Ashland, Ashlanders supporting the Mt. Ashland Expansion
• Wild Mount Ashland, the group opposing the expansion of the ski area
• Rogue-Siskiyou National Forest
• Spring Thaw mountain bike festival
• Jean Chinn Memorial Mount Ashland Hill Climb Race
• Siskiyou Out Back

• Maps and aerial photos
  • WikiSatellite view at WikiMapia
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image from TerraServer-USA
  • Surrounding area map from Google Maps
  • Location in the United States from the Census Bureau

Ski areas and resorts in Oregon
Mount Hood	Cooper Spur • Mount Hood Meadows • Mount Hood Skibowl     Snow Bunny • Summit Ski Area • Timberline Lodge ski area
Central Oregon	Hoodoo • Mount Bachelor • Willamette Pass
Eastern Oregon	Anthony Lakes • Ferguson Ridge • Spout Springs
Southern Oregon	Mount Ashland • Warner Canyon

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