It seems the Forest Service was of the opinion that a mere phone call would suffice as a scoping notice for Snowbasin’s latest proposal. The resort wanted to guide skiers into the backcountry and conduct avalanche training classes outside their permit boundaries. Well, the news spread fast and the public picked up on the issue. The proposal for a permit triggered a response both the Forest Service and Snowbasin were not prepared for. 

 

The Ogden Ranger District decided this particular issue was non-controversial and assumed it would slip through the cracks unnoticed. Comments for the proposed action were to be submitted to the Forest Service by January 5, providing us with an inadequate window of opportunity by which to respond. The proposal came late in the season right before the holidays, when conveniently most of the Forest Service Staff was out on holiday. 

 

What was alarming to Save Our Canyons was not the action itself, but the informal and inadequate process of scoping for the proposed action. In fact, SOC believes a key component the Ogden Ranger District missed was targeting and reaching the public.

                                                              

Under NEPA, which sets forth the requirements for the Forest Service, scoping is required for all Forest Service proposed actions. The Forest Service itself extended the concept to include all actions, but in this case they tried to circumvent the formal scoping process and their own established principle. A major part of scoping is providing the public with information regarding a proposed action.  Procedurally, this request was no different than any other proposed project, and should have warranted a formal scoping process.   

                                                                                              

On January 5^th, Snowbasin withdrew its application. Snowbasin’s General Manager decided the permit was not worth the controversy it triggered. While this was a minor victory for environmentalists and backcountry enthusiasts, the issue could resurface, built into a larger proposal. With any luck, the Forest Service grasped how the public is able to form a line of defense to challenge questionable actions.