Wolf Creek: Some reasons why locals oppose Red McCombs' Village

Pagosa Springs, Colorado
Wolf Creek: Some reasons why locals oppose Red McCombs' Village

by Ian Vance

With all of the controversy surrounding the development of the Village at Wolf Creek, people may have difficulty in discerning the underlying reasons why there is so much resistance among locals on the Pagosa Springs side towards this project. The potential negative effect on businesses in Archuleta County is in itself enough to cause worry and opposition from those that depend on tourism as a financial foundation. More importantly, people are concerned about the environmental and psychological damage the advent of a resort such as the proposed Village is likely to cause.

Wolf Creek is a relative anomaly when compared to the rest of the ski industry of Colorado. Sheltered against an imposing mountain ridge that makes up part of the Continental Divide, Wolf Creek on average receives major snowfall accumulation, year after year; so much so that it proudly touts the moniker “The Most Snow in Colorado.” Local skiers and snowboarders – and the tourist hordes arriving from Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arizona – find that Wolf Creek’s lack of infrastructure actually affords one the rare pleasure of untracked powder; it is sometimes possible to find ‘fresh tracks’ days and even weeks after the last major storm. Compare this to a mountain resort like Steamboat Springs, which has heavy traffic by way of its gondola, and the morning after a hard snow-dump, becomes tracked out within hours. By ten o’clock in the morning, finding a fresh line in Steamboat’s renowned aspen groves is essentially a futile pursuit.

Part of Wolf Creek’s charm lies in its rustic appearance, its lack of a highly developed commerce center and time-consuming lift lines, its propensity for ‘secret stashes’ and undiscovered glades. For many locals, Wolf Creek’s low-key aspect is a direct contrast from the clockwork complexity and efficiency of major corporation ski resorts such as Vail and Breckenridge, and a welcome one at that. Thus, the arrival of the Village and its desired developments are seen as an irreversible change to what makes Wolf Creek so special in the first place. Many new lifts would be needed, as would a complete overhaul of the current infrastructure at the ski-area base. ‘Our’ Wolf Creek, as it is known today, would cease to exist. The proposals by McCombs et al threaten the current ski area’s atmosphere of low-key hospitality, the warmth and human contact that a family-run business can easily provide, the communication and charm that the corporation often fails to fully comprehend – for although a façade of such can be erected, these necessary illusions are quickly belied by the sheer size and mechanical aspect of a profit-first oriented community.

Change cannot be prevented: growth is an inevitable result of this world’s expanding population. Archuleta County and its surrounding environs have experienced a massive surge of growth within the last ten years; it is a reflection of the continual extension of our surrounding world. However, there is a very large difference between controlled growth – by those who appreciate what makes this area special in the first place – and unregulated growth, by those who desire first and foremost the monetary rewards and ego-enhancement endemic to ‘empire building.’

The representative of Red McCombs, empire-builder extraordinaire, has already alienated a large segment of this area’s population with his grandstanding and heedless arrogance, fundamentally depicting the lack of concern the corporate entity has for the ‘little man.’ The questionable court decisions in Mineral County, the suspicious lack of concern for potential environmental repercussions, and overall the desperate speed these developers have worked at in order to erect the Village has sparked much of the current resistance. By displaying all of the dangerous attitudes of unregulated growth and doing very little to placate the worries of the surrounding communities, Bob Honts and Co. have caused much concern as to the intentions of Red McCombs.

Long term residents, such as myself (30 years), do not wish for this isolated part of the Rocky Mountains to turn into another Summit County, or worse an Aspen, with the subsequent rise in the standard of economics to such a point that we can no longer afford to live in the area we like to call home. By attempting to work with the surrounding communities, and respecting the living conditions and needs of those who chose to live here, The Village might have found its construction unhindered by multiple lawsuits and public outcry. Elderly ‘empire-builders,’ by nature, are in a rush to complete their vision as quickly as possible, and they like to display their proposed empire to the fullest extent; perhaps if Mr. Honts / McCombs had started smaller, with the concept of future growth on the back-burner, they wouldn’t have estranged potential support from this community. By ignoring these repercussions, be it out of greed or ego, they have instead caused the very quagmire they now find themselves struggling to escape from.

History is rife with similar examples of hubris and folly – and, as the famous proverb goes, those that do not learn from history are forced to repeat it, time and time again.

Planned Village Threatens to Block Wildlife Movement

Planned Village Threatens to Block Wildlife Movement

The Wolf Creek Pass Wildlife Linkage spans the Continental Divide at 10,857 feet and lies almost entirely within National Forest lands. The San Juan National Forest encompasses the west side of the Divide, while the Rio Grand National Forest lies on the east side. The Wiminuche Wilderness and the South San Juan Wilderness are “held together” by the Wolf Creek linkage. Despite this critical interconnectedness, a major development scheme to build a city of up to 10,000 people just below the Continental Divide is now being planned. This development would decimate the biological significance of this linkage. The planned Village at Wolf Creek threatens critical wildlife habitat, watersheds, and wetlands and would impair the San Juan core area and the designated Wolf Creek Pass Lynx Linkage that are vital to the recovery of the southern Rockies Lynx population. In addition to Lynx, a variety of wildlife is known to move through the area including mountain lion, black bear, bobcat, pine marten, elk, mule deer and bighorn sheep. Many birds, amphibians, other small mammals and plants depend on this rich habitat for year round use and migration as well.

The Southern Rockies Ecosystem Project (SREP) has been actively working to protect corridors and linkages in Colorado and the Southern Rockies. Fighting the monsoon weather that has dominated Colorado this summer, EcoFlight teamed up with SREP for a day of very successful flights, flying State Senator Isgar and staff from Senator Salazar’s office, along with reporters and photographers over this remote and threatened wilderness region. As often happens, the experience of flying this region brought this issue into sharp focus, allowing participants and the public, through press reports, a closer view of the great impact the Village project could impart upon this important wildlife linkage area. Following the flight Senator Salazar issued a press release stating, "At the end of the day, I just don't see how a project of this scope can continue. I've met with the involved parties and asked questions. With the Forest Service's latest answers, it has become even clearer the proposal would require many special concessions without the promise of any real gain for the greater community. Instead, the development brings the threat of dangerous roads, contaminated water and harm to the very wildlife and landscape that makes this area so unique. I will not support a project that hurts the community I represent."

Linkages and Corridors: Critical Connectivity

From the air it quickly becomes clear that sizable habitat for wildlife is rapidly disappearing. To prevent wildlands from becoming islands unable to sustain long-term ecosystem functions, scientists propose the use of corridors and linkages. A corridor implies animal migration travel routes; a linkage refers to a broad area of habitat where dependant species can find food, shelter and security and provide connectivity between larger habitat blocks.