The application, submitted July 3 to the U.S. Forest Service, is a slightly amended version of its March proposal, which was rejected by agency officials because of concerns over the potential intrusion on lynx habitat and big-game winter range.
It only took a few days to make the necessary changes and resubmit the proposal, Jim Gill, the resort's chief operating officer, said Tuesday.
In the amended plan, the developers propose:
n Developing a trail system of Nordic skiing on 966 acres in the Bitterroot National Forest, encompassing 16 miles of existing logging roads and building 19 miles of new trails.
n Establishing a mountain bike trail system on 1,674 acres in both the Bitterroot and Lolo national forests.
n Using 585 acres in the Bitterroot National Forest for guided backcountry skiing. This would be accessible by as many as five snowcoaches capable of ferrying 15 skiers each.
n Thinning 212 forested acres for tree-skiing south of Carlton Ridge Road and west of Maclay Ranch.
These additional acres, if approved, would tie into existing alpine and Nordic ski trails on Maclay's private property.
The agency is concerned about grooming Nordic ski trails in the Lolo National Forest - an area occupied by lynx, according to government scientists. Similar concerns have been raised about big-game wintering grounds in the same area.
In response, the resort eliminated all Nordic skiing in the Lolo National Forest.
On the Bitterroot National Forest, the resort's amended application proposed thinning fewer trees from an area slated for glade skiing. The agency was concerned about visual effects on the Maple Creek area.
Also, the resort asked the agency if it could perform a soil-stability analysis so trails could be rerouted away from any unstable ground.
The U.S. Forest Service has 60 days to review the resort's proposal.
The review is a two-step process. The first step addresses whether the proposal meets federal laws, land-use guidelines, policies and the public's health and safety. The second step assesses the applicant's financial and technical capability to pull off the project.
Should the Forest Service accept the resort's proposal, then a more formal, in-depth review of the project begins. The resort must submit a more detailed application.
It's likely that either an environmental analysis or environmental impact statement will be required. That step alone could take years to complete, said Nan Christianson, a spokeswoman for the Bitterroot National Forest. The public has an opportunity to comment on the project several times during this phase of the process, but not sooner.
The amended special-use permit application is available at www.bitterrootresort.us.
Reporter Chelsi Moy can be reached at 523-5260 or at chelsi.moy@missoulian.com.
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