Endangered Species SPECIAL ESA & Water Coverage NEWSCLASSIFIEDSLINKS
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Methow Valley News December 30, 1999 TheYear in Review Fish,water issues dominate 1999 Resort plans end after 30 years by Lee Hicks It is both a pun and an understatement to say 1999 was a watershed year in the Methow Valley. With a backdrop of endangered salmon in the basin, the irrigation season for crops for some either never began or was barely a trickle while huge amounts of water from heavy snowmelt flowed through the Valley down to the Columbia. Water, and state management of it, was also the primary factor leading to the demise of a proposed resort in the upper valley after 30 years of effort by several developers. By year-end, the future of water use in the valley remained uncertain as the county considered an agreement with state and federal agencies to address endangered fish and water issues. Without a plan, residents closed the year facing the possibility of adjudication of water rights and a moratorium on new water uses. The year began with formation of a watershed planning unit, enabled by state law, that Okanogan County officials viewed as a locally based response to address fish and water issues. By spring, however, spring-run Chinook salmon had joined steelhead trout as listed under the Endangered Species Act, along with threatened bull trout. The state Department of Ecology prepared a new water rule for the basin intended to provide more water in streams for fish. But the National Marine Fisheries Service set the stage for the debate when it decided the Forest Service should not issue permits for irrigators on federal land because the water was needed for fish. That decision led to lawsuits by irrigators, an effort to craft a "memorandum of agreement" among county, state and federal officials and a public meeting Nov. 17 attended by 400 residents, most of whom opposed the agreement. At year-end, the MOA discussion had shifted to an initiative by legislators to give local watershed planning a greater role in fish recovery and water-use planning. Arrowleaf resort efforts end Water was at least the proximate cause of a decision by R. D. Merrill Co. to end its eight-year effort to develop Arrowleaf resort, a 1,200-acre project near Mazama that would have included a golf course, housing, retail village and lodging near Mazama. Merrill cited delays by the state Ecology department for its decision to end the "planned destination resort" proposal, leaving the fate of the scenic site in question. Local environmental and conservation groups immediately mounted efforts to purchase the site open space under a 60-day right-to-buy agreement with the owner. At the same time Merrill signaled it would proceed to develop the land as individual building sites under a permit that allows more than 50 lots of 20 acres each. Merrill’s attempt to create a resort capped a series of plans over 30 years by developers that included the Aspen Skiing Company, which in the 1970s envisioned a downhill ski area on Sandy Butte to be called Early Winters. The environmental and administrative battles have ranged from state administrative appeals and court cases to a 1989 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court. Opinion | Sports |
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