Bitterroot Resort Rejected Again – Forest Service Reply [AUDIO]

A community group 'Supporters of a Public Bitterroot Resort' announced Thursday that the U. S. Forest Service has once again rejected their proposal to build a world-class resort near Lolo.

Group coordinator Dick King said his group was 'shocked and angered by the Forest Service managers who responded to the latest proposal in a simplistic and cavalier manner'.

The group also wants to know why their proposal 'does not fit the Forest Plan'.

Here is the news release from Supporters for a Public Bitterroot Resort

Supporters of a Public Bitterroot Resort

409 W. Artemos Dr.

Missoula, MT  59803

www.supportbitterrootresort.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Community Group Disputes Forest Service Decision

Florence, MT

November 1, 2012

            The United States Forest Service failed to give a green light to the latest proposal for a world class resort near Lolo, Montana, despite the fact that for 50 years the agency has identified the area’s potential for development. If left to stand, the agency’s decision will mean that the Resort’s proposal will not be accepted as an application for a Special Use Permit, and the public will denied the opportunity to comment on the details of the plan during the environmental review process.

Community members from across West Central Montana have been meeting weekly since February to gather and disseminate information about this important project. The all-volunteer group, called Supporters of a Public Bitterroot Resort, has about 100 participants who represent many other individuals and organizations in the region. “We were shocked and angered by the Forest Service managers who responded to the latest proposal in a simplistic and cavalier manner,” stated Bill Zader, one of many local businessmen and women who established the support group. The agency’s determination that the proposal “does not fit the Forest Plan” clearly contradicts many elements of the current Lolo and Bitterroot forest plans.

The Supporters of a Public Bitterroot Resort want to know why the Resort’s proposal is “not consistent” with the forest plans and what modifications are needs to make it acceptable. Development of a public destination four-season resort would create at least two thousand new jobs in the first ten years, stimulate income growth, increase access to the National Forest without harming the environment, and provide world class recreational opportunities.

For further information, contact Dick King, Coordinator,(406) 880-0720, or visit our web site (www.supportbitterrootresort.com).

Below is the audio interview with Dick King

Boyd Hartwig is the spokesman for the Lolo National Forest, one of the officials that considered and rejected the latest Bitterroot Resort proposal. Hartwig says the area the group wants to use for the resort does not allow for any public accommodations. He said the group, along with businessman Tom MacClay, has been presenting proposals for a ski and recreation resort since 2003.

Lolo National Forest spokesman Boyd Hartwig