Lawmakers question closure of Arizona Snowbowl
Jun 24, 2018, 5:03 AM
(Facebook Photo/Arizona Snowbowl)
(Facebook Photo/Arizona Snowbowl)
A group of lawmakers from southwest states demanded answers about the closure of Arizona Snowbowl.
The ski resort, which gives scenic chair lift rides and family activities over summer, shut down during Memorial Day weekend due to concerns over forest fires. It has remained closed since.
Lawmakers including Arizona Reps. Any Biggs, Paul Gosar, Debbie Lesko, Martha McSally and David Schweikert, don’t feel as though the extended closure has been justified.
“To date, the Forest Service has failed to adequately answer important inquiries from local stakeholders about this shutdown,” a letter signed by a group of 10 representatives said.
The letter said the shutdown has cost the businesses in the area hundreds of thousands of dollars.
They want to hear an explanation or see Snowbowl reopened “immediately.”
According to the Associated Press, 50 people have been out of work since the resort closed.
Snowbowl is part of closures throughout the Coconino National Forest due to fear of fire damage in the midst of an extended drought. Last year, the forest recorded 700 abandoned campfires and 121 illegally built during fire restrictions. That’s a record, AP said.
It’s not unheard of for forests to be shut down. In 2002, Coconino closed for nine weeks and in 2006, it was shut down for nine days.
According to the Arizona Daily Sun, Snowbowl has been included in the closure because it operates on federal land.
The letter from lawmakers referenced a meeting involving Snowbowl operators Mountain Capital Partners and the U.S. Forest Service. According to the letter, USFS was concerned about fires starting on Highway 180 that could spread to the ski resort and “overwhelm its emergency and evacuation procedures.”
The letter pointed out that the resort is about six miles away from the road and sits at an elevation of 3,000 feet higher than Highway 180.
“We are obliged to determine why USFS has taken the unprecedented action of abruptly closing the ski area for reason of a hypothetical rather than actual threat,” the letter said.
