Snow King Mountain Resort On-mountain Improvements Project Environmental Impact Statement, Bridger-Teton National Forest, Jackson Ranger District, Teton County, Wyoming, 38117-38118 [2018-16559]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
• Forest Service

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 150 (Friday, August 3, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38117-38118]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-16559]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Snow King Mountain Resort On-mountain Improvements Project 
Environmental Impact Statement, Bridger-Teton National Forest, Jackson 
Ranger District, Teton County, Wyoming

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: The Forest Service has accepted a master development plan from 
Snow King Mountain Resort. The master development plan is a multi-year 
plan for improvement and expansion of facilities at the resort, which 
operates in part under special use permit with the Forest Service. The 
proposed action is to update existing facilities and develop new winter 
and summer recreation opportunities. The Forest Service is considering 
the authorization of a permit boundary expansion, building a multi-
function guest services building on the summit of Snow King Mountain, 
adding additional ski lifts and lift upgrades, building new ski runs 
and improving existing runs, expanding and improving snowmaking and 
night-lighting coverage, building a mountain bike park and trail 
system, adding hiking trails, and building additional service 
facilities.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received 
by within 30 days from date of publication of this notice in the 
Federal Register. The draft environmental impact statement is expected 
February 2019 and the final environmental impact statement is expected 
July 2019.

ADDRESSES: Electronic comments are encouraged. Please address any form 
of comments as ``Attention: SKMR On-mountain Improvement Projects.'' 
Electronic comments should be submitted in rich text format (.rtf) or 
Word (.doc) to [email protected]. 
Written comments should be submitted to: Bridger-Teton National 
Forest--Jackson Ranger District, P.O. Box 1689, Jackson, WY 83001--
attention Mary Moore. Comments may be hand-delivered to 340 N. Cache 
St. between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding 
holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mary Moore, Jackson District Ranger, 
[email protected] or (307) 739-5410. Individuals who use 
telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8:00 a.m. 
and 8:00 p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Snow King Mountain Resort's multi-year 
master development plan proposes improvements and expansion of 
facilities at the resort, which operates in part under special use 
permit with the Forest Service. This Notice of Intent initiates the 
scoping period for this project and allows the Forest Service to 
provide background information, the project's purpose and need, the 
proposed actions, preliminary issues, the scoping process, cooperating 
agencies, the responsible official, and the decision to be made. These 
details are outlined below.

Background

    Snow King Mountain Resort was one of the original ski areas to be 
permitted on National Forest Land and has been in operation for more 
than seventy years. The resort is adjacent to the southern boundary of 
the town of Jackson, Teton County, Wyoming, and is known locally as the 
``Town Hill.'' Roughly the lower quarter of the resort is private land 
where base-area facilities (e.g. Snow King Resort Hotel, rental 
condominiums, ticket sales, equipment rental, food service, and 
parking), the bottom terminals and lower portions of the resort's three 
chairlifts and associated ski terrain, and summer recreational 
infrastructure (e.g. alpine slide, mountain coaster, and ropes course) 
are located. The upper three-quarters of the resort are on National 
Forest System land (338 acres in the permit area) that comprises the 
three chairlift top terminals, ski terrain, and service roads.
    The resort's ski terrain totals about 400 acres, including about 
135 acres of developed ski runs and 265 acres of natural openings and 
tree skiing areas, between and around the developed runs. The resort's 
snowmaking system includes much of the ski terrain on both private and 
public land, and night lighting covers roughly the lower half of the 
existing slopes.

Purpose and Need

    Two emerging developments in the mountain resort industry underlie 
the purpose and need for the proposed action. First, extensive customer 
surveys conducted by the ski industry indicate that visitors are 
increasingly seeking a more diverse range of recreational activities, 
particularly for families, that includes year-round opportunities and 
activities that are more adventurous. The Forest Service response to 
this trend includes our 2012 introduction of the Framework for 
Sustainable Recreation, which sets goals for providing a diverse array 
of recreational opportunities aimed at connecting people with the 
outdoors and promoting healthy lifestyles, in partnership with other 
public and private recreation providers.
    Second, passage of the Ski Area Recreational Opportunity 
Enhancement Act of 2011 provides direction on the types of summer 
activities the Forest Service should consider authorizing to round out 
the range of opportunities provided to the public at permitted mountain 
resorts.
    Reflecting these considerations, the purposes to be achieved 
through the proposed action are:
     To maintain and improve the winter sport infrastructure on 
National Forest System lands at Snow King Mountain Resort.
     To provide new and innovative forms of year-round outdoor 
recreation for residents and visitors to Jackson Hole, using the 
existing resort infrastructure as the hub.
     To capitalize on the established relationship between the 
Bridger-Teton National Forest and Snow King Mountain Resort that 
connects visitors with the natural environment and supports the quality 
of life and the economy of the local community.
    The needs that must be resolved in order to achieve these purposes 
include:
     Improve and increase beginner and intermediate ski 
terrain, lifts, and facilities to serve as the primary ski resort in 
Jackson, WY to introduce and recruit new skiers to the sport.
     Expand snowmaking on the mountain to enable an early 
November opening for ski race training, provide coverage to the upper 
mountain, and aid in fire prevention.
     Introduce high-quality guest service facilities to attract 
and retain local and destination skiers, serve as an event venue, and 
provide an outdoor education center for Jackson residents and visitors.
     Provide access to a wide range of year-round activities 
catering to a

[[Page 38118]]

variety of visitors passing through the Town of Jackson.

Proposed Action

    The Bridger-Teton National Forest proposes to authorize Snow King 
Mountain Resort to implement the following projects on National Forest 
System lands in Teton County, Wyoming under a special use permit:
     A new ski school/teaching center on the ridgeline west of 
the Snow King summit.
     Development of skiing in the natural bowl on the back 
side, south of the Snow King summit. This southernmost portion of the 
current special use permit area is suitable for development of low-
intermediate and intermediate level ski terrain, complementing the 
summit teaching center.
     A 67-acre special use permit boundary adjustment on the 
front side, east of the existing permit area, to accommodate part of a 
summit access road/novice skiway, intermediate-level terrain lower on 
the slope (including groomed runs and tree and glade skiing), and a 
novice route down from Rafferty lift (via the access road/novice 
skiway).
     An 89-acre special use permit boundary adjustment on the 
front side, west of the existing permit area, to accommodate a summit 
teaching center, another part of the summit access road/novice skiway, 
and to accommodate expert-level tree and glade skiing.
     New ski terrain totaling about 97.5 acres (groomed runs 
and teaching terrain).
     Upgrading the existing Summit lift to a gondola, and 
installation of one new chair lift, two teaching area conveyors, and 
one surface lift.
     On-mountain facilities (the summit restaurant/guest 
services building and ski patrol facility, a temporary ski patrol 
building at the top of Cougar, an observatory and planetarium at the 
summit, a wedding venue west of the summit building, and a year-round 
yurt camp at the southern point of the special use permit area).
     147.1 acres of added snowmaking (with few exceptions, all 
existing and proposed runs).
     Improved and expanded lighting for night skiing.
     Front-side mountain bike trails and a back-side mountain 
bike zone.
     Hiking trails between the summit and the west base, west 
of Exhibition run.
     A zip line from the summit to the west base area, 
paralleling the Summit lift.

    A more detailed description of the proposed action, including maps, 
is available at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=54202.

Preliminary Issues

    Preliminary issues include potential effects on watershed 
resources, local plant and animal species, scenic integrity, 
socioeconomics, and other recreational use.

Scoping Process

    This notice of intent initiates the scoping process, which guides 
the development of the environmental impact statement. In addition, a 
public open house is proposed for 2019 during the formal comment period 
on the draft environmental impact statement.
    It is important that reviewers provide their comments at such times 
and in such manner that they are useful to the agency's preparation of 
the environmental impact statement. Therefore, comments should be 
provided prior to the close of the comment period and should clearly 
articulate the reviewer's concerns and contentions.
    Comments received in response to this solicitation, including the 
names and addresses of those who comment, will be part of the public 
record for this proposed action. Comments submitted anonymously will be 
accepted and considered.

Lead and Cooperating Agencies

    The Forest Service will be the lead federal agency, in accordance 
with 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 1501.5(b), and is responsible 
for the preparation of the environmental impact statement. The Town of 
Jackson is a cooperating agency. Scoping will determine if any 
additional cooperating agencies are needed.

Responsible Official

    Patricia O'Conner, Forest Supervisor, Bridger-Teton National 
Forest.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    The responsible official will decide whether to authorize Snow King 
Mountain Resort to implement the actions, as proposed in the master 
development plan, in full, part or modified, or to take no action. If 
the decision is to authorize Snow King Mountain Resort's actions in a 
special use permit, then the responsible official will also decide what 
design features and monitoring will be required.

    Dated: July 9, 2018.
Chris French,
Associate Deputy Chief, National Forest System.
[FR Doc. 2018-16559 Filed 8-2-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3411-15-P