Forest Society Statement on DRED Mount Sunapee Draft Decision

On April 16, 2015, we learned that Commissioner Jeff Rose of the NH Dept. of Resources and Economic Development (DRED) announced a draft decision to allow a modified expansion of the ski area at Mount Sunapee State Park.

The Forest Society, given it's long history of involvement in land and resources now stewarded as part of the State Park, has raised a number of questions related to the proposed expansion as part of the decision-making process. We have not been an advocate for or against the proposed expansion.

We are pleased that there is a 50-day comment period regarding Commissioner Rose's draft decision, and we look forward to commenting as part of the planned public hearing on May 5, 2015. In the meantime, we are famiiarizing ourselves with the revised proposal and attendant proposed mitigation.

We think it is positive that the State is insisting that any ski area should be on state owned land.  We still have questions about the appropriate timing of any transfer of private land to the state for inclusion in the state park.

Also, we believe that the idea of prohibiting any exclusive access to the State Park is a good standard, but we have questions about how this would be managed and enforced. 

We remain concerned about the health of the exemplary natural community which DRED itself has identified, and we have questions about the state's legal responsibility relative to protecting those exemplary natural communities.

The original reason that the Forest Society started protecting Mt. Sunapee in 1911, and assisted in its eventual transfer to the State, was to ensure that the ancient forests on its slopes be protected for posterity.  As the current steward of this public treasure, DRED should continue the work started in 1911 and use its authority to sustain the ecological health of these forests within the State Park.