Viewpoint: Montana facing pressures of industrial tourism ie Holland Lake

Invoice Lombardi

The rollout of a proposal by considered one of North America’s largest ski builders to triple the scale of Holland Lake Lodge and produce industrial tourism and industrial recreation to the agricultural, wildlife-rich Swan Valley in western Montana was a whole and utter catastrophe.

After two months of vehement public opposition, the growth proposal by POWDR, the Utah-based ski developer that promotes “soulful” experiences via high-impact recreation, fell to earth in flames – just like the 1937 Hindenburg dirigible catastrophe in New Jersey.

The airship caught hearth and was destroyed when it tried to dock, and resulted in iconic pictures that echo as we speak. As Wikipedia says, “The publicity shattered public confidence within the big, passenger-carrying inflexible airship and marked the abrupt finish of the airship period.”

The identical could be stated of POWDR. Its full mishandling of the growth proposal, which was years within the making and secret, has shattered any public belief and confidence within the ski big in addition to lodge proprietor Christian Wohlfeil. POWDR’s ham handedness splattered mud on the U.S. Forest Service’s Flathead Nationwide Forest, which, after selling the venture, shortly dumped the appliance due to inaccuracies, obfuscations and misrepresentations identified by the watchdog public.

Sixty-four hundred of 6,500 commenters to the Forest Service – People – can’t be incorrect once they opposed the venture for the pristine lake and ecosystem that sits in a valley between two wilderness areas and harbors threatened grizzly bears, lynx and bull trout, gives postcard-worthy pictures, and is dwelling to nesting loons and a pure solace exhausting to search out on this evermore crowded, tech-hungry world.

Sure, POWDR confirmed they actually didn’t do their homework and ignored Forest Service recommendation to satisfy with domestically affected communities way back. Sporting flannel shirts at group conferences in October in Condon and Seeley, POWDR representatives blithely promoted their plan to develop “boutique” lodging that function “bunkies” and Adirondack structure – a mode native to New York the place rustic “camps” had been constructed with native supplies for the rich.

Discuss out of contact and never realizing your market and group. True, all People personal the general public land on which the lodge sits. However 99 p.c of 6,500 feedback had been against the venture due to its potential deleterious results on the surroundings and large footprint in a rural valley that doesn’t need to be one other Huge Sky or Yellowstone Membership.

But, the ineptitude of POWDR and Wohlfiel, and the Forest Service’s lack of due diligence and incapacity to appropriately interact the general public, created a unity within the Seeley-Swan communities that transcends politics and prompted an understanding that residents want to face collectively to assist to guard the integrity of the lengthy, slim Swan valley, as has been accomplished within the Blackfoot Valley via the Blackfoot Problem. (The Problem’s group members work collectively to maintain the Blackfoot watershed a working rural panorama.)

It’s a ardour for place.

The POWDR debacle spawned a large motion to oppose this boondoggle and a dedication to proceed to find out the way forward for the valley that features actual public involvement and isn’t simply managed by self-interested personal companies and an enormous federal forms. Our voice issues, it doesn’t matter what others say.

So, thanks, POWDR, Holland Lake Lodge and Forest Service – you’ve made the general public perceive they management their public lands and definitely have a voice in the way forward for their communities.

Astute group members additionally notice that policymakers now should determine a option to throttle the push on the gasoline to hawk industrial tourism and industrial recreation on or close to our public lands. Unbridled recreation and tourism – designed to commodify and monetize our distinctive pure, cultural and social heritage and public lands – may in the end destroy the sweetness, wildlife, and sanctity of this particular place – our dwelling – that all of us share and need to hand right down to future generations.

Let’s not foul our nest and destroy our pure infrastructure.

As one influential space chief sagely advised Save Holland Lake members, “They’re not making any extra Swan Valleys.”

So let’s not make any extra silly errors: Take heed to us – the American public.

Save Holland Lake members embrace Lucy Dayton; Pete Feigley; Jacole Johnson; Invoice Lombardi; Jim Morrison; David Roberts; Grace Siloti; Cheri Thornton; Jack Wade.