South Lake Tahoe, Calif. – The U.S. Forest Service will analyze a proposal from Heavenly Mountain Resort to expand year-round, non-skiing activities at the Lake Tahoe resort and is inviting public comment on the scope of its analysis . The Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) are also preparing environmental analyses of the proposal.
New activities would include zipline and skycycle canopy tours, a mountain bike park, a ropes course, water activities, hiking trails, mountain excursion tours and nature interpretation. Heavenly is also proposing to create a snow cat emergency evacuation route for the gondola line.
Adventure Peak would continue to serve as the primary access portal and hub for most of the proposed activities. However, the proposal would extend activities beyond Adventure Peak to provide natural resource-based recreation in the East Peak Lake Basin to the east and the Sky Meadows Basin to the west. A combination of ski lifts, hiking trails, zip lines or similar conveyances and summer roads would link all three activity centers. The proposal is consistent with Heavenly’s Master Development Plan and the Ski Area Recreational Opportunity Enhancement Act of 2011.
Comments on the scope of the EIS must be received by December 20, 2013. The Forest Service expects to release a draft EIS for public comment in August 2014 and a final EIS in January 2015. To view the notice of intent, visit http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/
Two public meetings will provide the opportunity to learn more about the proposal. The proposal will come before TRPA’s Advisory Planning Commission on Wednesday, December 4, 2013, at 9:30 am in the TRPA Board Rooms, 128 Market Street, Stateline, Nev. On Wednesday, December 18, a public scoping workshop will take place from 5:30 until 7:30 p.m. at the Forest Supervisor’s Office, 35 College Drive, South Lake Tahoe, Calif.
