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Proposed land deal has Udall fans scratching their heads

By Ed Sealover, Rocky Mountain News

Published October 26, 2008 at 8:32 p.m.
Updated October 26, 2008 at 8:32 p.m.

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Mark Udall

Mark Udall

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U.S. Senate candidate and longtime conservationist Mark Udall is drawing heat from an unlikely constituency — Democrats concerned with the environment — for a land swap he has proposed.

The controversy stems from a little-known bill that Udall, a congressman from Eldorado Springs and favorite of the green movement, introduced in November 2007.

House Resolution 4249, which remains stuck in committee, would trade about 119 acres of U.S. Forest Service land in the St. Mary's Glacier area of Clear Creek County for about 74 acres of private property plus cash.

The private land is owned by Michael Coors' company, which wants to build a ski park and needs the public land to complete it to the scale it wants. Adjacent property owners have opposed the park for years and question whether Udall improperly used his influence to benefit a moneyed private enterprise.

"The main reason it's disturbing is that those legislative land swaps should really be kept for the good of the public and not the good of a very wealthy family," said Heather Ulrich, a Democrat who lives near the area. "It doesn't seem to be consistent to me with Udall's great environmental record."

Both Udall and Coors, a member of the famous brewing family, insist there is nothing questionable about a bill that will allow for the construction of a trailhead for the James Peak Wilderness area and will benefit the community economically.

"Mark ... is currently working with all interested parties to make sure their concerns are taken care of," said Tara Trujillo, Udall's campaign press secretary.

Coors, seeing that his property was intersected at multiple points by Forest Service land, proposed the swap last year to clean up the boundaries, and he offered to build the trailhead and parking area as an incentive.

He went to Udall and asked for a bill only after the Forest Service told him it was understaffed and could not deal with it in a timely fashion, he said.

Introducing the bill on the House floor, Udall emphasized the boundary issues, the trailhead and the enhanced water- quality protection opportunities for the St. Mary's Glacier watershed. He lauded Coors' proposed Eclipse Snow Park for providing "a unique, environmentally sensitive and increasingly sought recreation experience" and said it would benefit the area financially.

Residents who had been working through the county government to block the park said they felt blindsided. While the park can be built without the land swap, Coors said the bill is needed to get it to the size he wants.

Opponents weren't consulted about the bill and have met only sparingly with Udall's staff since to discuss it, said Mark Kline, a Republican and area resident.

The bill would circumvent strict environmental analysis of the swap, which is not in keeping with Udall's record of seeking more studies before moving forward on water-delivery projects and Army base expansions, they said.

Trujillo disputed this, noting that the congressman has agreed to put a clause in the bill if it is reintroduced next year that would require it to go through the normally needed environmental analysis.

But Mark Squillaci, director of the University of Colorado's Natural Law Resources Center, said congressional actions do cut out some of the environmental scrutinies.

Not everyone in the area is fighting the swap. Paul Johnson, who lives in the Alice subdivision and owns 17 properties there, argued the public trailhead that would result from the swap will allow easier access to the wilderness. And the economic growth that a ski park could bring would be welcome, he said.

"As far as the community support, it far outweighs the opposition, to my knowledge," Johnson said.

But part-time resident Don Bucher said opponents question Udall's motives, arguing there already is a pay parking lot near a trailhead, there is no way building a ski area can enhance the water quality of the nearby lake, and most of the boundary lines would remain jagged under the plan.

The deal would not give a green light to the park; the Clear Creek County Board of Commissioners has final say.

The bill will die at the end of this year. Udall has not decided yet whether he will reintroduce it if he wins his Senate race over Republican Bob Schaffer, Trujillo said.

Comments

  • October 27, 2008

    1:11 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    chc writes:

    That was a pretty accurate article. It was just missing a few more rather important facts.

    1) Fall River Road is the only way in or out of the whole area. Whether or not you are for or Coors' snow park and / or HR4249, the road can not safely or legally handle any of the proposed traffic increase. The reader should take a trip up it sometime. Keep a tow company number handy if it snowed out.

    2) Congressman Udall was very inaccurate (Politely put) on HR4249 related speeches as well. Ask the Sheriff, the Board of Commissioners, and the Sierra club about claims of support.

    3) So far many thousands of dollars have gone from the Coors family and its top drawer lobbyists, directly to the Udall for Senate campaign.... just a coincidence I'm sure. I mean after all, the Coors are Republicans.... perhaps reaching out across the isle?