Mount Hood land exchange will prevent resort development, supporters say

Eric Mortenson, The Oregonian

Supporters say a proposed land swap on Mount Hood will expand wilderness, eliminate a planned destination resort on the mountain's lower northeast slope and protect a drinking water source for Hood River Valley residents.

Under the proposal, the Mount Hood National Forest will trade 108 acres adjacent to Government Camp, on the mountain's south side, for 769 acres owned by Mount Hood Meadows Oregon LLC. The Meadows property includes the Inn at Cooper Spur and is next to the Cooper Spur ski area.

U.S. Forest Service planners will explain the proposal at an open house from 5-7 p.m. today in the Willamette Falls Room of the University Place Hotel, 310 S.W. Lincoln St.

The exchange has been in the works for at least seven years and stalled when critics questioned the validity of an appraisal that showed the properties were of equitable value. At least one critic maintained the Government Camp property was far more valuable, and the federal Government Accounting Office said the appraisals didn't meet standards intended to ensure a fair trade.

But the trade was mandated as part of the Mount Hood wilderness bill approved by Congress in 2009, and new appraisals will be done as part of the process.

The Hood River Valley Residents Committee backs the deal, President Peter Cornelison said. The group has worked for years to prevent destination resort development at Cooper Spur, which is at the upper end of the valley. The legislation will add more than 1,700 acres to the Mount Hood Wilderness and provide permanent protection of the Crystal Springs watershed, which provides drinking water to an estimated 25 percent of Hood River County residents.

"This was a huge issue," Cornelison said. "It's good for Meadows and good for us."

The land exchange resulted from the persistent work of Mount Hood Meadows, the residents committee, Hood River County officials and others, company Chairman Matthew Drake said. He also credited Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., for their work on the wilderness legislation.

The exchange also concentrates development where it already exists, at Government Camp just off U.S. 26 on the opposite side of the mountain. Clackamas County zoning and Government Camp ordinances allow residential and limited commercial development on the land Mount Hood Meadows will acquire. Forest Service documents list the Government Camp property as 120 acres, but Drake said a survey showed it is 108 acres. The company also owns the Mount Hood Meadows ski area nearby.

The wilderness legislation requires protection of a wetland on the Government Camp property. Most of the Cooper Spur land acquired by the national forest will be managed as a watershed protection area.

It's unclear what will happen with the Cooper Spur ski area. Mount Hood National Forest spokesman Rick Acosta said the permit to operate Cooper Spur, now held by Mount Hood Meadows, will be turned back to the government. Others involved in the process speculated that the Forest Service will ask for bids from other potential operators, but Acosta said that thought is premature. A Forest Service document says the property containing the Inn at Cooper Spur has a "unique capability" for ecotourism.