The Mount Ashland Association

Just who is the Mount Ashland Association and what do they do?

The Mount Ashland Association (MAA) is a non-profit corporation that operates the Mount Ashland Ski Area under the name Ski Ashland.  The MAA is in charge of operating the ski area and maintaining the infrastructure.  The MAA is the entity that has proposed the expansion of the ski area into the City of Ashland's municipal watershed and the McDonald Peak Roadless Area.

MAA does not own the land the ski area is on and they do not own the lifts or the lodge.  They are not the Special Use Permit Holder that allows the ski area to operate.   The City of Ashland owns the ski area infrastructure and the Special Use Permit from the US Forest Service that allows the ski area to operate on Federal land.  The City leases the permit to the MAA for $1/year.  The people of Ashland, therefore, subsidize the operation of the ski area by paying for all but $1/year of the permit costs (which are substantial).

The MAA is run by a self-elected board of directors.  Although Mount Ashland Ski Area claims to be a community-owned, members of the public have no say in the actions of the MAA and cannot choose who is on the board of directors.  Meetings are not open to the public with the exception of one annual public meeting.  The MAA has no accountability to the community or general public.

MAA Advocates Removing Public Participation from Federal Land Management

In September 2002, the MAA went on the public record advocating the removal of the public appeals process from the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).  This is something that would make any money-hungry mining company or timber products corporation very happy because it removes a level of public participation from the decision-making process on federal lands.  Appeals by citizens and environmental groups have blocked or altered many harmful timber sales and mining proposals, resulting in greater protection of our public lands.  Ski Ashland wants so badly to expand their ski area (which operates on leased federal land) that they are advocating the appeals process be discarded from NEPA, even though this would have negative ramifications for improving federal land management across the country.  This is consistent with their expansion proposal which would come at a high environmental cost and inconsistent with the image of environmental-friendliness that Ski Ashland puts forth. 

Next time you hear Ski Ashland's General Manager Jeff Hanson talk about how environmentally sensitive the ski area is, ask why they advocate removing the public appeals process from NEPA.

"The [NEPA] appeal process in itself is an unreasonable time consuming process...there is no reason to waste time and effort with an administrative appeals process.  If the appellant is truly serious, then they will pursue a legal appeal."  -From written comments Ski Ashland submitted to the US Council on Environmental Quality. 

Go here to read the full official record of comments submitted by Jeff Hanson/Ski Ashland to the US Council on Environmental Quality (in PDF format - the free Adobe Acrobat Reader is required).

Bed Buddies?: The City of Ashland and the Mount Ashland Association

The City of Ashland and the MAA are closely aligned and have some suspicious connections that aren't publicly acknowledged.  Mayor Alan DeBoer is a former president of the Mount Ashland Association and can hardly contain his enthusiasm for expanding the ski area at any cost.  Even though no expansion has been authorized by the Forest Service, the ski lift needed to operate the expansion now sits behind Mayor Alan DeBoer's family car dealership in Ashland.  Mayor DeBoer recently advocated turning over ownership of the Special Use Permit held by the City to the MAA, thereby removing the City from discussions regarding expansion or operation of the ski area. How are we to believe that the mayor is objective in his actions when he has such a vested interest in the expansion?

The City of Ashland and the Forest Service share responsibility in managing the National Forest Lands that make up the city's watershed, Ashland's only source of drinking water.  The Mount Ashland Ski Area has been proven to be a source of sedimentation for Reeder Reservoir where the city stores its water.  By owning the permit which allows operation of the ski area, the City has the conflicting interest of protecting its water source and facilitating the operation of a facility known to degrade that water source. The city's Charter charges the City Council with protecting the watershed from harm (see below).  City Council can direct the City to terminate the lease of the Special Use Permit to the MAA in order to protect water quality.