Photos of Mount Ashland - Page 2

Base of the proposed LC-6 lift in the Middle Branch watershed.  Clearcut ski runs and lift lines would extend downhill to this point at 5950 feet elevation--within the zone of normally low snowpack on Mt A.

One of the wetland meadows to be crossed by ski runs in the Middle Branch watershed.  Ski runs would be clearcut into and out of this meadow.

Old growth Engelmann spruce in the expansion area; this is the only stand of Engelmann spruce in the entire Siskiyou Mountain range and part of it will be cut for the proposed expansion.

Old-growth Shasta red fir in expansion area, also on the block to be clearcut for ski runs and lifts.  450 log trucks worth of old-growth would be cut (2 million board feet).

View of Middle Branch watershed--this area would be heavily cut for ski runs & lifts.  There is currently no development of any kind in this drainage.

Headwaters of Ashland Creek below the ski area.  Sediment from upslope erosion is transported downstream primarily during snowmelt periods and summer thunderstorms.

Natural underground piping carrying subsurface water is extremely sensitive to disturbance.  Excavators and other heavy equipment would crush these essential water conduits in places, forcing flow overland.

Overflowing catchment basin below ski area.  Sediment traps such as this would be the only protection for Ashland's watershed from eroded material that enters the stream channel.

Ski Ashland's parking lot on March 7, 2003. Note bare ground beginning to show and lack of any fresh snow. These are typical conditions in the Siskiyous: snow is highly variable and unreliable.

Pacific fisher in the proposed expansion area.  Fishers are rare in the Siskiyous but are known to inhabitat the proposed expansion area.  Ski expansion will displace these animals and the widespread degradation of their habitat in the region puts them at risk as a species.

Eroded sediment on top of snowpack below Comer lift.  Much of this sediment will be transported into the East Fork of Ashland Creek and ultimately end up in Reeder Reservoir.

Headwaters of the Middle Branch of the East Fork Ashland Creek.  Ski runs will cross this area and require the use of excavators and heavy equipment to construct a bridge over the stream.

View of the upper East Fork of Ashland Creek watershed.  The ski area is currently located only within this drainage, leaving the adjacent Middle Branch drainage untouched.  The proposed expansion would occur within the pristine Middle Branch drainage.

Mount Ashland Ski Area in summer.  After the snow melts, hillslopes lie bare and exposed to highly erosive summer storms which move sediment downhill and into the East Fork of Ashland Creek.