BEAR VALLEY DEVELOPMENT PLAN MOVES AHEAD

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BEAR VALLEY DEVELOPMENT PLAN MOVES AHEAD

SAM Magazine—Bear Valley, Calif., Dec. 18, 2012—Environmentalists, Bear Valley owners and Stanislaus National Forest officials have resolved issues that threatened to delay a planned expansion at the resort.

Central Sierra Environmental Resource Center said on Monday it was withdrawing its appeal of the Forest Service approval of the expansion after the parties agreed to an environmental monitoring and action plan.

Push to The Latest: No

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After Forest Service officials approved the expansion in September, CSERC appealed, claiming the plan failed to mitigate for old growth forest impacts or address increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. CSERC also protested that the plan failed to ensure adequate sewage treatment capacity.

The parties worked out a solution at a meeting in November, which the Forest Service documented in a letter dated Dec. 14. CSERC will monitor forest habitat near a planned ski run; Bear Valley will seek to reduce GHG through steps such as offering 10 percent lift ticket discounts for carpools of four or more per vehicle; and the Bear Valley Water District declared it will be able to handle the expansions sewage treatment requirements.