I have read many articles on the proposed Village at Wolf Creek as well as writing one in opposition. In the article of 8-7-18 the developers and supporters of LMJV spend an excessive amount of column inches on the recent USFS’s ROD that recognizes LMJV’s legal right to access their 288-acre property.

This is the first area where details are omitted. Legal access can be a footpath, a single vehicle track or a traffic conduit like I-25. Like any project, whether financial or otherwise, the devil is in the details (aka the fine print.) The amount of land needed for their access is just one of those details.

Examination of the visual rendering provides more concerns not addressed in the 8-7-18 article. Even with the density reduction to 1711 units, a 70-room hotel, along with cabins and “glamping areas,” there are still ample concerns for objection. This project is the size of a small city and will generate waste in similar amounts. All of this waste is in the Upper Pass Creek drainage with close proximity to Alberta Park Reservoir, Tucker Ponds and Lower Pass Creek.

The geography of the Pass Creek drainage dictates where all waste water will travel. Pass Creek joins the South Fork of the Rio Grande at Twin Bridges and the main Rio Grande River at South Fork.

As I stated in my previous letter, Mineral County benefits greatly from tax revenue, Archuleta County benefits because Wolf Creek Ski headquarters are in Pagosa Springs, and Rio Grande County is the sole beneficiary of all the waste, solid and liquid, from the Village at Wolf Creek. Water requirements for such a project are immense and yet the details have been omitted regarding amount needed or acquisition.

The entire Pass Creek drainage is being sacrificed so LMJV can succeed. Water quality prior to any development is critical to establish a reference point for future studies. A water treatment plant is a basic requirement for such a massive project. Very strict standards have to be maintained on a year-round basis, not just during ski season. Water quality is more important than LMJV’s profits and influence.

Lynx habitat will be altered when visitors’ pets are present. The lynx will be branded as “bad cats” when dining upon pets. Their overall hunting area will be reduced and their nature changed forever. The aquatic environment below the proposed Village at Wolf Creek will be more adversely affected.

LMJV’s promoters and supporters present themselves as environmentally favorable. Their concern for “the environment” really translates to a concern for “their environment.”

The proposed Village at Wolf Creek is another developer’s caldron that is populated by man “devil’s details.”

Sincerely

Hugh L. Fuchs

Del Norte