Judge Strikes Down Wolf Creek Pass Development

The infamous "No Pillage at Wolf Creek" stickers had a big win! Friendsofwolfcreek.org photo. 

DURANGO, Colo. —  According to a report in the Durango Herald, a federal judge struck down a land swap Friday that would have enabled the development of the controversial “Village at Wolf Creek.”

The decision was deemed a big win for Southwest Colorado-based environmental groups like the San Juan Citizens Alliance and Friends of Wolf Creek, who have lobbied extensively against the hypothetical development.

The village first proposed by Texas oilman B.J. “Red" McComb’s over 30 years ago would — if approved — include a resort with a capacity of 8,000 to 10,000 people at an elevation of over 10,000 feet, 20 miles from the nearest town.

The order rules in the favor of community groups who have been fighting this ill-conceived project for decades.

“The order rules in the favor of community groups who have been fighting this ill-conceived project for decades,” Energy & Conservation Law attorney Travis Stills told The Herald. “This is an important decision that respects the law, the environment and, importantly, agency staffers who tried to protect the national forest, despite the constant barrage of political pressure.”

The judge’s order nullifies a prior National Forest decision that would have allowed the McCombs development, but since approval has been heavily criticized as not taking seriously the environmental impacts of the proposed 10,000 person village at the headwaters of the Rio Grande River.

In a clearly worded opinion, Senior Judge Richard P. Matsch agreed that the Forest Service had not conducted a rigorous environmental impact statement and the whole process had been unduly subjected to outside political pressure.

“Before taking any major action, a federal agency must stop and take a careful look to determine the environmental impact of that decision, and listen to the public before taking action,” he wrote. “The Forest Service failed to do that.”

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stash member Sam Morse

TGR Editor-at-Large. author of The Ski Town Fairytale and creative behind The Bumion. Lover of steep-and-deep lines, long trails—and hot springs waiting in the distance.