Skyline Parkway view beautiful, but don't look down
Mountain plan gets spirited debate
Limit development at Spirit Mountain (letter to editor)
More study needed for Spirit course
Be sure on Spirit Mountain
Munger Sr. would want forest intact (letter to the editor)
Spirit Mountain events familiar (letter to the editor)
Spirit Mountain plan faces key test
Spirit Mountain alternatives (letter to editor)
Consider alternatives to proposed Skyline golf course
Great, wise Spirit Mountain forest deserves more thoughtful development
Golf course / EAW alert (letter to editor)
Researcher documents old growth forest at Spirit Mountain
Group petitions to save Spirit wilderness
The Spirit moves

Dec. 26, 1999, Duluth Budgeteer News

Skyline Parkway view beautiful, but don't look down

Nola Dallager picks up trash thrown off Skyline Boulevard. Below, Jim Olson, a park and street maintenance employee, hauls tires up from the Skyline hillside. Hundreds of tires have been retreived from the Skyline area, along with household appliances, furniture, car parts and more.

Sandi Dahl Budgeteer News

Skyline Parkway is one of Duluths treasured attractions.

Pausing at one of the numerous lookouts offers a magnificent view of the community, St. Louis Bay and Lake Superior. Looking down, however, is a view that the city of Duluth has spent thousands of dollars trying to correct.

Its been a dumping ground for years, said Tom Kasper, park maintenance coordinator for the city of Duluth. We actually spend more time picking up illegal dumping material on Skyline than anywhere else in Duluth.

While driving along the winding Skyline Parkway, its hard to imagine that just below on the hillside, right where the woods begin, there is most likely furniture, car parts, diapers, tires, dead animals and more to be found dumped without a care in the world.

Kasper said the city works constantly to try to preserve Skyline as a pristine and natural place, but its still not enough. Kasper said the communitys help is needed.

We just dont have the resources to be up there for what almost constitutes as a daily basis, Kasper said.

Nola Dallager has been a Park and Street Maintenance employee for five years, and said cleanup days for Skyline have been a chore since day one. She said workers can return to a site cleaned up a week ago and find new garbage dumped there.

They even throw their compost down there, Dallager said, and its not that bad if they take it out of the bag.

Employee Jim Olson said one day three loads of couches and chairs were hauled away, but barely made a dent. And last week six one-ton loads of garbage were hauled from the hillside in just two days. A hot water heater was once dumped, and not long ago it took three men to haul a hide-a-bed up from the hillside.

Most of the garbage is brought to city dumpsters, but loads of furniture and other large material are hauled to landfills, Olson said.

Carelessness has been blamed for the dumping problem, and finding the culprit is difficult.

Dave Lockwood, solid waste compliance officer for the city of Duluth, is responsible for taking complaints and for tracking down those responsible.

I go up and do an investigation and see if I can find some named information, where it came from, Lockwood said. Then I follow it up with a personal visit or phone call to find out if garbage service is being provided.

A name was recently found on a credit card receipt at a dumping site along Skyline, and led Lockwood to a residence. He discovered, however, that the residence had been robbed. The burglars took the wanted items and discarded the rest on the Skyline hillside.

Steve Burmeister/Budgeteer News

Many times a person may have paid someone else to dispose of materials, but the person who was paid decided to dispose of the materials improperly. Lockwood said he then tries to track the culprit through canceled checks, but as time goes on the leads get cold.

When Lockwood does have an opportunity to confront an individual, he gives them an ultimatum: Either clean it up or face a citation. Lockwood said he checks the area in a few days, and if its not cleaned up to his satisfaction he confronts the individual again. This way a lesson may be learned instead of a slight financial slap on the hand.

Lockwood said he receives approximately five to eight calls a day from citizens concerned about maintenance problems or improper garbage disposal. About 85 percent of those calls are complaints about dumping on the Skyline hillside, he said, adding that its just a matter of educating yourself about landfill locations and rates.

Rather than do something stupid, make a phone call, Lockwood said. Youre putting yourself in jeopardy. Its senseless to take a chance to violate an ordinance; to do something spur of the moment.

The newly formed Western Skyline Preservation and Planning Alliance has begun to form ideas on how to ease the dumping problem on Skyline Parkway. Larry Varhalla, a member of the alliance, said the problem is a real concern and ideas are being tossed around to find solutions. One idea is to bring a dumpster to Skyline for a day of free garbage disposal, another is to have increased police patrol in the area.

Duluth has many remote and natural areas that are an asset and a liability, Lockwood said, because those areas provide easy and safe access to improper disposal. Another problem area is behind the zoo. Before the area was secured from entry recently, Lockwood said the city was removing material at least twice a month.

Its a sad thing because it reflects on all of us, Lockwood said. Half joking he added that if visitors come to Duluths Skyline Parkway, tell them to look out and dont look down.

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December 1999, Duluth Budgeteer News

Mountain plan gets spirited debate

Duluth Planning Commissioners decided Wednesday to require additional environmental research before approving the proposed golf course and hotel project at Spirit Mountain.

Commissioners will assess a beefed-up Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) before deciding in January whether to approve the project or to require a more detailed study of the site in the form of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

The commissions decision was in accordance with the recommendation of the city planning staff. Senior Planner Jim Mohn said a month would be long enough to get more data regarding concerns raised by the public.

Planners will now look at the projects effect on scenic views, water quality and forest growth, and will also consider alternative recreational uses for the area.

The scope of the EAW if its completed to the satisfaction of this commission will be equal to an EIS, Mohn said.

Mohn said the information required by the Commission could be compiled within the next month, but said an EIS would take at least four months to complete.

Mandating an EIS would require the Commission to decide specifically what environmental impacts need further research. Asking for a more thorough review of the EAW is less specific.

I do not believe this group can come up with the EIS requirements, said Duluth businessman Kent Oliver, who is developing the $23 million championship golf course and 150-room hotel with his partner, George Hovland III.

About 175 people packed into council chambers at City Hall for what Planning Commission Chair Al Billington called the largest audience hed seen at a planning meeting in several years.

Public comment on the project lasted for more than four hours as city councilers, representatives of the Duluth Chamber of Commerce, environmentalists and golf enthusiasts all pitched their ideas at the commission.

While some residents called for better recreation in town and supported the project because of the jobs and increased tax-dollars the golf course and hotel would bring Duluth, most speakers were more concerned with water quality and preservation of the forested land on Spirit Mountain.

Anne Roeser, an attorney and a member of the West Skyline Planning and Preservation Alliance, argued that the lease agreement between the developer and the Spirit Mountain Recreation Authority is invalid, and therefore so is the current EAW.

Its important that you not approach this proposal presuming this project is a done deal, Roeser said.

Commissioner Carol Thomson first suggested requiring an EIS, a motion seconded by commissioner Dolly Schnell.

I feel a responsibility being a human being and a steward of the Earth to take the next step, Schnell said. I would rather error in favor of the environment than error in favor of the developer.

Immediately requiring an EIS was defeated 7-3. Commissioners will revisit the issue on Jan. 11.

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December 1999, Duluth News-Tribune

Limit development at Spirit Mountain (letter to editor)

As a golfer and an environmentalist I believe a golf course can be constructed and maintained in an environmentally friendly manner.

If lodging and convention facilities are required to make this work (and I am not convinced at this point that they are) then they should be built in a manner that blends in with the hillside. To me this means limiting them to one story with the minimum of clearing of trees.

However before any decisions are made we owe it to ourselves and our children to insist that a full environmental impact assessment is performed. Tom E. Fearnall
Duluth

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December 16, 1999, Duluth News-Tribune

More study needed for Spirit course

By Jason Skog
News-Tribune staff writer

Additional environmental research is needed for a proposed golf course and hotel project at Spirit Mountain, the Duluth Planning Commission voted Wednesday.

However, the commission stopped short of requiring a full-blown Environmental Impact Statement now. Instead, commissioners voted to postpone that decision and await supplemental information for the existing Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW).

The 9-1 vote fell in line with the city planning staff recommendation.

Senior Planner Jim Mohn said that based on public comments, his staff is requesting more data. In particular, planners are pursuing information regarding potential impact to surface water, water runoff and input on scenic views, plus discussion of alternative recreational uses for the area and a better summary of possible cumulative effects.

``By your next meeting, we believe we can complete that process, and, at the end of that, you still have the option of making a negative declaration (allowing the project to move forward) or of calling for an EIS,'' Mohn said.

An EIS would take at least another four months to complete, Mohn said. The additional information should be ready by the commissioners' meeting next month.

Duluth businessmen Kent Oliver and George Hovland III are developing a $23 million championship golf course and 150-room lodge at Spirit Mountain. Oliver said much of the land is privately owned, and the area was intended to provide year-round recreational facilities and spur economic development.

``At this particular time, there isn't a year-round facility at Spirit Mountain,'' Oliver said. ``It's for the benefit of the city of Duluth and the state of Minnesota.''

Oliver said he and his business team have taken an environmental approach to developing the golf course.

Most of those with concerns about the existing environmental study said they felt it was incomplete and that a more exhaustive Environmental Impact Statement is needed.

It was standing room only for a crowd of about 200 people in council chambers at City Hall for what Planning Commission chair Al Billington called the largest audience he'd seen for a planning commission meeting in several years.

Russell Stover, a 5th District city councilor-elect and lifelong resident of the area, said he would like the planning board to require an EIS.

``People in the 5th District do not support this project,'' Stover said. ``Ten percent of the woods being cut there is not true. Traffic is a problem there now.''

``This is not about golf,'' he said. ``This is about public land and public forest.''

Larry Varhalla, 9621 W. Skyline Parkway, said his biggest concern is the chemicals used on the golf course.

``Whatever goes in the ground up there at that golf course is ending up in my well,'' Varhalla said. ``Anything more than a zero percent chance of that happening is too much.''

Jim Balogh, a Duluth soil scientist working on the golf course development, said compared to the entire forested area of 2,100 acres, the roughly 94 acres of cutting required for the golf course is minimal.

Balogh said there are no plans to use insecticides for the golf course, herbicides are only planned for spot treatment and fungicides at only moderate rates. The course will be maintained primarily through organic and physical methods, he said.

Still, Balogh conceded there is a need for more study about the continued effects of turf grass management.

Noted Minnesota golf course designer Joel Goldstrand is designing the Spirit Mountain course and said it would be on a ``tremendous'' site and preserve as much of the original geography as possible.

``My design criteria for all golf courses involves using the land as it is,'' Goldstrand told commissioners.

Anne Roeser, a member of the West Skyline Planning and Preservation Alliance, said the EAW neglected to include information on the lease agreement for the golf course land. She said state law indicates the lease between the developer and the Spirit Mountain Recreation Authority is invalid, and therefore so is the EAW.

``The problem with this is that state law is clear that an EAW is needed before any governmental agency can take action on a project,'' she said.

Roeser said the law ensures the public entities decide whether such a project should proceed and not simply how.

Herb Bergson of Smithville, a former mayor of Superior, said he's a longtime golfer and recognizes the potential economic impact.

``Since when is money everything?'' Bergson asked. ``I can guarantee you all that runoff is going to come down my creek, and into my home.''

``If we don't have an EIS to know where it's going, it's criminal,'' he added.

Commissioner Carol Thomson was first to suggest requiring an EIS, a motion seconded by Commissioner Dolly Schnell.

``I have a lot of questions in my mind after hearing from a lot of people who certainly have educated opinions,'' Thomson said. ``I saw there are a lot of questions about the EAW. I just want to make sure that if we're doing it, we're going to do it right.''

In the end, Schnell was alone in voting for the more comprehensive EIS at this stage.

``I feel I have every good reason to go ahead with a full EIS and take it to the next level,'' Schnell said. ``And I feel a responsibility as a steward of the Earth and a human being.''

Commissioners will again take up the issue at their Jan. 11 meeting at 9 a.m. in City Council chambers, third floor, Duluth City Hall.

Jason Skog covers Duluth city government and the community. He can be reached at (218) 723-5330 or by e-mail: jskog@duluthnews.com

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December 14, 1999, Duluth News-Tribune

Be sure on Spirit Mountain

The News-Tribune's View

Hotel, golf course would be nice amenities, but a full environment impact review is needed to assure that trees, wetlands and streams are safeguarded

A proposed 160-room Timber Ridge Lodge on five acres of land would be a fine addition to the existing Spirit Mountain ski area. A proposed 18-hole golf course, if done responsibly, could provide activity in summer.

Given what we know about the waters and forests on Spirit Ridge, however, we should take the step of doing a thorough environmental review. We want City Council members to make informed decisions about sensitive areas that should be avoided altogether and buffer zones and other protective measures for areas better suited to golf course development.

When the Duluth City Council approved a Spirit Mountain Master Land Use Plan that included a 200-acre, 18-hole golf course 29 years ago, we knew much less about the effects of golf courses on the natural environment.

Flawless green carpets need huge amounts of insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and fertilizers. In the past, golf courses often leveled pristine natural areas. Today, our public policymakers do much more to make good decisions about the siting, design, construction and operation of golf courses to avoid negative environmental effects.

Nearly 300 acres of the proposed 432-acre, 18-hole golf course site are owned by the people of Duluth. All of us have a responsibility to see that this site is developed right -- ``by a timely and intelligent plan of development,'' as the legislation creating the Spirit Mountain Recreation Area requires.

So far, an environmental assessment worksheet has been done. The next step is for the Duluth Planning Commission to recommend an Environmental Impact Statement at its meeting Wednesday.

We know from the early assessment that the Spirit Mountain site has a northern hardwood forest with trees from 78- to 135-years-old and potential within the next few decades to develop into a high-quality old-growth forest. It includes headwaters of an important trout reproduction stream for which shade and water quality are important. Its creeks and streams flow into the pollution-fragile St. Louis River. Abundant wetlands provide wildlife habitat, improve water quality and provide runoff control. We know, too, that several homes south of the site have shallow, hand-dug wells.

Loss of forest and runoff from insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and fertilizers are issues city officials must address in depth before this project goes forward.

The Duluth City Council last June approved a resolution requiring an environmental assessment worksheet and a review that addresses:

- Impact on the hardwood forests and a written plan to minimize any impact on the forest;

- Impact the development will have on the drinking water wells of homeowners in the area as well as nearby natural water bodies;

- Plans for the use of fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides and fungicides and information about fertilizer, insecticide, herbicide and fungicide runoff and leaching.

An Environmental Impact Statement would flesh out these important issues in more depth than the less-thorough environmental assessment. Get on with it.

How You Can Get Involved

The Duluth Planning Commission discusses the proposed Spirit Mountain golf course 5 p.m. Wednesday at City Hall. You can also write a letter to the editor by e-mail to letters@duluthnews.com or by mail at 424 W. First St., Duluth MN 55805.

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December 14, 1999, Duluth News-Tribune

Munger Sr. would want forest intact (letter to the editor)

My dad was not opposed to a golf course in Duluth, and he felt the U.S. Steel Plant site was a good location. Please plan very carefully before you destroy a beautiful hardwood forest for the development of a golf course.
Pat Munger Lehr
Duluth

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December 14, 1999, Duluth News-Tribune

Spirit Mountain events familiar (letter to the editor)

This time the backdrops are the scenic hills of western Duluth; Spirit Ridge. healthy forest, public land, vulnerable hillside, all the supporting cast. Unfortunately, the directors of this play will only reveal the subplots because the full story is not known.

Festivities and gala surround the production with cheers that this will be the act that will make the company flourish. Unfortunately, the reviews have already been written: This is nothing new, this will not last, this will not pay. The remnants of cast members, ravaged hillside, fragmented forest, sullen public, hang their heads and hope that some day they'll get to write the play.
Philip Monson
Duluth

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December 13, 1999, Duluth News-Tribune

Spirit Mountain plan faces key test

By Jason Skog News-Tribune staff writer

The debate over the proposed Spirit Mountain golf course at Wednesday's Duluth Planning Commission meeting should signal whether developers face a chip shot or a long drive to finish the project.

If commissioners find flaw with the environmental study up for discussion, the $23 million, 18-hole championship golf course and 150-room lodge could be delayed indefinitely. If they are satisfied with the study, the proposed project goes to the Duluth City Council for consideration of building permits.

Developers Kent Oliver and George Hovland III say they are optimistic the project will move ahead.

Project opponents say they'll air their objections at Wednesday's 5 p.m. hearing in City Hall, third floor. They plan to highlight what they consider shortcomings in the Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) and press for a more comprehensive study.

And those who have mounted similar attempts to block golf course projects say this is a critical stage in the planning process. Approval at this point makes changing something down the road all the more difficult, they say.

Meanwhile, the developers insist they'll remedy whatever is needed to move the project forward.

``There are some concerns that need to be addressed,'' Hovland said. ``A little has to do with the old growth (woods) -- a finger or so sticking up into the Spirit Mountain Recreation Area.''

Environmentalists say that section of old growth hardwood forest is between 150 and 200 years old and worthy of protection.

Several golf holes have been reconfigured to try and preserve various wetlands and tree stands within the project, Hovland said.

Yellow birch and red maple trees are most prominent among the 20 or so acres of hardwood trees that make up the 94 total acres of trees marked to be cut down.

Still, Hovland and Oliver say they don't consider those issues serious enough to block the golf course or warrant further review.

``We, as a developer, see everything as manageable,'' Hovland said. ``There are others who don't feel that way.''

The 432 acres needed for the golf course include 277 acres for nine holes on land owned by the Spirit Mountain Recreation Area, 153 acres for another nine holes on land in Midway Township and another 6.2 acres in the city of Proctor.

The land not owned by the Spirit Mountain Recreation Authority, a public entity of the city of Duluth, is owned privately by the golf course developers. The entire project is being developed with private money; no public dollars are at stake.

The accompanying lodge-style hotel also is a private endeavor expected to serve golfers in the summer and Spirit Mountain skiers in the summer.

The land is made up of woods and wetlands with cross-country ski trails and a state snowmobile trail running through it.

Duluth's Planning Commission is the Regulating Governmental Unit for the project and is responsible for signing off on the required environmental studies.

Group opposes course

The project's most formal and active opponents are members of the West Skyline Planning and Preservation Alliance.

Nancy Nelson, a founding member of the grassroots planning group, said they have submitted comments on the environmental study to the Duluth Planning Commission and City Council.

``We found the EAW to be incomplete,'' Nelson said, adding that they are recommending a more extensive environmental review -- an Environmental Impact -- is needed.

Among the areas of concern the EAW highlights are the existence of a mature northern hardwood forest stand, the headwaters of a protected trout habitat, various wetlands throughout the site area, potential runoff of chemicals and pesticides from a sometimes steep and rocky terrain and the spiritual significance of the land to American Indians.

Terry Brown, a member of the Skyline group and an ecologist, said EAWs typically serve as ``an initial looksee'' at a project's scope and potential environmental impact. They also help determine if more research is required.

He said the study produced for the Spirit Mountain golf course clearly signals a need for more study.

``In many cases they outline concerns without talking about the impact,'' Brown said. ``They answer the question by repeating the question.''

Their chief concerns regarding the EAW are that it does not include adequate:

- Discussion of the impacts on the northern hardwood forest, wetlands, plants of special concern or the animals that live within the forest and wetlands.

- Discussion of potential traffic impacts.

- Discussion of potential groundwater contamination due to runoff from the golf course.

- Evaluation of the potential visual impacts of the project.

- Discussion of the cumulative environmental impacts or discussion of alternative plans.

The EAW does not address the issue of forest fragmentation or scenic impact, Brown said.

``There are a lot of technical issues involved in terms of pesticide runoff,'' he said. ``There is potential for good scientific treatment, and that is really what the EAW was lacking.''

Brown said regardless of whether you think the golf course is appropriate or not, ``it's clear it's a very difficult site to work on without causing significant environmental impact.''

While the Skyline group has not voted on an official stance regarding the golf course, its sentiment is clear.

``In general, people in the group think there are better ways to use the area than turn it into a golf course,'' Nelson said. ``We would like to see Spirit Mountain preserve the existing ski trails and campground and make improvements to resources that are already there and to take advantage of the old growth forests.''

And if the project is approved by the planning commission?

``We're not going to give up,'' Nelson said. She also said her organization is considering legal action, but she declined to specify what kind or when.

Munger memorial mulled

The West Skyline organization also is pushing to block the golf course by designating about 2,000 acres of land -- including that proposed for the golf course -- the Willard Munger Memorial Forest.

``We think that by naming it after Willard Munger, it would be an appropriate way of remembering him,'' Nelson said. ``He tried to combat all of these environmental problems that this golf course is going to provide.''

Willard ``Will'' Munger Jr. said his family doesn't have a problem with the Skyline group working to name a forest after his father.

``Personally, I think it's a wonderful idea,'' he said. ``... Knowing my dad, he would love to have it named after him,'' Munger Jr. said.

However, Nelson said her organization knows of no documents that show Munger himself opposed the creation of the golf course. Munger Jr. also said he did not recall any specific conversations with his father about the golf course.

``I could tell you that my dad was not real favorable towards the golf course,'' Munger Jr. said. ``My dad really felt that when Spirit Mountain was developed it should be for public use and he was not for any privatization of it.''

The project's developers have a far different interpretation of the longtime legislator's stance on the golf course.

``I know Kent (Oliver) had numerous discussions with Willard who said, `When are you going to get that thing off the ground?' '' Hovland said.

Oliver said Munger was instrumental in creating the Spirit Mountain Recreation Area and the area's original master plan included plans for a golf course.

``We wouldn't mind calling it the Willard Munger Memorial (Golf Course),'' Oliver said. ``To say that Willard didn't want this is not the truth.''

Others fought similar fight

Environmental opposition to the Spirit Mountain golf course project closely parallels that seen during the planning of the Giants Ridge Golf Course in Biwabik.

In that case, environmentalists were working to protect the rare marsh marigold found throughout the project area.

Chuck Neil was among the most active and vocal opponents to the Giants Ridge project. His group, Iron Rangers for Responsible Ridge Action, ultimately took its fight to court. The group lost.

Neil said mounting an offensive earlier in the process might have given them a better chance at blocking or redirecting the golf course.

``Once (the St. Louis County Planning Commission) gave it the OK, then it became very difficult to, even in court, to refute it because there was various testimony and conflicting evidence,'' Neil said.

``It's very difficult to show that the Planning Commission acted in some unreasonable way,'' he said.

Golf as economic driver

Last year in Biwabik, Giants Ridge hosted 29,600 rounds of golf at $65 a round, collecting $1.9 million in greens fees. That same season, the course turned away 12,000 rounds because it was overbooked.

Spirit Ridge Golf Course developers say there's no reason their facility can't generate similar numbers.

Hovland said his golf course and lodge are expected to provide 100 to 120 jobs, roughly 60 percent part-time. About 15 to 20 of those jobs will be upper-management positions paying $50,000 to $70,000 a year, he said. In all, he expects the facility to generate between $750,000 and $1 million in annual payroll.

The project also is projected to generate another $250,000 to $300,000 annually in taxes for the city of Duluth and provide additional revenues to Spirit Mountain.

Rick Certano, executive director of Spirit Mountain, said the golf course and lodge will provide ``very conservatively'' an additional $225,000 in revenues for Spirit Mountain.

That money will come from the lease agreement for the land, additional banquet sales and lift tickets.

``It will help us to basically redo the entire facility,'' Certano said. ``Redo the chalet and increase our snowmaking capability.''

Developers say a best-case timeline for the project is to open the lodge by May of 2001 and the golf course by July or August 2001.

As for Wednesday's Duluth Planning Commission meeting, Hovland said he is hoping the environmental study passes muster and they can proceed with the project.

``I have some good feelings about it,'' Hovland said.

Jason Skog covers Duluth city government and the community. He can be reached at (218) 723-5330 or by e-mail: jskog@duluthnews.com

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December 13, 1999, Duluth News-Tribune

Spirit Mountain alternatives (letter to editor)

The City of Duluth should not destroy this forest to build a golf course. This doesn't mean the city shouldn't build golf courses, and it doesn't mean that the Spirit Mountain forest shouldn't be used for recreation. It just means that golf courses should be built where they will improve the landscape -- places like the old US Steel site -- and an old-growth forest should be appreciated as a unique resource.

So how can we use the forest at Spirit Mountain? The forest has a breathtaking carpet of wildflowers in the spring and outstanding color in the fall. There is already an extensive trail system, which could be used in summer as well as winter. It's an excellent place for birding, including the fall hawk migration, and it's close to the zoo, the Munger Trail, and the Western Waterfront Trail. If Duluth can't get a slice of the nature tourism pie with that sort of start, we can't get it anywhere.

Skyline Parkway is designated as a State Scenic Byway, and it could become a National Scenic Byway. That status alone can bring funding for development of interpretive centers and other enhancements attractive to tourists and locals alike.

Losing the Spirit Mountain forest would be a major and irreversible step towards losing the natural landscape that makes Duluth such a great place to live and visit. People come to Duluth because it's beautiful and green - if we make Duluth look the same as everywhere else, we'll just be another burger stop on the road to places further north.
Terry Brown
Duluth

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December 12, 1999, Duluth News-Tribune

Consider alternatives to proposed Skyline golf course

Throughout our community's history, Duluthians have held passionate feelings about their city. One individual who had both passion for our city and influence over our community's development was Mayor Samuel Snively.

Snively served as mayor from 1921 until 1937 and is credited with being the father of Duluth's Skyline Parkway. As a private citizen, he established the first portions of our scenic drives. He realized early on that our beautiful hillside, filled with streams and abundant foliage, was a great asset that must be preserved. He made his vision of a scenic drive extending the full length of our city his crowning achievement during his 16 years in office.

Since Mayor Snively's time, Duluthians have not lost their passion, and now it is time to demonstrate some of that passion.

On Wednesday, the Duluth Planning Commission will hold a hearing on the environmental assessment worksheet that has been prepared for a proposed golf course and lodge at the Spirit Mountain Recreation Area. The proposed development will have a significant impact on our scenic parkway and on our hillside.

With this in mind, there is a great need for formal and informal citizen support to ensure that a full environmental impact statement is undertaken and that practical alternatives be explored that will serve our full community.

The panoramic views from today's Skyline Parkway are, of course, as spectacular as they were in the days of our farsighted Mayor Snively. Unfortunately, we have grown complacent and we are taking our beautiful parkways and hillside for granted. The fact that these beautiful assets are not well maintained and are not well-utilized does not make good economic sense and reflects poorly on our beautiful city.

Fortunately, there is a positive side. Concerns about the unkempt manner in which the parkway is maintained, coupled with the proposed development's threat to the integrity of our beautiful hillside and old growth forest, have given birth to a new organization of passionate Duluthians.

The new organization is called the West Skyline Planning and Preservation Alliance. The mission of this organization is to protect and preserve the aesthetic, environmental and historic character of the Western Skyline Parkway. The alliance represents an opportunity for Duluthians to show that they are not complacent and to demonstrate their passion for our beautiful city.

An immediate concern of the alliance is the proposal that will be discussed Wednesday. We have outlined legitimate concerns about building a four-story hotel on the lower side of the Skyline Drive coupled with an 18-hole golf course on an adjacent old growth forest at Spirit Mountain Ski Area.

Members of the Alliance want to be assured that any project undertaken at Spirit Mountain does not have a negative aesthetic and environmental impact on our parkway and hillside. As members of the alliance and as citizens and businesspersons who live in the area, we enjoy and want to protect our parkways and the beautiful but under-utilized hiking and bicycling trails on our hillside.

We, of course, also want to see more responsible economic development in Western Duluth. We feel both of these goals can be realized if we approach our community's development efforts with a carefully thought out plan.

Just like citizens advocating for green space at bayfront park, we must recognize the importance of preserving and protecting the beautiful green space we have on our hillside and how that can compliment future development efforts.

Fortunately, alternatives will provide a winning situation that is in everyone's best interest.

One compromise would be to consider a rustic lodge and interpretive center built in an appropriate location above the Skyline Drive along with a modest expansion of the existing campgrounds. Staff naturalists could help visitors identify plant and animal life on the hillside and direct them to other wildlife viewing areas in our city. With the tremendous view of the St. Louis River and access to a year-round trail system, the lodge would be a year around compliment for activities that use the natural attributes of Spirit Mountain.

The interpretive center and lodge would compliment our existing Lake Superior Zoo and the trail system that would extend from its doors.

Whatever your opinion might be one thing is for certain -- our Duluth hillside is great asset to our community. We should take full advantage of this asset but only in a way that improves the quality of life for all Duluthians. We urge you to learn more about this matter and make your views known at the hearing Dec. 15 to be held at 5 p.m. in the city council chambers, City Hall.

Munger and Widell represent the West Skyline Planning and Preservation Alliance. Their Web site is at wsppa.tsx.org

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December 12, 1999, Duluth News-Tribune

Great, wise Spirit Mountain forest deserves more thoughtful development

Can a forest have wisdom? Has the forest atop Spirit Mountain, where a proposed golf course would be built, been around long enough that it has grown not just big and old but somehow uniquely wise?

I think it has, and I think that for that reason alone, the Duluth City Council and and the Planning Commission should give serious consideration to leaving it intact. Ever so quietly on the western hills of Duluth, atop ancient intrusions of gabbro, an intricate weave of an ecosystem has evolved. On a few hundred acres of land on Spirit Mountain that have been ignored or preserved, a complex old-growth forest has evolved.

Economically valuable white pine was removed 100 years ago, but an ecologically valuable forest remains. The trees are the most obvious part of this weave, and to the educated eye the quickest to show the forest's uniqueness. Ironwood grows here, along with sugar maple, basswood and green ash -- an assemblage of deciduous trees rare anywhere, but especially so here in Northeastern Minnesota.

But the trees are just part of the picture. These leafy giants provide shade and nutrients for other plants, including a stunning array of ephemeral spring flowers. The trees and plants and swamps in turn provide habitat for warblers and four-toed salamanders (the only place in Northeastern Minesota) and the occasional human hiker.

And someone with a business plan wants to turn this into a golf course. Too often in our discussions of environmental policy, we leave out the notion of wisdom, or more scientifically put, of complexity and diversity. For example, it is approved environmental management to ``replace'' a wetland when construction plans call for the destruction of existing wetlands. There is no way that a new wetland, freshly bulldozed out of a gravel pit or farm field and planted with mail-order cattails, could ever match the wisdom or complexity of the original, carved out of glacial till and evolved over ten thousand years.

Or there is the example of timber companies and their practice of replanting trees, perhaps 10 for every one they harvest. Like replacing wetlands, this is a well-meaning practice and I'm glad they do it. But there is no way that the monoculture planting makes up for the wisdom of the forest which was removed.

I understand that private investments here will lead to significant public benefit. But we don't make money by selling off our libraries or ignoring our elders. Just so, perhaps the economic benefit of the golf course isn't worth what would be lost here. We need places like this where there is this wisdom. As a hiker and naturalist, I love these old forests. When I visit the Spirit Mountain forest in any season, I see how the forest has been free to grow and change and learn, and I feel my own spirit freed.

I live in Duluth because there are opportunities like this. And I'm not the only one who's moved here or stayed here for that reason. Today, this place needs us to be wise. Let us show how we have learned from experience, seeking those solutions that sustain our economy and our environment. The best and highest use for this piece of the Earth may well be to let it be.

A few generations from now, when golf has faded as pasttime, our descendents will thank us. And so will the four-toed salamanders.

Let me close with a suggestion to the city and the developers. If this golf course is indeed to be built, and if it must be built here, then break all the rules to respect the wisdom of the place. Promise never to use pesticides. Let the natural landscape be the challenge, not landforms pushed up by a bulldozer. Invest in a long-term monitoring of the four-toed salamander and the brook trout, and if the local populations disappear, close the golf course immediately. Leave standing every tree older than you are, so that when golf is no longer popular, we still have the makings of an old, wise forest.

Slade holds a graduate degree in environmental studies and has been active in environmental education in Northeastern Minnesota since 1987. His column runs monthly.

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December 5, 1999, Duluth News-Tribune

Golf course / EAW alert (letter to editor)

Have you had a chance to read the EAW for the proposed golf course and lodge at Spirit Mountain?

Did you know that the hotel will be 65 feet high with 4 stories and 160 rooms? That's nearly twice the size of the new lodge at Giant's Ridge! And the Spirit Mountain lodge, including conference rooms, retail areas, swimming pool, and parking lots for 190 vehicles, will be perched on the West Duluth hillside, below Skyline Parkway and south of the ski slope.

How about the golf course? Did you know it involves 432 acres of land, which is currently all forested? According to the EAW, some of this forest has never been logged, except for removal of white pine 100 years ago. The EAW states that nearly 25% of this 100-year-old forest will be clear-cut and another 6% will be 'thinned.'

Did you know that pesticides like 2,4-D will be used regularly? The EAW says "Irrigation of turfgrass and the presence of shallow groundwater pose increased risk for impacts on groundwater quality." Thirteen families, most with children, live near Spirit Mountain and use that groundwater for drinking water. And holes 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 are within 300 feet of Stewart Creek, a designated trout stream.

Is this really the way you want our public land developed? If you look ahead 50 years, do you think more people will be drawn to Duluth to visit a 50-year-old golf course or a 150-year-old hardwood forest?

Call City Councilors NOW.

Nancy Nelson, Duluth

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December 5, 1999, Duluth Budgeteer News

Researcher documents old growth forest at Spirit Mountain

The old growth sugar maple/basswood/yellow birch forest is thriving on lands where the proposed Spirit Mountain golf course would be built.

Joan Farnam Budgeteer News

A rare old growth sugar maple/basswood/yellow birch forest is growing on Spirit Mountain.

That is the conclusion of Carol Reschke, plant ecologist for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, who surveyed the area this fall.

Reschke told the more than 75 people who crowded into the conference room at the DeWitt-Seitz building Wednesday that 150- to 200-year-old yellow birch trees are growing in the area of the proposed Spirit Ridge Golf Course and lodge.

'Putting in a golf course would fragment the forest in this area,' she said. Fertilizer run-off would also affect the ecology of the forest and wetlands, she said.

'The forest community has a lot of processes going on in it,' she said. 'Clearing for fairways would fragment that forest and change the processes.'

Reschke is one of three ecologists doing a biological survey on the Northshore highlands which front Lake Superior from Duluth to Grand Marais, as part of the Minnesota County Biological Survey.

'We're focusing on inventory, mapping and field surveys,' she said. Her area in St. Louis County includes the Magney-Snively forest, which includes two city parks as well as part of the Spirit Mountain Recreation area.

'It is a continuous area of forest with embedded wetlands and rock outcroppings,' she said. 'It's a northern sugar maple/basswood forest with lots of nice spring flowers. There's lot of different ages of trees in it which is one sign of mature forests.'

Some endangered and/or plants of concern also live in the forest, she added, although no wildlife surveys have been done in the area as yet.

Reschke said before going out into the field, she spent time researching previous publications on Magney-Snively forest. She said she found a journal article from 1964 that reported on the area as an old growth forest. In the 1980s, the Natural Heritage and Nongame Research Program proposed creating a scientific natural area in the forest because it was a mature old growth stand of sugar maple, basswood, red oak and yellow birch.

The Duluth area is at the extreme northern range of basswood and red oak, she said, making the Magney-Snively forest one of the few healthy stands in the state.

Sugarmaple/basswood yellow birch forests are 'not a rare community type in Minnesota, but it is uncommon to find old growth,' she said. 'It's the largest stand we've documented to date, although there could be one in Pine Country.'

Reschke's study supports concerns that Duluth Environmental Advisory Council has about building a golf course on Spirit Mountain, said Jamie Harvey, chairman.

'The one big concern I have is the impact on the temperature of those trout streams, Stewart and Knowlton creeks,' he said. 'They're designated protected trout streams and are very sensitive to temperature changes.'

Cutting trees and draining wetlands will have an impact on the streams, he said. Other concerns include pesticide use on the golf course.

At this point, neither the Duluth Planning Commission nor the City Council has approved the plan.

The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on the Spirit Ridge and Golf Course Lodge project in the City Council chambers at 5 p.m. Dec. 15. The public is invited.

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December 3, 1999, Duluth News-Tribune

Group petitions to save Spirit wilderness

News-Tribune

A grassroots neighborhood planning group is petitioning to name some 2,000 acres of woods around Spirit Mountain the Willard Munger Memorial Forest.

The move is also intended to block the planned development of a championship golf course and lodge in the area.

Nancy Nelson, a founder of the West Skyline Planning and Preservation Alliance, said the idea was raised at the group's first meeting on Nov. 3. She said they have collected at least 200 signatures and more petitions are circulating.

``We don't like the idea of fragmenting a good portion of this forest by putting in a golf course,'' Nelson said. ``Instead, we would like this entire ecosystem... preserved as an intact ecosystem. We would like to dedicate that to the memory of Willard Munger because this is exactly the kind of thing he was concerned about.'' Nelson said people also can sign the petition online at the organization's Web site, http://wsppa.tsx.org

The petition states:

``As an alternative to clear-cutting the Spirit Mountain forest for a golf course, we the undersigned request that the city of Duluth create the Willard Munger Memorial Forest, which would include the forest at Spirit Mountain as well as Magney Park and Snively Park, in order to forever preserve this magnificent forest in its natural state in honor of Duluth's visionary state representative Willard Munger.''

Nelson said her group will present the petition to the Duluth City Council and city administration for action. If there is none, she said they will present it to the state Legislature.

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December 1, 1999, Duluth Budgeteer News

The Spirit moves

Snowmaking is under way at Spirit Mountain. The area is becoming a center of controversy because it would be part of a proposed 18-hole golf course. Environmentalists want adjoining forest lands preserved.

Pat Faherty - Budgeteer News

The period for comment closed this week on the environmental assessment worksheet for the proposed golf course and lodge at Spirit Mountain.

The assessment was one of the requirements put on the development before the Duluth City Council will consider approving any plans or construction permits.

The 30-day comment period ended Wednesday, Dec. 1.

Golf course opponents have circulated a petition for an alternative use, and a public meeting on the controversial project is scheduled for 5 p.m., Dec. 15, at Duluth City Hall.

The privately-funded development, called Spirit Ridge Golf Course and Lodge, would include an 18-hole course and a 150-160 room hotel.

An estimate released in April puts the project cost at 'roughly' $15 million.

The golf course would cover 432 acres, with 272 acres leased from the city. Nine holes would be in the Spirit Mountain Recreation Area and nine holes on an adjacent 153 acres in Midway Township.

According to the worksheet, the Timber Ridge Lodge would serve both the ski area and the golf course. The four-story hotel and a parking lot would take up 5.42 acres. The plans call for meeting rooms, a 125-seat restaurant, swimming and wading pools and a golf pro shop.

The hotel would sit on currently undeveloped land between a downhill ski run and Skyline parkway.

Land for the golf course also contains some cross country ski and snowmobile trails. About one-half mile of cross country trails intersect with the proposed golf course or cart paths.

The ski trails will also be rerouted where necessary. George Hovland Jr., the original designer of the trails, has agreed to work with the Spirit Mountain board on the redesign.

The potential impact on the forest, particularly on mature hardwoods, has been one of the biggest concerns raised by project opponents.

The worksheet explains that about 23 acres of mature, mixed hardwood forest will be cut in the vicinity of five golf holes.

About eight acres of trees on wetlands will be cut for the golf course, and just over an acre of trees will be removed from wetlands on the hotel site.

The assessment also covers concerns about surface water, drainage, traffic, archaeological and other possible impacts.

A petition to the city against the golf course has been circulated by the West Skyline Planning and Preservation Authority.

As an alternative to 'clear cutting the Spirit Mountain forest for a golf course,' the petition requests that the city create the Willard Munger Memorial Forest to preserve the area in its natural state.

The memorial would include the forest at Spirit Mountain along with Magney and Snively parks.

Response to the petition has been pretty good, said organizer Tony Brown.

He said the petitions were being collected to demonstrate public opinion. Its purpose will depend on what the city decides to do and the outcome of the planning meeting.

The West Skyline group was to meet Monday night to discuss a response to the worksheet.