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Mountain News: Vail arson included ‘elements of terrorism’

By Allen Best EUGENE, Ore.

By Allen Best

EUGENE, Ore. – Were the arson fires that burned a restaurant and a lift terminal atop Vail Mountain in 1998 acts of terrorism?

No, not according to the fine point of law, a federal judge has ruled in sentencing Chelsea Dawn Gerlach, who assisted the arsonist, to nine years in prison. Gerlach was 21 years old in October 1998 when she drove William “Avalon” Rodgers on roads up Vail Mountain, where he subsequently set the fires.

A communiqué Gerlach wrote after the fire made specific reference to stopping the ski area operator, Vail Resorts, from expanding into habitat for Canada lynx, an endangered species, but made no mention of a government role.

However, several other cases in which Gerlach was involved — fire at a police substation and at a tree farm, plus the toppling of a high-voltage electricity line — were meant as retaliation against government actions or to intimidate the government.

“It was your intent to scare and frighten other people through a very dangerous and psychological act, arson,” U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken told another defendant, Stanislas Meyeerhoff. “Your actions included elements of terrorism to achieve your goal.” She sentenced him to 13 years in prison.

According to a report by The Associated Press, Gerlach had been recruited by Rogers during an Earth First! encampment in Idaho. She was 16 at the time, and reportedly had a crush on Rogers. A defense attorney, Patrick Ehlers, called Rogers a pedophile and sexual predator.

Rogers, as ringleader of The Family, committed suicide in an Arizona jail after his arrest in 2005.

Gerlach apologized to victims of the fires and denounced violence as a means of change. “It’s very clear to me now that if you want to live in a world of peace and equality, you need to embody those qualities in your own heart and actions,” she said at her courtroom sentencing. “I am so grateful I have been given this opportunity to reconcile my past.”

Meyerhoff also apologized. The Associated Press says that in a statement before he was sentenced, he said that the goal of sparking public discussion actually cut off debate and harmed people. “I was ignorant of history and economy and acted from a faulty and narrow vision as an ordinary bigot,” he said, his voice breaking at times. “A million times over I apologize …”

The arson at Vail caused $12 million in damage, part of $40 million in damages caused by the eco-saboteurs in several actions in Wyoming and Oregon. Altogether, 10 people have been charged, and three have been sentenced to prison.

No one was hurt in the cases. Prosecutors said that Rogers, in setting the fires at Vail, did not deliberately check to see if any of the buildings were occupied, although he did choose not to set fire to one building in which he noticed two sleeping big-game hunters. However, prosecutors say that before the cell of activists was broken, he had begun talking of drive-by assassinations using motorcycles.

 

Ski free at CB

CRESTED BUTTE, Colo. – The ski-free program at Crested Butte Mountain Resort will resume again for 20 days in early winter later this year. The resort had conducted a similar program from 1991 to 2000. Company representatives say they want the public to “test drive” the ski area, to check out the “many improvements” since the ski area was purchased by Tim and Diane Mueller several years ago.

 

Candidates debate in Thompson kitchen

ASPEN, Colo. – The kitchen of the late writer Hunter S. Thompson became the unlikely — and also cramped — location of the latest of seven debates between the two remaining candidates in the election of Aspen mayor.

The candidates, Tim Semrau and Mick Ireland, offer some similarities, but also contrasts. The Aspen Times reports that Ireland, an avid bicyclist, showed up in his usual gear: bicycling clothing — because, in fact, he rode his bicycle from Aspen to Thompson’s home at Woody Creek, a hamlet several miles from Aspen. He has made global warming one of his key campaign topics, and vowed not to burn any fossil fuels attending campaign events.

“I want to be remembered as having walked the walk and talked the talk,” said Ireland.

A one-time bus driver in Aspen, Ireland was a newspaper reporter and then a lawyer, but has made Aspen and politics his life’s work. He recently concluded more than a decade’s tenure as a county commissioner. Although several attempts were made to recall him from office, he survived them all, and says many of those who tried to oust him because of development restrictions in the backcountry have become his supporters.

“We did things here that weren’t popular, and it stirred things up, but you have to do the right thing instead of what’s most popular,” he said. He said his vision is for Aspen to become a sustainable resort environmentally and socially, where generations of families can live — not a place for a grandiose lifestyle or a result full of consumption, as it is today.

While Ireland is perceived as arrogant but intelligent, says The Aspen Times, his opponent, Tim Semrau, is viewed as a developer who leans toward business interests at the expense of the environment and community. Among his projects were a 39-unit affordable housing project. He showed up for the debate wearing a “gonzo” T-shirt and a blazer.

The issue of drugs also came up — and how could it have not, in the kitchen where Hunter Thompson reportedly consumed vast quantities of cocaine, marijuana and other illegal drugs. Both candidates denied similar lifestyles. Semrau endorsed a “casual approach” while Ireland testified to the value of police “enforcing with honesty and realism.”

 

Summer less than 1/3 of economy

VAIL, Colo. – Skiing continues to do the heavy lifting in the economy within the town of Vail. Sales tax collections tell the story, with 71 per cent collected during the six months dominated by winter and skiing.

That figure is matched among other Colorado ski towns by Breckenridge, while Winter Park, Mt. Crested Butte and Snowmass Village are even more top-heavy. All others are somewhat more evenly balanced, although Estes Park, at the eastern gate to Rocky Mountain National Park, is the direct inverse of Vail.

These figures were reported last year as part of a program called Vail 20-20. The thinking of town officials is that while Vail’s lodging infrastructure is undergoing a massive renovation that may yet surpass $2 billion, it needs to rethink how that infrastructure is used. The comparison is often to computers, with the hotels and public spaces being the hardware, and the activities and uses being the software.

Since its inception, Vail has always been trying to improve its summer offerings, to help buy down the cost of the infrastructure. Almost immediately after its opening in 1962, the creators of the ski resort began soliciting conferences. Work on a golf course began by 1965. By the late 1960s, it was hosting something called the Vail Symposium, which was patterned loosely upon Aspen’s summer festivals established soon after World War II by Walter Paepcke, the Chicago industrialist.

Summer offerings surged in the late 1980s with the founding of music and dance festivals. Hotel rooms began to fill. Still, the sales tax figures show a much stronger winter economy. Rooms, while full in summer, are rented at much less cost than during winter.

In contrast to Vail’s 71 per cent winter economy, 59 per cent of Aspen’s taxes are collected in winter, while in Steamboat it’s 58 per cent, and in Telluride 54 per cent.

 

Canmore real estate prices climb

CANMORE, Alberta – The old coal-mining town of Canmore has had its first sale of a $3 million home, further evidence of the rapidly escalating real estate prices at the eastern gateway to Banff National Park.

But million-dollar sales are becoming commonplace, with 10 of the 18 single-family homes currently on the market being listed for more than $1 million. The Rocky Mountain Outlook explains that four-fifths of the city’s increase in property value is due to appreciation, as opposed to new construction.

Average sales prices of single-family homes increased 25 per cent in the last year, while average sales prices for condominiums increased 33 per cent.

In Canmore, as in most other resort-anchored pretty places of the North American West, the story is of baby boomers, flush with wealth, buying vacation homes that are becoming primary residences. However, the permanent population of Canmore grew only 1.4 per cent last year, while the number of second-home owners grew 27.1 per cent.

Quoting research from Re/Max, a real-estate firm, the newspaper reports starting level prices at other resort-oriented communities in western Canada: $1.1 at Whistler, $1.5 million at Saltspring Island, $2 million at Kelowna, and $2.5 million at Invermere.

 

Ski resort planned for Texas

FORT WORTH, Texas – Who needs snow? Or, for that matter, cold weather.

An indoor ski area in the Persian Gulf emirate of Dubai is operating year-round. Now, a development team headed by Charlie Aaron is planning to build a 250-foot-high mountain and create a year-round winter resort called Bearfire in the Texas city of Fort Worth. Skiable terrain is to be about 15 acres.

In telling the story, The Wall Street Journal notes that temperatures topped 100 degrees on 43 days last year in Fort Worth.

Aaron plans an “alpine village” with chairlifts, ice rinks, and a bobsled track, as well as a winter wonder park for children and a hotel.

“There are some naysayers and people who can’t really wrap their brain around it,” Aaron told The Journal. Investors ultimately intend to post $150 million and borrow the rest of the total cost, estimated at nearly $700 million.

Texans are a large market, supplying 6.5 per cent of all visitors to resorts in the Rocky Mountains, second only to Coloradans.

The technology to be used is called Snowflex, which uses water-misting systems to create a non-refrigerated surface slippery enough for skiing, but with enough grip for turning. Think of wet, white Astroturf with bristles, says the Journal, which also notes that a few but much smaller Snowflex slopes are operating in Europe.

Aaron said the resort is expected to generate 2.4 million visitors in its first year of operation, beginning in 2008, but it can remain profitable if numbers are 20 per cent less.

 

Labourers making $20/hour

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. – Labour continues to be in higher demand in the Steamboat Springs area. This contrasts sharply with the story early in the century, but the labour pool has “really shrunk” in the last year, says Brian Bradbury, from the Steamboat springs Workforce Center.

A landscaper reports paying helpers a rate of $12 to $18 an hour. General construction labourers are getting $20, reports the Steamboat Pilot & Today.

Elsewhere, the newspaper reports that the median per capita income in the year 2005 was $53,000 in the Steamboat Springs area, compared to $28,000 nationally.

 

No denying dead trees

GRAND LAKE, Colo. – As the snow melted this spring, the Grand Lake Golf Course presented a startling sight of luscious greens bordered by dying and dead pine trees, their needles turning rusty red. The golf course is now planning a Pine Beetle Golf Classic, which the Winter Park Manifest explains is a combination of educational talks and then an afternoon of golfing.

 

Air pollution a concern in park

GRAND LAKE, Colo. – Scientists are warning of heightened levels of both nitrogen and mercury in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Nitrogen levels are nearly 20 times pre-industrial levels, and scientists say the sources include car exhausts, farm fertilizers, and power-plant emissions. The Denver Post says that in June state air quality officials will consider regulations aimed at reducing air pollution.

The newspaper in December also noted mercury levels in alpine lakes in the park are four times higher than in pre-industrial times. Don Campbell, of the U.S. Geological Survey, said research suggests that 70 per cent of mercury in the atmosphere is from industrial processes. The most likely source is coal-fired power plants, although it’s impossible to determine exactly where it is coming from.

Mercury gets spewed into the atmosphere where it can be held aloft in the air, pushed by winds, traveling the globe for months before being deposited on land and water. Higher elevations get more precipitation and therefore more mercury, Campbell said.

 

Idling of vehicles limited

REVELSTOKE, B.C. – Revelstoke is putting its foot down about the practice of idling cars and trucks. A new law declares that vehicles cannot remain running for more than three minutes when stopped.

The law is lifted in cases of cold or warm weather, defined as –5 or 27 degrees Celsius. The restriction only applies to the downtown area, although city officials suggested a broader ban is likely to come.

But isn’t it true that re-starting cars takes a great deal of gasoline or diesel? Not so, says the Revelstoke Times Review. A rule of thumb, says the newspaper, is turn off the engine if stopping for 10 seconds or more.

 

Beefed up recycling in plans

SUN VALLEY, Idaho – Recycling is given a nudge in Sun Valley as the result of a new agreement that includes both small carrots and sticks. The Idaho Mountain Express explains that the agreement is part of Sun Valleys’ attempt to live up to its commitment as a member of the Mayors’ Agreement on Climate Change to reduce greenhouse gases.

The agreement with a trash company specifies escalating costs for trash volumes, which should encourage more recycling. The program also sets up a “green” waste program in which grass clippings, leaves and other organic matter can be accommodated into a composting program for an additional $16.70 per month fee.

 

Fire conflicts posed by rural settling

THE WEST – USA Today reports a major influx of new residents in the semi-rural areas of the West, setting the stage for potentially costly — and deadly — wildfires.

The newspaper analyzed population figures to conclude that roughly 450,000 people have moved into these wildfire-endangered areas since 2000.

This large-lot, low-density exurban development threatens to drive up insurance rates, says the newspaper, and is also partly responsible for the federal government’s cost of battling forest fires, which reached nearly $2 billion last year.

The newspaper also reports that the settlement pattern is prompting Western cities and counties to rethink how and where people should build their homes. It does not, however, offer evidence to support that conclusion.

Tom Harbour, the head of firefighting for the U.S. Forest Service, argues that governments should shift the onus of responsibility. “We need to be telling people with even more clarity that just because you built something here, we’re not going to die for it,” he said.

USA Today also notes an ironic, inverse relationship: the cost of containing fires has forced the government to raid the budgets of programs meant to clear fuels before a fire starts. “There’s something wrong with that,” says Kip Howlett, executive director of the National Association of State Forests. “This is a boat that’s taking on water, and we’re doing everything we can to increase the size of the hole.”

Weather that appears to be part of changing climatic conditions has also made forests more vulnerable. Forest Magazine notes research by tree-ring experts, called dendrachronologists, that show what they call megadroughts of the past could return. Climate-change scientists also warn of drier conditions possible as a result of global warming.

 

Spontaneous combustion cited

CRESTED BUTTE, Colo. – It was, said one shop-owner, the most interesting thing that happened in Crested Butte during the spring shoulder-season. A storage shed located in the town park spontaneously combusted.

Within minutes, 26 volunteer firefighters responded. Still, they were unable to stop the fire before a great number of items stored by the community’s parks and recreation department were destroyed or badly damaged. Investigators concluded the combustion was due to the improper storage of stain-soaked rags.

 

During 1930s, even oranges were luxury

HOT SULPHUR SPRINGS, Colo. – Work is beginning on a new justice centre for Grand County as well as an expansion of the existing courthouse, which was built in 1938.

Among the few people still alive who remember that construction is Tillie Gingery, 92, who was then a young mother. No gasoline- and diesel-powered earth-moving equipment was available then, so the work of excavating the basement came from horses — and humans.

Times were difficult in other ways as well. She tells the Sky-Hi News her family herded sheep and sold chili to Denver skiers who arrived by train (this predates Winter Park). She says one Christmas a person who worked for the state government delivered a box of fresh oranges to her family. But her husband, Ed, made her return the fruit. The Gingery family, he said, wasn’t going on welfare. “Man, I cried my eyes out,” she told the newspaper. “I hadn’t had fruit in so long.”