Editor’s note: The views expressed in this column are those of the Crystal Valley Environmental Protection Association, not The Sopris Sun.
Crystal Valley Environmental Protection Association (CVEPA) does not support land swaps of National Forest for private land — especially with the intent of personal gain by developers. This is exactly what the current developers with Treasure Mountain Ranch (TMR) above Marble intend to do to make an exclusive private snow-cat ski area. The project is being presented by TMR throughout the valley as a “best-case scenario” for the future of Crystal, with biased interpretations of land use, development and a minimized look at the potential disturbance of wild places. TMR’s language portrays the situation as an either-or scenario. Either an exclusive ski area, or residential development. This is not the case however, and it’s important for valley residents to understand the nuances of TMR’s proposals.
For years, the ranch has been attempting to find a path to create a boutique ski experience for about 30 guests who would own or stay in high-end cabins built around Crystal. Thus far, this has included thinning the forests around Crystal, billed as fire mitigation, unpermitted improvements and repairs of old roads and a recently approved land-use application with Gunnison County for four new cabins and a 5,000-square-foot maintenance facility to be located just outside of Crystal.
Given all this progress, their project is seemingly dependent on a ~350-acre land swap with the Forest Service, which would give them the ability to run a snowcat further up the side of Bear Mountain. This, they believe, is the lynch pin of their ski operations. This area in Bear Basin is currently part of the proposed GORP Act wilderness expansion. It’s wild and has never seen development like this. If GORP passes, that area would be protected from any development — period.
TMR claims that the portion of the ranch they would like to swap would protect Crystal from up to six developable home sites (on top of barring more than 20 potential residential developments through conservation easements on its remaining land). However, this area is steep and rugged and CVEPA is currently working with land planning professionals to assess the feasibility of building in this area. We believe, however, that much like the rest of the developer’s language, presenting this as a win-win for conservation is misleading. TMR is actively collecting letters of support to prove to the Forest Service that their project has enough local buy-in to justify the trade in land.
To get that local buy-in, the developer has been presenting this project as the “best-case scenario” for the future development of Crystal. They argue that if this is not approved, they will be forced to sell the ranch in 35-acre parcels to recoup their financial investment in the property. They claim that could mean up to 35 luxury homes in Crystal.
However, much like the proposed land swap site, CVEPA is skeptical about the feasibility of this development given the physical constraints of the area, including steep hillsides, avalanche paths, debris flows, river and riparian setbacks, wetlands, as well as countless development codes and regulations of Gunnison County and the State of Colorado. This is also under the assumption of feasibility that 30 to 35 homes could be constructed, maintained and accessed in cases of emergencies, and that the fire department and the county would approve these extremely remote residences.
Additionally, finding an insurance provider that would even consider a policy for anything built up this valley will be a real challenge. Very few would consider development in Crystal a “financially smart” decision. TMR had an independent appraisal completed that estimated the value of the property at $15.6 million. This would be assuming that the 35 acre lots could sell for more than ~$500,000, which seems expensive for a lot that has so many constraints.
TMR is further greenwashing a land exchange with the Forest Service by claiming they will instate a conservation easement on the newly traded parcel. This easement, however, allows them to maintain a five-acre “base area,” and run fully functioning recreational facilities over the land. All while claiming that they are conserving the land’s wildness.
The real area of the proposed easement is within undevelopable hillsides and does not need an easement to “protect” it. Conservation easements are a tool to be utilized to stop development, such as easily accessed open space that is susceptible to mass housing projects, in addition to helping ranchers maintain a living. The intent should not be utilized for a well-funded recreational project to greenwash its proposed development.
Crystal holds a special place in the hearts of Crystal and Roaring Fork Valley residents and visitors alike. It is a living example of Colorado’s pioneering spirit, and it sits in the middle of a wild and rugged range of mountains that demand respect and inspire awe. TMR is trying to simplify what Crystal means to us into an either exclusive ski area or mass development decision, when in reality there are huge question marks about the feasibility of both, and neither option laid out by TMR preserves the public value of Crystal, which CVEPA stands to protect.
No matter what TMR proposes in the future, CVEPA is here as a voice for the value of wildness and historical cultures of the Crystal Valley and its tributaries. This would not be the first ski area that CVEPA has fought and beat, nor the biggest.
Today, we all shake our heads in disbelief at the idea of a corporate ski area in Marble, and at the idea of 10,000 people living there. TMR’s proposed development shares a similar vein. It proposes to fundamentally change how we experience and value the upper Crystal watershed, and, at CVEPA, we believe that the proposed change is out of character with the values of wildness that we all appreciate there.