Land & Forests

Sustainable Slopes - The Environmental Ski Charter for Ski Areas

The Ski Industry has been facing increased scrutiny with respect to their environmental performance. For the first time, the industry convened a national effort to lay out a set of environmental standards for ski areas. The Keystone Center provided facilitation for 4 regional meetings. The goal of the process was to engage the industry's stakeholders in providing input to the charter and establish partnerships between the industry and groups interested in working with the industry on environmental issues.

The process solicited input from close to 200 individuals representing environmental organizations as well as government agencies and user groups. Over ten partnerships between NSAA, environmental groups, user groups, and agencies have also been established to help implement the goals of the charter and 160 resorts signed on the charter. This was a first step at bringing ski areas and environmental interests together. There is still significant opportunity and need for further dialogue among ski areas and environmental groups.

To view the Environmental Charter please go to: http://www.nsaa.org

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Following the deaths of several high school students on a single stretch of roadway between Breckenridge and Frisco, Colorado, The Keystone Center has been assisting the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) with community involvement on highway improvements. The Advisory Group process for Highway 9 has narrowed down the potential alternatives. The primary issue has been how to plan for fixed guideway transit strong desire of the community's-while at the same time meeting the current needs of the road, and minimizing environmental impacts. 

As the project attracts more local attention, the group and CDOT are refining the alternatives to meet the full needs of the community. The group will continue to meet as CDOT completes the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process.

The Keystone Center documented, consulted and provided facilitation for this innovative approach to National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) implementation at ski areas.

The process was piloted at Copper Mountain with hopes for use elsewhere in the Rocky Mountain region and has completed the first phase of consultation prior to initiating NEPA, and resulted in Copper modifying their proposal to address some of the issues of concern to the agencies involved.

The Handbook was written for staff of protected areas around the world (including parks, wilderness areas, research areas, and other types of protected landscapes) who encounter conflicts of all kinds. The Handbook can also be a resource for other interested parties who want to play a constructive role in protected area conflicts. A simple framework is offered and some strategies for responding to different types of conflicts in protected areas are explored.

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The report resulting from this dialogue provides a consensus view of the definition of ecosystem management and contains suggestions for implementing ecosystem management approaches that can be used at the local ecosystem management level as well as at the national public policy level.

On November 16 - 17, 1993, The Keystone Center, with support from the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation, convened the National Ecosystem Management Forum. The Forum focused on the experience of those individuals working with the ecosystem management concept on-the-ground, the role of science in ecosystem management initiatives, how science and on-the-ground experience affect policy, and how policy affects on-the-ground initiatives.

This report is the result of a year long consensus building effort conducted in 1988 by The Keystone Center. The Dialogue involved people from federal and state land management agencies, county government, Congress, private landowner groups, environmental organizations and outdoor recreation groups. The goal of the Dialogue was to develop recommendations to assist in obtaining and managing public access across private land to federal land.

This report of Agreements and discussions is a summary of discussions between Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, Gunnison National Forest (The Forest), the Western Colorado Congress (WCC), the Western Slope Energy Research Center (WSERC), the Inter-Mountain Forest Industry Association-Rocky Mountain Division, The Louisiana Pacific Corporation (LP), the Colorado Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and the Colorado Mountain Club (CMC).

The Forest is in the process of amending it’s Forest Plan. To facilitate this process, The Forest initiated discussions among the above participants. The objective has been to resolve as many concerns and issues as possible prior to the preparation of a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement and Draft Forest Plan Amendment for general public review and comment. The discussions have been facilitated by The Keystone Center, located in Keystone, Colorado.

Essential to earth observations are satellite sensors which provide continuous highly repetitive, synoptic data which permit quantitative analysis down to local scale. For sixteen years, Landsat observations have provided data permitting analysis of natural resources and environmental conditions on a worldwide, seasonal basis. This continuously acquired data represents a national asset for understanding human activities and the resulting global environmental changes. No other system provides data with the regional synoptic perspective, the high spatial and spectral resolution, and the historical perspective of Landsat. It is in the national interest and general public good to ensure that Landsat data collection is maintained in an uninterrupted fashion and that new technologies are introduced to ensure that the U.S. remains at the vanguard of earth observations from space.

As part of a continuing series of dialogues on science and public policy, The Keystone Center convened a meeting on October 28 and 29, 1988 to discuss the future of Landsat. The attendees represented a diverse group who were concerned about the future of Landsat; this report details the diverse discussions.

The Keystone Center served as facilitators for this effort which brought together individuals representing a diverse set of interests to provide Nellis Air Force Range (NAFR) and other land managers in the area with input about how to manage and protect the natural heritage of NAFR, while ensuring the Air Force meets its test and training mission goals.

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