Small win for Sheep

[TOGIE]

I haven't been following this very closely but it was on my radar. I feel like this is a small win for sheep in a valley that seems to historically have thrown wildlife to the bottom of the pillar when it comes to development and recreation.

@Oak is this a win? are they just gonna go decimate another plot of habitat somewhere else?

the two contrasting quotes to me are all you need to know about vail resorts

"Council Member Jonathan Staufer told CBS4 Mountain Newsroom Reporter Spencer Wilson Tuesday before the vote that the P&W (CPW I believe is what they're referring to) crews believe that property to be incredibly important to the survival of the herd in the event of a bad winter, forcing the sheep to move closer to the road in order to graze."

wheras vail says this:

Vail Resorts Senior Director of Skier Services Greg Willis: “That 5-acre parcel of land along the roadway is not prime sheep habitat,” Willis said. “That is not where we want our sheep, right? The sheep belong further up, and what we need to do is invest in that habitat so they can go back to where they belong.”

all i hear him saying is "those sheep don't belong here, even if they sometimes need to be here for survival, they don't belong here, we do"

that's what we'll always be up against in that valley, and everywhere else anymore.

Town Of Vail Votes To Condemn Vail Resorts Property Intended For Workforce Housing Over Bighorn Sheep Habitat

The Town of Vail had Colorado Parks and Wildlife come in to do a wildlife assessment of the area, as it's a well-known spot for bighorn sheep to live.

denver.cbslocal.com

 

[Oak]

This has been an ongoing issue for over 3 years, and it's a long story I don't have time to write at this time. The Cliff Notes version is that Vail Resorts did not negotiate with Town of Vail in good faith. After TOV approved construction on an alterative site a year ago, VR broke off talks about how the parties would move forward to protect this piece of land, which is critical winter range. I mean, literally stopped picking up the phone. Then they hired a new developer and informed TOV they intended to move forward with the development approved by TOV on this parcel prior to approval of the alternate location. They informed TOV that they had no interest in protecting the entire Booth Heights parcel and were going to break ground this summer. TOV was left with few options if they wanted to continue negotiations on alternate sites, so they proposed beginning the condemnation process.

It's disappointing that it has come to this, because there were many alternate paths to be taken if VR chose to do so. I'm not convinced that TOV will ultimately condemn the property, but voting in favor of beginning the process brings VR back to the table. Meanwhile, the comment period just ended on a fuels treatment project in the area that will immensely improve bighorn sheep winter range in the area. I believe that if this project is completed and we are given a couple of years to see the results, then the 5.4-acre parcel proposed for development might seem less critical. Depends on how the sheep respond.

Here's a local article about the Tuesday night meeting.

 

[TOGIE]

i figured there was more to the story, and i love that oak will always know it.

 

[SAJ-99]

Vail Resorts Senior Director of Skier Services Greg Willis:

That doesn’t seem like a person who should be determining what is and is not good sheep habitat.

 

[TOGIE]

That doesn’t seem like a person who should be determining what is and is not good sheep habitat.

definitely. you even wonder how he has time for this debacle, what with all the critical meetings i'm sure he has to further determine the ideal ratio of eucalyptus spritz in the steam rooms.

 

[nrpate05]

That doesn’t seem like a person who should be determining what is and is not good sheep habitat.

Ain't that the truth! Funny how all of a sudden he is an expert in sheep habitat. And how all of a sudden Vail wants to invest in employee housing. I see this as a small victory in an area that has historically not prioritized wildlife.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

definitely. you even wonder how he has time for this debacle, what with all the critical meetings i'm sure he has to further determine the ideal ratio of eucalyptus spritz in the steam rooms.

More like how many veteran managers he can fire and replace with minimum wage 20 year old midwesterners before the chairs start falling off the cables.

 

[zpooch]

VR that is