Lutsen Mountains requests ‘deferral’ of Forest Service decision regarding ski hill expansion

During the final days of July, officials from Lutsen Mountains asked the U.S. Forest Service for a “deferral of a decision on its proposal for expansion of the ski resort operation onto 500 acres of Forest Service land.”

Lutsen Mountains, a ski resort on the North Shore, is looking to nearly double the size of the local ski hill. A decision from the Forest Service about the proposed expansion was expected by the end of July.

The ski resort noted in a press release dated July 30 that the rights of three Chippewa Bands under the 1854 Treaty were the centerpiece of the decision to request the deferral.

“The Forest Service’s approach toward Tribal retained rights has changed significantly since we began our process,” said Charlotte Skinner, the chief of staff for Midwest Family Ski Resort. “We welcome the shift to honor Tribal rights in our region and believe it is long overdue.”

WTIP contacted Skinner Monday night and asked if the Forest Service had made a decision about the expansion. If they had, WTIP asked if Lutsen Mountains is requesting the agency hold off on proceeding with that decision. Alternately, WTIP asked if the team at Lutsen Mountains is withdrawing the request for an expansion before the decision from the Forest Service was made.

Skinner responded Aug. 1 with the following statement: “To address your questions, the answer to both is no. The (Forest Service) did not make a decision that we asked for them to hold/table, nor are we withdrawing our request. The Forest Service was planning to make a decision on this project this summer and we have asked them to delay that decision for the foreseeable future until we are able to make modifications that align with the (Memorandum of Understanding) that was signed in May.”

WTIP also contacted the Forest Service for clarification regarding the press release sent out Monday afternoon from officials at Visit Cook County, the local tourism agency. The Forest Service sent WTIP a statement Aug. 1 that reads: “On July 24, the Superior National Forest received a request from Lutsen Mountains Ski Area to defer a decision on their special use proposal to expand onto National Forest System lands. The Forest Service is honoring this request and will hold on moving forward with the analysis and decision until the proposal is modified or withdrawn by the applicant.”

With that in mind, WTIP specifically asked Forest Service officials, including Superior National Forest Supervisor Tom Hall, if a decision on the expansion request was reached by officials from the Forest Service prior to the request for a “deferral” from Lutsen Mountains. In a phone call with WTIP Aug. 1, officials from the Forest Service would not provide a clear answer to this question, instead responding with repeated statements about “draft decisions” and “nothing being finalized.”

The agency also sent the following statement: “The final environmental impact statement and draft record of decision have not been finalized. The Superior National Forest has put the analysis on hold pending further information from Lutsen Mountains.”

The timing of the request from Lutsen Mountains for a “deferral” aligns with a timetable proposed by the Forest Service regarding the expansion. Hall was set to make a decision regarding the proposed expansion of the North Shore ski hill. That decision, which will be placed on hold until the Lutsen Mountains proposal is modified or withdrawn, would have been based on an environmental impact statement (EIS). The decision was widely expected last year. The timeline was pushed back primarily due to the abundance of public comments the Forest Service received about the project.

Forest Service officials told WTIP last year the EIS review is taking longer than expected, or is typical, due to the volume of comments that came in about the proposed expansion. More than 600 comments in the form of handwritten letters or emails were submitted, including many substantive comments, according to the Forest Service.

Lutsen Mountains is seeking a special use permit to “construct recreational ski trails and support infrastructure” on approximately 500 acres of federal land within the 1854 Ceded Territory on Superior National Forest. Forest Service officials have maintained that consultation and input from the Grand Portage, Fond du Lac, and Bois Forte Chippewa Bands remains paramount in terms of a decision regarding the proposed expansion. Tribal officials have spoken publicly and sent letters to local, state and federal officials expressing their concerns over the proposed expansion of the ski resort. If approved, the plan could nearly double the skiable terrain at Lutsen Mountains.

In their July 30 press release, officials from Lutsen Mountains cite what they call a “historic Memorandum of Understanding signed by the US Forest Service with three Chippewa Tribes in May.”

WTIP reported extensively on the memorandum when the agreement was signed by the Forest Service and the Chippewa Bands. In her Aug. 1 statement sent to WTIP, Skinner said, “given that the MOU was signed recently we have decided that our proposal should be refreshed under the principles established in the MOU. This will take time for us to collaborate with the parties to the 1854 Treaty – the USFS and the Chippewa Tribes – as we wish to come up with a modified proposal that includes a clear net benefit for the Tribes’ “retained rights” under the 1854 Treaty. As we have not had the time to engage in this process, with the MOU and its principles being so new, and since we expect that this process will, and should, require significant time, we have asked for a delay to take the time that is needed to find a solution that will benefit the Tribes, the community and the public.”

Hall took over as the supervisor of Superior National Forest last September. He replaced Cummins, who retired in July 2022. Hall told WTIP Nov. 9 that a decision regarding the proposed expansion of Lutsen Mountains has been a top priority from the time he arrived to northeastern Minnesota.

“We’ve been working in the time that I’ve been here as the forest supervisor, for me to understand both what the issues are and how I want to move forward on that,” Hall said.

This story was updated Aug. 1 to include a statement from the U.S. Forest Service and statements from Lutsen Mountains that were sent to WTIP.

Joe Friedrichs July 31, 2023