Four huts have been proposed for the Mt. Baker region by different operators:
North Twin Sister (Baker Mountain Guides)
Heliotrope Trailhead (Aspire Adventure Running)
Anderson-Watson Trailhead (Round House Touring)
Canyon Creek (Whatcom County Snowmobile Club)
The huts are being evaluated separately, but have been grouped into a single proposal by the Forest Service for public comments.
Three of the huts are intended for overnight use by ski guiding operators. The Canyon Creek hut will be open to the public for day use only and will be run by Whatcom County Snowmobile Club, a non-profit group that operates several similar shelters across the Mt. Baker region.
The scoping letter for the proposed huts has limited details about public access to the huts and their ecological impacts. For example, it is unclear whether the public will be able to access any of the three guide huts without a guide or paid snowmobile ride.
We are asking the CBA community to comment that there is not enough information available to the public to make an informed decision about the proposed huts.
Here are specific questions/concerns to consider including in your comment:
Public Use: Will any of the huts be available for unguided use or self-access by the public? If so, what portion of time/space will be allotted for public use? Are there cost estimates for users?
User Group Conflicts: What measures will be put in place to prevent conflicts between user groups? Two of the huts will be placed next to snowmobile trails and accessed from sno-parks with limited parking. Snowmobilers are the primary funding source to groom and maintain these roads in winter.
Environmental Impacts: What will the environmental impact of these huts be? Will the Twin Sisters hut require cutting old-growth to install? How will human waste and water be managed?
Usability: The Heliotrope hut has little terrain for safe storm-day skiing, which may lead it to be underutilized in our wet and wild winters.
Comments are due Thursday, May 2.