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001906 ~'i:@~11,11;}I(liA~*B';t1;!1'11;IURPQSEW.N.';8IE.;;);1;li1Ii~\~~;,1 INTRODUCTION On May 12. 1995. Aspen Skiing Company (ASC) submitted a proposal to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service (Forest Service) to amend their Master Development Plan (MOP) for the Aspen Highlands Ski Area (Aspen Highlands), which is in the White River National Forest (WRNF) and is operated under a special use permit (SUP) from the Forest Service (ASC 1995a). The proposal was accepted by the Forest Service on May 22, 1995. This Draft Environmental hnpact Statement (Draft EIS) documents the analysis of the potential environmental effects (physical, biological, social, and economic) of the proposal to increase the amount of advanced terrain at Aspen Highlands. The expansion would occur primarily in Steeplechase. Highland Bowl, and Maroon Bowl. It is a disclosure document rather than a decision document and its purpose is to provide sufficient environmental analysis to support a Record of Decision (ROD) regarding the proposed action and various alternatives to that action. The WRNF Forest Supervisor is the decision-maker for this proposal. The specific decisions to be made using the information provided in this Draft E1S are described later in this chapter. This analysis provides the Forest Service with a means of complying with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEP A)( 1969, as amended). NEP A requires that complete environmental infonnation be made available to federal. Slate and local agencies. and other organizations and individuals who may be interested in or affected by the proposal. It also provides a means for addressing concerns and interests associated with other laws, regulations, and adminisll'ative procedures including the WRNF Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan. as amended) (USDA-FS 1984a, as amended through 1990). LOCATION AND DESCRIPTION OF PRo.JECT AREA Aspen Highlands is located 1.5 miles southwest of Aspen, in Pitkin County, Colorado. It is accessible from State Highway 82. Aspen is 130 miles east of Grand Jooction, 41 miles southeast of Glenwood Springs, and 172 miles southwest of Denver, Colorado. The ski area lies between Aspen Mountain to the east and Bullermi1k Ski Area to the west and is bounded by Castle and Maroon creeks and the Maroon BeUs-Snowmass Wilderness. The location of the ski area is shown in Figure I. I. The area described in this report is bordered by the national forest boundary and private land to the north and east, Castle and Conundrum creeks to the east, Maroon Creek to the west, and the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness to the south of Highland Peak (Figure 1.2). The area is contained within Sections 14-15.21-23,26- 28, and 32-35, Township IO S. Range 85 W. and within Sections 2-5, Township II S, Range 85 W. According to the current SUP issued to ASC by the Forest Service, the size of the permit area is 3.116 acres. However, the planimetered area within the SUP boundary area delineated on the map allached to the permit, indicates that the area is only about 2,200 acres in size and therefore was considered to be a rough estimation. An Environmental Assessment (EA) (USDA-FS 1980) of the Aspen Highlands Skiing Corporation's 1979 Master Plan (AHSC 1979) restricts the permitted moootain capacity for Aspen Highlands to 4,500 skiers at one time (SAOT). This upper limit is also reflected in a 1994 EA of proposed improvements for Aspen Highlands (USDA-FS 1994a) and the ASC's 1995 development proposal (ASC 1995a). Once the cwrently approved developments have been fully implemented, Aspen Highlands will operate six lifts on 577 acres of terrain. The Olympic Lift on National Forest System (NFS) land and the Ski Wee Lift on private land are also being operated but these are to be removed, under current approvals. Lift-serviced terrain currently ranges in elevation from 8.040 feet to 11,675 feet at Loge Peak. /nlroduction Localion and Description of projecl Area I-I