A Lutsen Expansion onto public lands: At what cost?

Lutsen Mountain ski resort in Northeastern Minnesota has proposed an expansion of its winter recreation area that, if approved, would convert nearly 500 acres of the Superior National Forest into new ski runs and chairlifts. 

While it may sound exciting to some to think about a bigger ski park in Minnesota, it would come at significant cost to local people, public lands, and sacred landscapes. 

The expansion is proposed on federal lands within the 1854 Treaty territory that are home to old-growth, undisturbed forests populated by northern white cedar stands over 140 years old as well as other unique and sensitive plant life and water sources. Whatever happens here needs to be done in meaningful consultation with the affected tribes and include robust consideration of the impacts the expansion would have on rare ecosystems of deep economic, cultural and ecological significance. 

Neither has happened yet, which is why MCEA, along with hundreds of others, filed comments about the proposal with the US Forest Service on Dec. 9, 2021. Our comment urges the federal agency to require Lutsen Mountain to fix the problems with the flawed draft environmental impact statement (EIS) before deciding whether to issue a special use permit. As it stands, our position is that the application should be denied. Losing sensitive public lands is a one-time decision with long-lasting impacts, and projects that impact treaty territory require meaningful government-to-government consultation with affected tribes. The Forest Service has yet to adequately consider these issues.