Real Estate Development in the Ski Industry The NH ski industry has been a part of my life since day one. I literally have grown up at the bottom of the slopes of Dartmouth Skiiway. I have been a racer all my life and have for years had my fair share of extensively traveling NH mountains and sampling all that the NH ski industry has had to offer. It was not until recently that I have come to understand that my beloved ski mountains are also well entrenched in environmental issues. Being a resource economics major I now realize that the NH ski industry is no longer the perfect wonderland it seemed to me as a child. Topics such as wildlife habitat, water quality and stream health, air pollution and much more are now all directly impacted by the industry. No longer can lifts be built and new larger, faster snowmaking devices be used without first giving a lot of thoughts to the environmental impacts that may occur. Yet the industry is always expanding and looking for new and different ways to attract more and more people. These expansions have many issues to talk of but the one I would like to focus on is the development of real-estate at the resorts. The process of building huge complexes to house the throngs of people that year after year come back for visits. Issues such as water use and air pollution are all very important, and whole papers could be devoted to those topics. Being a native New Englander it is not so much the new trails being built or the sophisticated snow making systems that are being created that has caught my eye as much as the developmental sprawl that seems to be overtaking NH resorts. I belive that most ski areas try to do right by the environment, and use the best available technology to keep the ind... ... middle of paper ... ...ess beuty and the small homely towns in which it resides. Developmental sprawl is an eyesore in many of these towns and stands to benefit nobody besides the big guns up in the large corporations. The industries Preamble in the Sustainable Slopes program is a strong indicator that we are on the right track, "A strong environment ethic underlies our operations, makes us stewards of the natural surroundings, and is the basis for our commitment to constant improvement in environmental conditions." (http://www.clf.org/hot/20000614.htm) In the future the communities in NH that can offer the most unique experience will benefit the most. By unique I do not mean fany condos, and five star restaurants on the main strip through town. The NH industry should begin to bank on their small mountain experience, come to where loyalty and environment still mean something to the state.
For 100 years, Cape Cod has been defined as the ultimate summer getaway, a place to unwind and relax. A place where visitors can tan on the beach, play in the waves and sail in the sound. The result is a region that is absolutely dependent on tourism and tourism that is dependent on the Cape’s aesthetic scenery. What will happen if part of that scenery changes from a serene and untouched ocean view to an industrial wind park?
With all the advantages that a snow machine could bring to Northern Arizona, there are some people who do not want to see the Arizona SnowBowl join the ninety-one percent of ski areas who make their own snow on National Forest land (Murray, p.3). These people have raised great controversy in Northern Arizona because they would like to see the mountain stay as pristine as possible. The only problem with their point of view is that there are more advantages than disadvantages to installing snow machines.
... communities could say “Not in my backyard!” then there is absolutely no reason why the Hunts Point community can not say that this time-at least this once. Asthma and obesity are common in the area, the community is one of the poorest (not in New York State alone) but in the whole of the United States. This sends a message to other states about New York. Although Hew York could be “The Capital of The World,” it definitely has some areas that have to be looked into. Such an environment is not suitable for maximum residence but as a result of poverty and racism, people reside in areas with 15 transfer stations, a fertilizer company, a Con Ed plant, and two juvenile correctional centers. This should not be the case. A lot of ways are feasible as a way of averting this impending danger and out burst. Once again, instead if tackling the symptoms let the cause be tackled.
As the population grows in this country we are developing and expanding area's that have never seen the population like we are seeing these days. There are almost 1200 people who live in the small community of West Yellowstone that thrives on tourism. There is good turnout in the summer and in the winter snowmobiling keeps the small town going. Over the past five years the Government and multiple environmental agencies have tried to shut down snowmobiles in the National Park for pollution reasons. How would this affect the environment? How would this affect the local industry? I will go through each side of this debate that has been taking place.
Snowboarding and Skiing are common and different in the subjects of culture, technique, and equipment. There are similarities on and off the mountain as well as major differences. Snowboarding was influenced in the beginning by skiing and it is now growing rapidly. Skiing has been taking part in the boarding culture to regain some ground hey lost to the boarding craze. This culture will be shown through a comparison in a “Battle of the Mountain.”
One of the most visible and mutual environmental impacts of ski areas on the environment is deforestation and grading of slopes. In order to service a multitude of winter sport enthusiast, mountain slopes must be cleared of dense forest in order to make way for ski runs and lifts. With the ski industry in the US showing steady numbers (Satistica) resorts have to come up with new attractions to keep past patrons and attract new customers. One of the ways that they do this is by opening up new terrain, which increases the amount of deforestation damaging the local vegetation. Ski resorts essentially have two options in creating new terrain. First clearing runs by removing trees and other woody vegetation, leaving the topsoil and seed bank intact or by grading slopes by using bulldozers to remove any abnormalities. The second method is preferred as it is faster and more efficient and allows for the slope to be opened earlier with less snow pact.(USA) The impacts of grading slopes by bulldozing destroy the vegetation, reduce the topsoil and greatly contribute to erosion. The removal of woody vegetation can also lead to a drastic change in the local vegetation in order to keep the trails clear it requires constant trimming of the new growth of unwanted vegetation that can help anchor topsoil in place and provide better growing conditions for other plants. The destructive method of bulldozing runs not only leads to environmental degradation but also can be counter productive. According to a UC Davis study, while clearing slopes of vegetation and irregularities by bulldozer might result in opening earlier than other resorts the increase in maintenance, will likely offset any monetary gains (USA).
Instead of starting with ancient civilizations from the past, Diamond starts off by talking about present day Montana to give people an idea that there truly are many environmental problems affecting the world today. The Bitterroot Valley presents a microcosm of the environmental problems plaguing the rest of the United States: increasing population, immigration, increasing scarcity and decreasing quality of water, locally and seasonally poor air quality, toxic wastes, heightened
An aging population, a younger generation who prefer walkable places, economic shifts, and the environmental impacts of suburban development are all contributing factors” (Beatz 141). Reshaping Metropolitan America gives an argument, as well as a blueprint, on how we can transform our infrastructure and housing demands by 2030.
... are now barely breaking even, even with tourism. The only really profitable aspects are the oil, gas and mining companies, which reside on federal land but those are poorly managed and do more bad than good for the environment and all people living around them. At first it will be hard but it’s not impossible under the right leadership who truly only wants the betterment of the environment, I think with strict guidelines and rules this could be the most profitable solution for humankind and the environment. I believe that giving the land back to the states will be beneficial to help keep the costs down, centralize the efforts, and make “saving,” and “preserving,” the environment more efficient in the long run.
reason for the growth. The reason for the dramatic increase in industry sales in the retail world of skiing was due to snowboarding. By now almost everyone in the country has
If one wishes to build a ski resort, the location of that resort must be
...believe that the state should consider putting more money into repairing roads, both gravel and highway, so they are useable. Many of the people who do not live in town and use the gravel roads everyday could benefit tremendously from this.
The perception of the areas we live in, are of major importance to the well being of humans because the areas we choose to live in may very well affect our lifestyle. There are pros and cons to living anywhere in the United States and the most prominent factors are suburban and urban areas. Suburban areas contain more open land, and forests which are crucial factors in our environment, whereas urban areas contain more job opportunities and opportunities for investments, which result in higher payments. The factors associated with urbanization are buildings, factories, and huge amounts of pollution, whereas suburban areas contain more farms, plantations, and crops. Researchers are still debating whether urban
Skiing, as a sport has existed since the early 1800’s, although depictions of skis have been discovered throughout Europe dating back thousands of years. Skiing as a recreational activity became popularized in the mid 1800’s however it did not arrive in the United States until around 1841. Once the concept of skiing reached the states, it took off. The United States continued to power advances in skiing for decades, with the introduction of rope tows, then actual ski lifts. By the 1950’s several ski areas had begun snowmaking and trail grooming, two American born inovatio9ns which ensured better skiing conditions and launched the US far ahead of Europe in ski technology (Fry 38). Skiing continued to evolve throughout the 1900’s, constantly changing and adapting to improve athlete performance and recreational experiences. Skis and equipment changed quickly and frequently, ski bindings, which...
Challenge plays an essential role in defining a sport; it provides the individual with the feeling of achievement in success. Skiing poses challenge even in its simplest foundations. Skiing on a poor quality hill, with icy snow and poor upkeep can sometimes create more challenge than a well-groomed slope. Skiing in the backcountry away from lifts and other people in freshly fallen snow provides an opportunity for the best of skiers to test t...