According to a new release, the agreement details protection measures for Sierra Nevada Yellow Legged Frog habitat and for the nearby
Granite Chief Wilderness Area.Specifically, the agreement conserves
potential habitat for the Sierra Nevada Yellow Legged Frog and provides
funding for its monitoring, research, and potential re-establishment.
The agreement also provides funding for the conservation of lands within
the Congressionally mapped boundaries of the Granite Chief Wilderness
Area and places operational limits on the gondola operations to mitigate
impacts to the Wilderness Area.
The League’s lawsuit against Placer County also named the United States Forest Service. The lawsuit was filed under the California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and challenged the adequacy of the
environmental analysis and the County Board of Supervisor’s decision to
approve the project. “As a high value Sierra wilderness area, the
Granite Chief Wilderness needs ever more safeguards to ensure we leave
such wild treasures for future generations,” Daniel Heagerty, director
of the League, stated in the release. “Squaw Alpine has made
significant and greatly appreciated commitments to minimize wilderness
impacts and invest in important endangered species conservation efforts.
We are very pleased with the Agreement we reached with Squaw Alpine.”
“We are very happy to have worked collaboratively with the League to address their concerns so that resources could be directed to
environmentally beneficial purposes, rather than funding an extended
lawsuit,” Ron Cohen, president and chief operating officer of Squaw
Valley Alpine Meadows, said in the release. “We are eager to get going
on this game-changing transportation project. We thank the League for
its productive approach to resolving the dispute.”
