Proposed Final 2018 Amendment to the 2002 Gore Mountain Unit Management Plan and Final Generic Environmental Impact Statement March 2018 Lead Agency and Prepared by: The Olympic Regional Development Authority 2634 Main Street, Lake Placid, New York 12946 (518) 302-5332 Contact: Robert W. Hammond and Gore Mountain Ski Center 793 Peaceful Valley Road, North Creek, New York 12853 (518) 251- 2411 Contact: Emily Stanton In cooperation with: The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and in consultation with: The Adirondack Park Agency Ray Brook, New York 12977 Private Consultants: The LA Group, Landscape Architecture and Engineering, P.C. 40 Long Alley, Saratoga Springs, New York 12866 (518) 587-8100 Contact: Kevin Franke Date of Acceptance of DGEIS: January 3, 2018 Date of Public Hearing: January 24, 2018 Date of Close of Comment Period: February 9, 2018 Date of Acceptance of FGEIS: ________________ Submitted: February 26, 2018 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY I. INTRODUCTION This 2018 Unit Management Plan (UMP) Amendment has been prepared in accordance with the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan (APSLMP or SLMP), addresses changes to the 2002 UMP and the 2005 UMP Amendment thereto, and adds several new management actions. This 2018 UMP Amendment lists and reviews the status of the 1995, 2002 and 2005 management actions and identifies those management actions that have been completed, those which are pending, and those that are modified or abandoned within this 2018 UMP Amendment. Previous UMP documents are incorporated by reference into this document. Since the completion of the last UMP Amendment, Gore Mountain has received recognition from the Ski Industry and the press for, not only its quality skiing experience, but also for its environmental stewardship. In May 2016, Gore Mountain was awarded the esteemed Golden Eagle for Overall Environmental Excellence by a ski area from the National Ski Areas Association. The Golden Eagle is the industry’s most prestigious award for sustainability and Gore’s broad range of environmental stewardship across several areas of its operation was integral to its win. Gore Mountain successfully demonstrated that a growing resort1 can at the same time be sustainable. Projects that contributed to this award were Gore’s contracting of two 25-year solar power purchasing agreements, strategic trail modifications to increase uphill operational efficiency, energy-saving snowmaking, creative repurposing of buildings, the redevelopment of historic trails, various education efforts and Gore’s increased provision of locally sourced food. II. 2018 UMP AMENDMENT MANAGEMENT ACTIONS New management actions are identified and analyzed in this 2018 UMP Amendment. The potential environmental impacts and the attendant proposed mitigation measures for any new or modified management actions are also identified and discussed. The potential impacts and 1 Gore’s acreage and uphill capacity have increased 131 percent and 142 percent respectively over the past 20 years. i the identified mitigation measures for the previously approved UMP management actions remain in effect and will not be repeated here, but are incorporated by reference. The following lists the New Management Actions that are the subject of this UMP Amendment and that can be undertaken after the UMP Amendment is adopted. See Figure ES-1, 2018 Master Plan (South) and Figure ES-2, 2018 Master Plan (North). Trail Construction and Trail Widening • Construct a new trail at Burnt Ridge that connects to the Base Lodge via the lower portion of Echo • Construct a new trail adjacent to the Ski Bowl to replace the existing Half ‘N Half glade. • Widen the bottom of Echo as it turns toward the base area • Widen some sections of Twister • Widen Sunway and other green trails served by Lift 3 Lifts • Add a new triple or quad chair (Lift 9B) from Northwoods Lodge up Lower Sunway to just past the bend in Lower Sunway Vehicular Access and Parking • Modify the 1995-approved shuttle lane separated from and independent of main traffic route and circulation route and parking Buildings • Expand the NYSEF building • Reconfigure the 1995-approved maintenance complex to locate groomer garage and fueling station adjacent to Sunway trail Snowmaking • Enlarge the snowmaking reservoir • Install a new 24 inch gravity water line from the snowmaking reservoir to the pump house Mountain Biking • Construct a single-track bike trail loop for Town trail at the top of Little Gore Hiking • Develop a hiking center based out of the Northwoods Lodge. Requests for Land Reclassifications • Request a land reclassification from Wild Forest to Intensive Use and from Intensive Use to Wilderness which could allow the historic Rabbit Pond Trail to be used as a trail, if authorized in a subsequent UMP. ii Plotted By: MARK TABER Save Date: 2/26/2018 3:58 PM File Name: G:\Proj-2015\201537_Gore_Mountain_2015\201537-04_UMP Work Gore and Ski Bowl\2015037-004CAD\06Gore Plans\G0_04_MasterPlan.dwg LEGEND ADIRONDACKINTENSIVEGORE FOREST USEMOUNTAIN AREA EXISTING TRAILS PREVIOUSLY APPROVED TRAILS PRESERVE REPLACE & PREVIOUSLY APPROVED TRAIL EXTEND LIFT 6 WIDENING PROPOSED TRAILS APPROVED STEILHANG PROPOSED TRAIL WIDENING CLOUD UPPER TRAIL 6N-O EXISTING GLADES CHATIEMAC EXISTING APPURTENANT CLEARING THE RUMOR GORE MOUNTAIN INTENSIVE UPPER USE AREA LAND REQUESTED BARREL DOUBLE LIFT EXISTING LIFTS CLOUD DARBY LIES STEILHANG TO BE RECLASSIFIED LOWER LIFT PREVIOUSLY APPROVED DOUBLE BARREL HAWKEYE WILDERNESS GLADES PIT DARKSIDE LIFT PROPOSED LIFTS GLADES MICA OPEN LAND USE BOUNDARY HULLABALOO DELL EXISTING NORDIC & HEADWATERS LOWER DARBY CROSS-COUNTRY TRAILS CLOUD DARBY WOODS WOOD LOT GLADES MINESHAFT FUTURE / PROPOSED MOUNTAIN GLADES NORTH WOOD LOT CHATIEMAC GLADES BIKING TRAIL SANTANONI LOWER CLOUD TRAVERSE SOUTH EXISTING BUILDING LITTLE CHATIEMAC WOODCHUCK CLOUD STRAIGHTBROOK HEADWATERS THE GLEN WOOD OUT CAVE GLADES TRAVERSE PINEBROOK GLADES WOOD IN PINE KNOT RUBY RUN LOWER LOWER UNCUS APPROVED BEAR THE LOOP KILL KARE GLADES MOUNTAIN LODGE FAIRVIEW UNCUS WOOD IN UPPER PETE GAY TANNERY TOPRIDGE POWDER PASS 2N-L HIGH PINES GLADES FOXLAIR 2N-L SLEEPING BEAR NORTH STAR PETE GAY TWISTER 2N-L TAHAWUS SUNWAY SHOWCASE SLEIGHRIDE UPPER PREVIOUSLY THE PEACE PIPE APPROVED TRAILS TAHAWUS GLADES HEDGES 11B-LOWER PREVIOUSLY APPROVED WILD AIR POTENTIAL TRAIL WIDENING SNOWMAKING REPLACE & EXTEND SLEIGHRIDE RESERVOIR LIFT 3 SUNWAY ENLARGEMENT LOWER PROPOSED TRAIL ECHO QUICKSILVER WIDENING TWISTER 11-O CHATTERBOX GLADES ABENAKI GLADES SAGAMORE OTTER SLIDE OTTER SLIDE GLADES 3B 1N-O SHOWCASE CUTOFF TWISTER GLADES BARKEATER GLADES HANDLE LIFT 3 JUG PROPOSED 1A TRAIL 11-O TRAVERSE WARD HILL PIPELINE LOWER WILD AIR (CONSTRUCT POT LUCK 3B JAMBOREE LITTLE DIPPER PORTION OF 11-M SUNWAY TWIN FAWNS PREVIOUSLY 2B APPROVED11-J LIFT 3 ECHO TO LINK NEW 11-I TRAIL SECTIONS) 11-J PROPOSED LIFT 9B BEAR CUB RUN SHOWOFF 11-O 11-L THE ARENA SEE PLAN TITLED BOREAS GLADES 'MASTER PLAN - BASE PIPELINE PEACEFUL AREA' CIRQUE GLADES EAGLE'S NEST BRIDGE VALLEY LOT C LOT A / B EXISTING THE GULLY SAGAMORE GLADES STARTING GATE JIBLAND LOT F SAGAMORE PARKING LOT D LOT E LOT G PEACEFUL LIFT 14 CEDAR'S EAGLES NEST CROSSOVER VALLEY RIDGE TRAIL TRAVERSE TRAIL EXISTING TRAILS ON THE OAK PREVIOUSLY BURNT RIDGE & SKI WIDENING 12O GORE MOUNTAINJOHNSBURG INTENSIVE TOWN USE LANDS AREA APPROVED PARKING BOWL APPROVED TO RECONFIGURE APPROVED LIFT 14 AVERAGE 120' WIDTH GORE ACCESS ROAD HALF & HALF PREVIOUSLY APPROVED GLADES SHUTTLE LANE 12N Prepared for: Drawing Title Date: Feb. 25, 2018 Scale: 1"=1000' 2018 Master Plan - ApprovedDesign: MJT Drawn: KMK and Proposed Actions Ch'k'd: KJF (South) Project No.: 2015037 Olympic Regional Project Title: Drawing No: 0 200 500 1000 Unauthorized alteration or addition to thisDevelopment AuthorityGore Mountain: 2018 Unit Management Plan Amendment & document is a violation of Section 7209 of the Figure ES-1 New York State Education Law. 2634 Main Street Final Generic Environmental Impact Statement SCALE: 1" = 1000 AT 11x17 © the LA Group 2017 Lake Placid, New York 12946 Plotted By: MARK TABER Save Date: 2/26/2018 3:58 PM File Name: G:\Proj-2015\201537_Gore_Mountain_2015\201537-04_UMP Work Gore and Ski Bowl\2015037-004CAD\06Gore Plans\G0_04_MasterPlan.dwg LEGEND EXISTING TRAILS PREVIOUSLY APPROVED TRAILS PREVIOUSLY APPROVED TRAIL WIDENING PROPOSED TRAILS PROPOSED TRAIL WIDENING EXISTING GLADES 2N-L EXISTING APPURTENANT CLEARING LIFT EXISTING LIFTS LIFT PREVIOUSLY APPROVED NORTH STAR PETE GAY LIFT PROPOSED LIFTS LAND USE BOUNDARY EXISTING NORDIC & CROSS-COUNTRY TRAILS FUTURE / PROPOSED MOUNTAIN BIKING TRAIL EXISTING TRAILS ON BURNT EXISTING BUILDING THE RIDGE & SKI BOWL APPROVED PEACE PIPE TAHAWUS GLADES TO AVERAGE 120' WIDTH 11B-LOWER POTENTIAL SNOWMAKING RESERVOIR ENLARGEMENT ABENAKI GLADES VANDERWHACKER MOUNTAIN WILD FOREST LAND REQUESTED TO BE RECLASSIFIED INTENSIVE USE AREA BARKEATER GLADES RABBIT POND TRAVERSE PIPELINE 11-M GORE MOUNTAIN INTENSIVE USE AREA 12I-A 11-L 12I-A 12-J BOREAS GLADES PIPELINE 12-M PROPOSED TRAILS PEACEFUL EAGLE'S NEST BRIDGE VALLEY PREVIOUSLY 12-L 12-J 12-I APPROVED TRAILS PEACEFUL 12-I EAGLES NEST CROSSOVER VALLEY 12-G RIDGE TRAIL 12-H EXISTING TRAILS ON THE OAK LIFT 12 BURNT RIDGE & SKI 12O GORE MOUNTAINJOHNSBURG INTENSIVE TOWN USE LANDS AREA BOWL APPROVED TO HUDSON SKI BOWL AVERAGE 120' WIDTH GLADES HALF & HALF GLADES 12-E 46' ER 12N CONVERT EXISTING HALF & MOXHAM HALF GLADE TO TRAIL 12O EXTEND LIFT 13, ADD REPLACE LIFT 12 WITH A HIGH SPEED TRAIL, BUILD ZIP COASTER LIFT 14 (SEE NOTE) VILLAGE SLOPES QUAD & RELOCATE APPROVED LIFT 14 NYS ROUTE 28 NOTE: PROPOSED ACTIONS ON TOWN-OWNED LANDS ARE INCLUDED IN THIS UMP FOR REFERENCE ONLY. Prepared for: Drawing Title Date: Feb. 25, 2018 Scale: 1"=1000' 2018 Master Plan - ApprovedDesign: MJT Drawn: KMK and Proposed Actions Ch'k'd: KJF (North) Project No.: 2015037 Olympic Regional Project Title: Drawing No: 0 200 500 1000 Unauthorized alteration or addition to thisDevelopment AuthorityGore Mountain: 2018 Unit Management Plan Amendment & document is a violation of Section 7209 of the Figure ES-2 New York State Education Law.