7275: Looking east from the historical marker in...
According to property owner Chris Peterson, the purpose of this activity was to create "access trails" and "firebreaks". Other reports have indicated that Mr. Peterson plans to construct a resort and ski area in Malan's Basin. His actual plans are mostly secret at this time, so it is difficult to assess whether the destruction shown in the photos was necessary. Although all of this land is privately owned, access to the property by road or gondola will apparently require impacts to adjacent public land. No approval for such impacts has yet been obtained, so we have no way to know whether the development will go forward as planned. Meanwhile, a great deal of damage has been done that will take decades to heal.
The Sierra Club's current position regarding Mr. Peterson's activities is expressed in this letter (pdf, 172k) and this follow-up letter (pdf, 148k).
For more information about Malan's Basin, visit SmartGrowthOgden.org.
All photos are by Dan Schroeder, Ogden Sierra Club.
Point at the blue dots to view thumbnails; click to view larger versions.
|
7275 | 20-Nov-05 | 423795 E | 4561370 N |
| Looking east from the historical marker in Malan's Basin, what was once a forest of maple and aspen is now a clearcut. | ||||
|
7305 | 25-Nov-05 | 423805 E | 4561374 N |
| The clearing is over 50 feet wide at this point. It extends for 3/4 mile up the valley and lies entirely within the riparian area. | ||||
|
7276 | 20-Nov-05 | 423797 E | 4561360 N |
| Hundreds of mature maples and aspens have been cut. | ||||
|
7310 | 25-Nov-05 | 423891 E | 4561340 N |
| The stumps are up to a foot in diameter. | ||||
|
7311 | 25-Nov-05 | 423885 E | 4561339 N |
| Most of the brush and branches have been piled along the margins of the clearing. | ||||
|
7280 | 20-Nov-05 | 423946 E | 4561313 N |
| The larger logs have been cut into sections and stacked or cast aside. | ||||
|
7281 | 20-Nov-05 | 423997 E | 4561294 N |
| The clearing crosses the creek several times; at each of these locations the gulch has been filled with branches and brush. | ||||
|
7297 | 20-Nov-05 | 424071 E | 4561247 N |
| Another spot where the gulch has been filled with branches and brush. | ||||
|
7296 | 20-Nov-05 | 424101 E | 4561238 N |
| More branches piled along the margin of the clearing. | ||||
|
7283 | 20-Nov-05 | 424374 E | 4561275 N |
| Higher in the valley the gulch is not as deep, but again it has been filled with brush. | ||||
|
7294 | 20-Nov-05 | 424439 E | 4561305 N |
| The crew of workers apparently built a campfire here. | ||||
|
7284 | 20-Nov-05 | 424460 E | 4561308 N |
| An occasional conifer within the route remains standing, but a great deal of streamside vegetation is now gone. | ||||
|
7292 | 20-Nov-05 | 424586 E | 4561341 N |
| If given the chance, perhaps the smaller brush that was cut here will grow back within a few years. | ||||
|
7285 | 20-Nov-05 | 424760 E | 4561246 N |
| As the route climbs higher it narrows to about 20 feet in width. | ||||
|
7286 | 20-Nov-05 | 424935 E | 4561220 N |
| At this point, 3/4 mile east of the historical marker, the route leaves the main valley and climbs a tributary to the northeast. | ||||
|
7287 | 20-Nov-05 | 424996 E | 4561253 N |
| Here the clearing is much narrower. It ends just a little higher up. | ||||
|
7316 | 25-Nov-05 | 423697 E | 4561364 N |
| Slightly west of the campsites in Malan's Basin, more trees have been cut and used to fill the creek bed. | ||||
|
7318 | 25-Nov-05 | 423688 E | 4561340 N |
| On the south side of the creek, several conifers have been cut to make a new trail. | ||||
|
7319 | 25-Nov-05 | 423658 E | 4561342 N |
| The logs and brush are lying along the trail margin. | ||||
|
7320 | 25-Nov-05 | 423630 E | 4561362 N |
| The trail traverses westward for a little over a quarter mile. | ||||
|
7322 | 25-Nov-05 | 423584 E | 4561346 N |
| The trail is dotted with stumps. | ||||
|
7323 | 25-Nov-05 | 423307 E | 4561283 N |
| Here the trail ends at the ridge south of Malan's Basin, where there is a wide clearing. | ||||
|
7325 | 25-Nov-05 | 423342 E | 4561264 N |
| The clearing stretches east-southeast up the ridge for nearly half a mile, about 20 feet wide over most of its length. | ||||
|
7326 | 25-Nov-05 | 423355 E | 4561252 N |
| Again the cut brush and branches have been piled along the margin of the clearing. | ||||
|
7327 | 25-Nov-05 | 423475 E | 4561177 N |
| Here the trees were mostly gambel oak and bigtooth maple. | ||||
|
7329 | 25-Nov-05 | 423597 E | 4561119 N |
| Stumps are everywhere. | ||||
|
7330 | 25-Nov-05 | 423831 E | 4561048 N |
| The clearing ends abruptly at this point. | ||||
|
7338 | 25-Nov-05 | 423349 E | 4561697 N |
| Near the trail between Malan's Peak and Malan's Basin, this new narrow trail has been cut to connect to the ridge. | ||||
|
7344 | 25-Nov-05 | 423493 E | 4561756 N |
| Where the trail reaches the ridge, we can look down a steep gulch into Taylor Canyon. | ||||
|
7346 | 25-Nov-05 | 423478 E | 4561786 N |
| The larger shrubs and small trees growing in the gulch have been removed. | ||||
|
7348 | 25-Nov-05 | 423451 E | 4561887 N |
| Although the crew had only worked down a little farther than this, they told me that the clearing was to be extended down to the bottom of Taylor Canyon. | ||||
Last modified on 10 March 2006