Open letter to the authors of the Village at Wolf Creek Land Exchange - Environmental Impact Study.
Earlier this month I made a Freedom of Information request for a copy of the Village at Wolf Creek land exchange Appraisal Report. I received it this past Tuesday (9/25/12) along with a cover letter that is pretty much a Gag Order. Considering the late date I actually set it aside. But now that the comment period has been extended by ten days I felt an obligation to at least open it up and try to wade through the two volume, 200 some page report.
So, I’m reading along in the “VWC LEX - Non-Federal Parcel volume underlining a provocative paragraph here and there, but moving along just the same, considering I’m under a gag order.
But, then I came to page 50: ”Local Market Conditions,” and "The Village at Wolf Creek." I’m sorry but it hit me like a slap in the face and makes me want to scream: “I told you so!”
Come on, even the appraiser, who clearly believes that development is the “highest and best use” of this land - admits that the project is not financially feasible in the current market... and does anyone actually believe the market will be improving?
What in the world is the point of facilitating this out-of-reality scheme of a billionaire - {who builds a Formula One race track for fun and thinks it’s a civic improvement} - in the face of the economic reality of our area - as spelled out on page 50? Keep in mind we are talking about source waters to the Rio Grande River Basin.
For one, please consider the creeping impacts of the global warming, you authors so glibly wrote off. After all the crop failures and other economic losses from this summer’s heat waves and drought will have far reaching economic impact. Furthermore, the physics of global warming guarantee that this is just the beginning of the pain our economy will be feeling - at all levels.
Can we get real? The happy dreamy days of the 80s, when this obsession was born are over, never to return.
The details of the Village at Wolf Creek Proposed Land Exchange Real Estate Appraisal Review’s “non-federal” volume, page 50, regarding our local conditions is chilling to the bone. But, I’m not allowed to share any of the details with others. However, you authors of the EIS can read every word of it... please don’t ignore it, {the way you’ve tried ignoring the cascading consequences of our planet’s climate situation}, in your deliberations.
It is time to turn this McCombs’ Village at Wolf Creek versus Alberta Park Watershed discussion around and find some way to convince Mr. McCombs that it is in the best interest of everyone involved, including the empire he will be leaving his daughter, to find some way to return his current holding to the USDA Forest Service, or a nature conservancy arraignment.
[ “Dear EIS authors imagine my surprise, and relief, this morning when I pulled out the “second” volume of the VWC LEX Appraisal only to discover that I was sent two copies of the same report. I wonder if that means the second was given to me for sharing? In any event, I stand corrected, the Appraisal appears to be one volume of about a hundred pages.” ~ ~ ~
Nope wrong again. Rereading my cover letter, I see that yes indeed Mr. McClure did indicate there should be two separate reports. So since I have two copies of the volume marked “non-federal” I wonder if someone is looking at two copies of “federal” or whatever the other report was titled. ]
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Dear Friends of Wolf Creek, the United States Forest Service will never listen to you, if you don't contact them!
Here's where to do that, but you need to do it before Thursday, October 11th
