Proposed Base to Kachina Basin Gondola:
7.297 feet (1.38 miles, 2.22 km) long gondola
1,800 persons/hour capacity
8-person cabins
1,000 ft/min rope speed with gondola car spacing of 267 feet , indicating an uphill gondola car passing any point along the Lake Fork of the Rio Hondo drainage every 267ft / (1000 ft/min) = 16 seconds, or a car passing every 8 seconds when you include the downhill car.
The main purported purpose of the Gondola is to solve a perceived problem of dispersing the public uniformly over the mountain and to effect efficient transit of skiers from the base to the Kachina Basin. A comparison and contrast study should be performed by the Forest Service to determine if upgrade of chair 2 or relocation of the gondola from base to lift 2 terminus adequately solves this problem. We have done this in the section “Replace Lifts 2 and 8” and conclude there is no reason to have a gondola.
Alternatives are required by the NEPA process and we feel the best alternative is to abandon the Gondola plan knowing that replacing Lift 2 with increased carrying capacity is a viable alternate.
There is also another problem with the proposed gondola project that is not obvious unless one gets past vagueness of the Master Development Plan and Environmental Assessment and the obfuscation of the discussion about dispersing skiers over the resort in Winter. The proposed gondola project along with the proposed Lift 4 hiking trail project (and the already accomplished approval to move a section of the historic Williams Lake/Wheeler Peak trail) may be more about putting in year-round infrastructure supportive of future real estate development in the Kachina Basin rather than improving the recreational offerings within the resort. Perhaps the most important reasons that we feel these projects should not be approved are:
The proposed gondola and Lift 4 hiking trail projects would impede or prevent the public from freely accessing the USFS public land inside the TSVI Special Use Permit area or the Wheeler Peak Wilderness and adjacent US Forest lands.
The unique and fragile upper Taos Ski Valley can’t handle any more development that would introduce additional numbers of people and increased water usage and sewage needs.
If further consideration is giving to the idea of a gondola, then the following should be considered:
The 2021 Master Development Plan does not provide specifics about the placement of gondola tower platforms and where they would be located in the riparian regions. The Environmental Assessment does not take into account the placement of these platforms. These specifications should be provided and an EIS should be required.
Assessments of the impact of the proposed gondola on the privacy and disturbances (visual and noise) of the residents and homeowners adjacent to the proposed gondola path are needed.
Grading would be required at both the gondola terminals and intermittently along the lift corridor up the Lake Fork of the Rio Hondo to install tower footings
Assessments are needed for each area to be graded and tower footings installed to determine the specific impacts to the Lake Fork of the Rio Hondo that include increased sediment load, changes in erosion and runoff, robustness to potential flooding and debris flow from wildfires in the Upper Rio Hondo Basin.
Analysis is needed on the visual impacts to the homeowners and residents that live adjacent to the proposed gondola path.
Tree clearing along the Lake Fork of the Rio Hondo would be required within the gondola corridor to allow for the passage of the gondola cabins
Analysis is required to assess how many trees need to be cleared, the impact of the tree removal on sediment entry into the Lake Fork of the Rio Hondo
Analysis required on the visual impacts from proposed tree removal for the gondola lift corridor.
Analysis is needed on impacts to Threatened/Endangered Species, and Species of Conservation Concern. Northern Goshawk, Boreal Owl, Pine Martin, Pika, North American River Otter, White-tailed Ptarmigan, and Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout have been documented in this area. Need a detailed analysis of the impact of the gondola on wildlife along the Lake Fork of the Rio Hondo.
Construction of the base-to-base gondola requires development outside the existing USFS Special Use Permit area currently granted to the Taos Ski Valley Inc. This should be established with the Village of TSV before any construction should commence.
Should the gondola project commence before all land agreements have been made for the construction requirements (i.e., pads for gondola lift towers, easements, tree removal, utility easements)? We think no.
The proposed gondola lift would be used extensively in the evenings to connect the two base areas for lodging and restaurants and in the summer to improve access to summer activities from the main base area. The night-time operation of the proposed new gondola along the Lake Fork of the Rio Hondo will potentially disturb wildlife movement in this important corridor. An EIS is needed to fully analyze how the Threatened/Endangered species and Species of Conservation Concern will be affected by the gondola operation during evening hours.
The proposed gondola project could have impact on the riparian areas in the Kachina Basin and has the potential to affect the Rio Hondo River. The Rio Hondo environment, especially the quality and availability of its water is a serious concern to all stakeholders. For more detailed coverage of related issues and concerns, please visit Friends of the Rio Hondo and read this article from La Jicarita.