Friends of Mount Sunapee

FOMS newsletter - November 2009

We hope this newsletter and update finds all of you well after a soggy summer and beautiful autumn.

 As leaves now blow past us, we need to remain aware that change is constant, ecologically and otherwise. Within this publication you will find, among other topics, updates regarding the ownership of the lease of Mount Sunapee ski area, the master plan, and the status of the lawsuit brought by Sunapee Difference LLC against the State of New Hampshire.

Newsletters

FOMS Newsletter 2009, November (383 KB)

FOMS Newsletter 2008, March (447 Kb)  

FOMS Newsletter 2007, April (538 Kb)

Other

Lease Expansion & Mount Sunapee State Park: Essential Questions for the Public To Ask, 2004 - (62 Kb)

Contents

Question 1: Public Trust, Public Interest, & Essential PublicValues of Mount Sunapee State Park.
Question 2: DRED’s responsibilities for public process and oversight of the park and lease.
Question 3: Impacts of lease expansion on the park, the mountain, Goshen, and the region.
Question 4: DRED’s fiscal oversight responsibilities concerning the lease.
Back: Information about the Friends of Mount Sunapee  

FOMS Statement Opposing Ski Area Expansion, 2004 (58 Kb) 

Five Reasons FOMS Opposes Expansion at Mount Sunapee State Park, 2004 (35 Kb)

It may seem to have been a quiet summer for Mount Sunapee State Park. Beneath the surface, however,  several important issues simmered, including Okemo’s submission of its master development plan for the next five years. Okemo submitted its proposed Five Year Master Development Plan (MDP III) in June to the Division of State Parks & Recreation and George Bald, Commisioner of the Dept. of Resources and Economic Development. (The Parks division is part of the larger agency, DRED.) 

March 2008

As we slip, shovel and slide through a white but warm winter, we can take comfort in knowing mud and black flies are only a few weeks away. Really, though, our dramatic seasonal changes are a large part of what makes our region so special. Appreciation and respect for that which we have no control of is part of our lives here. Keeping that perspective is our challenge. Protection of our natural resources and our special places is our solution.

The success last year of the Pillsbury-Sunapee Ridge Forest Project, protecting over 1000 acres of highly visible, ecologically critical land, an effort driven by the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, demonstrates the passion of the region to protect open space. Thank you and congratulations to all who participated.

As featured in this newsletter, on Saturday, April 5th in Sutton, we have an opportunity to come together, network and learn about the latest in land conservation and community planning at the Saving Special Places Conference. We hope many people, including town officials, take part.

 See FOMS 2008 newsletter for:

• "Our Mountain Park Report"
• "What's In a Name?"
• "Easement Protects Judkins Property"
• "FOMS Offers Conservation Awards" 

All in the . . . FOMS 2008 Newsletter 

Friends of Mount Sunapee attended this year's Saving Special Places Conference held at Kearsarge Regional High School in April (2008).

FOMS Directors Linda Dennis (left) and Brenda Shapiro (right) were on hand for the conference, set up our exhibit table and took part in workshops.

Presented by the Forest Society’s Center for Land Conservation Assistance, UNH Cooperative Extension and the State of NH Conservation Land Stewardship Program, the Saving Special Places Conference is the premier land conservation training, education and networking event in the state.

See FOMS March 2008 Newsletter for more information.

Photo: Courtesy of the Center for Land Conservation Assistance at the Forest Society.

Friends of Mount Sunapee have felt great relief since the denial of the proposed expansion of the ski area at Mount Sunapee State Park by Governor Lynch almost three years ago. Lynch’s action in May 2005 culminated nearly five years of public discussion and organizing by FOMS and many of you.

While this matter is temporarily “off the table,” it has not gone away, and continues to deserve our attention and engagement, as well as other important issues. Here’s a brief roundup of news affecting Mount Sunapee State Park.

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