Colorado has more than 50 mountains over 14,000 feet. Oregon has only one over 11,000 feet. Oregonians have always loved Mount Hood for the rare and beautiful treasure that it is.

In 1965 the Forest Service allowed 1380 acres on the southeast slopes of Mount Hood to be removed from the protected wilderness for the development of a new fifth ski area on the mountain. A diagram of the area was circulated showing the location of the one and only proposed lift.

Members of the public expressed concern for allowing ski development on what may be considered the most beautiful and biologically important part of Oregon's most famous mountain. This area contained the only extensive meadows on the Timberline Trail on that half of the mountain.

To calm public fears and address concerns, the Forest Service promised in writing, that "public interest in maintaining the area in its natural condition will be given careful consideration in all phases of the proposed development", and "special care will be taken". Special restrictions were written into the ski area permit. These included the stipulation that there would be no roads on the slopes above the base area and no cat type heavy equipment on the slopes. Environmental groups including the Sierra Club approved the plan that promised recognition and protection of the area's highly sensitive and fragile ecosystem.

These conditions under which this sensitive wetland basin was removed from wilderness have been ignored for the past 35 years. The written promises have been broken. The Forest Service seems to have no institutional memory of the bargain made. The public trust has been betrayed.

Past actions have caused serious degradation to the hydrological and ecological integrity of this significantly important wet meadow basin on Mt. Hood. The size of the permit area is now 3,458 acres, two and one-half times the original size. One-third of this region consists of wetland meadows and riparian zones. Large areas have been blasted to create ski runs. There are now 10 chair lifts, 22.5 acres of parking (paved or graveled over wetland flower meadows), serious deforestation, severe habitat loss, roads, 3000 feet of streams in culverts, drained meadows, unreported oil spills, rock salt on bare meadows, intense erosion, and other extensive environmental damage.

It is ironic that the very meadows from which Mount Hood Meadows derived its name are being methodically destroyed.