Headline News
Vermont Officials Allow Access to Big Jay from Jay Peak Resort's Tram for 2008/09
Backcountry skiers and snowboarders will again be allowed responsible access from Jay Peak Resort, Vt., to the backcountry terrain on Big Jay, which is part of the Jay State Forest, for the 2008/09 winter season. The agreement was signed this past July by the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation, the Green Mountain Club (GMC), Jay Peak Resort, and the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board.
Big Jay was closed last year to access via Jay Peak’s aerial tram as part of the effort to restore the large scar that was illegally cut on Big Jay Mountain in July 2007 (for our previous news coverage of the Big Jay illegal cutting, please read Officials Restrict Winter Access to Big Jay and Green Mountain Club Restoration Project: Nearly 1,000 Trees Illegally Cut on Big Jay).
“The plan we cooperatively developed will now allow access to Big Jay for this season when snow conditions are appropriate. This is a great step in managing backcountry skiing,” said Jonathan Wood, commissioner of the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation.
While the scar will remain closed to skiers and riders at all times to ensure that revegetation is successful, the memorandum of understanding provides a framework for allowing access to the rest of Big Jay during periods of adequate snow cover. Representatives from the State, GMC, and Jay Peak Resort will determine when the snowpack is deep enough to permit skiing without environmental damage. A stile-type fence will be installed at the entrance to the Big Jay ridge to make the opening and closing more effective. Jay Peak Resort has agreed to enforce the closure of Big Jay during low snow conditions with penalties including the loss of skiing or riding privileges. The State will enforce the no-cutting prohibition on the Big Jay parcel, consistent with the provisions of the conservation easement and Vermont law.
The agreement also addresses erosion control and restoration of the scar and promotion of a “Leave No Trace” backcountry skiing ethic.
“This agreement is the product of a lot of careful thinking by the parties responsible for stewardship of Big Jay, with the benefit of advice and input from backcountry skiers and other recreational users. It promotes responsible recreation while protecting the ecological values of this beautiful mountain,” said Ted Vogt, chair of GMC’s Big Jay Stewardship Subcommittee.
Vegetation Sprouts on Scar
With help from the GMC, nature is trying to heal the large scar that was illegally cut on Big Jay. Director of Stewardship Pete Antos-Ketcham reports that herbaceous plants and some woody shrubs sprouted on the lower two-thirds of the scar this past summer. The upper third of the scar, which is extremely steep, has experienced erosion, and had less vegetation. The brush waterbars erected by GMC volunteers and backcountry skiers in October 2007 are holding for the most part, despite the runoff from a big snowpack last spring, and heavy summer rains. The club and the state are determined to see trees grow again on the scar and will continue to monitor the situation and assist as necessary. It is important that hikers, skiers and snowboarders stay off the scar to allow vegetation to return. Skis clip off and damage woody vegetation as it grows higher.
GMC holds a conservation easement on Big Jay as a result of its purchase of the mountain in 1993 for the protection of the Long Trail and transfer of the land to the Jay State Forest. For more information on the GMC and this restoration project, visit the Green Mountain Club's news pages at www.greenmountainclub.com.