The Arizona Republic supports a proposal to allow a ski area in the sacred San Francisco Peaks to use reclaimed water to make snow.

The paper says the U.S. Forest Service is right to allow the proposal. "The prospects for skiiers, not to mention the financial health of the Snowbowl, would be considerably brighter if owners of the Flagstaff ski area were permitted to make snow rather than having to rely on Mother Nature," the paper says.

The paper doesn't discount the views of tribes who oppose the project but says the ski area won't be expanding. And the water being used to make the snow "exceeds" federal guidelines. Tribes who consider the area sacred say the use of wastewater is sacrilegious.

Get the Story:
Editorial: Make it snow (The Arizona Republic 2/20)

Relevant Documents:
Draft EIS

Relevant Links:
Coconino National Forest - http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/coconino/index.shtml

Related Stories:
Navajo Nation not planning boycott for sacred site (2/20)
Coalition protests snowmaking in sacred peaks (2/18)
Tribes to fight snowmaking in sacred Ariz. peaks (02/03)
Forest Service delays report on ski area expansion (12/02)
Hopi Tribe opposing snowmaking in sacred peaks (11/20)
Ski area on sacred mountain expanding (10/15)