SAVE DONNER SUMMIT
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"I never did give them hell. I just told the truth, and they thought it was hell." - Harry S Truman

Jan 6: Donner Summit PUD Fined Again For Polluting the South Yuba River - Regional Control Board Order to Include Discretionary Penalty.

Dec 30: A summit home owner letter to SLCWD about DSPUD operations (pdf).

Dec 26: My reaction to RG's recent appeal email by Mountain Mama
(Other reactions).

Event Calendar & I80 webcam

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What can I do? Who can I contact?	Opinions/Comments	Videos, Poems, & Other Contributions	Forum

Highlights of past contributions - Development in the Sierras: Is Royal Gorge Building A House Of Cards On Donner Summit?. CPR, April 5, 2008.

September 2008: An avalanche of setbacks for Foster/Syme! Royal Gorge LLC. still has not made any official filings with Placer County (even though preliminary documents surfaced as part of The Union, a local newspaper, taking action under the freedom of information act). But setbacks keep on accumulating against their grandiose ill-conceived plan to transform Donner Summit into sprawling suburbia. 1- Sugar Bowl has withdrawn their "Letter of Intent" and will not pursue a ski lift connection between the resorts. 2- Placer County Planning Department has informed Royal Gorge that a second access road will be required to ensure the safety of existing and future residents. Read the Sierra Sun article: Royal Gorge road becomes hot topic - Geography may hinder new access. 3- Ice thickness measurements made on March 11 by the Sierra Lakes County Water District show that there is only 50 acre feet of water available during the winter months, a problem given that the proposed development is projected to consume 39 AF per month. 4- A local Donner Summit resident, Jennifer Montgomery, soundly defeated incumbent Bruce Kranz, a recipient of Royal Gorge support, and is now the 5th District Placer County Supervisor. 5- DSPUD, the local utility which would process Royal Gorge LLC.'s waste water, keeps on violating its permit, and is unable to comply with regulations, making it unlikely that regulators will authorize any time soon expansion of the treatment plant. 6- Tough times to raise money! At what price will Rainbow Lodge sell for?

Latest News -- December 26: cbs13 - Skier Killed In Avalanche At Squaw Valley -- December 26: Sheriff Department - Two hikers struck by a train in the Soda Springs area of Nevada County -- December 4: SF Chronicle - 5,630-acre Jenner Headlands Saved for Public through a Land Trust. An example for Mark Foster and the Donner Summit Community? -- December 2: The end of a long saga: State cancels Auburn dam water rights -- November 28: The Regional Water Control Board regulating the summit's waste water treatment plant imposes a mandatory minimum fine in the amount of $49,000 as a result of 7 serious violations of effluent discharge limitations in 2007 and 2008. The maximum penalty set by code for these violations is $316,780,000. A public hearing is scheduled for 5/6 February 2009 unless the summit's utility (DSPUD) either pays the fine or proposes compliance projects by December 30, 2008. -- November 13: Boil order lifted on DSPUD customers. -- October 31: DSPUD customers under boil water order. -- October 7: Save Serene Lakes: As part of their "Project Yuba Headwaters", the South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) sent a letter to the regional water quality control board with their comments concerning the algae growth "notice of violation" that DSPUD received last July. Their comments document a long list of violations and ask that any new permit or plant expansion permit take them into consideration. - - October 7: DSPUD is calling a board meeting on very short notice for tonight for the purpose of choosing an interim Board member to replace Lorrie Van Meter - Is the Brown Act being violated? - - October 1: Governor Schwarzenegger Vetoes AB 2447, the Fire Safety Bill! - - September 23: Save Donner Summit - An upbeat Donner Summit Public Utility District (DSPUD) board of directors passed Resolution 2008-10 authorizing the general manager to request activation of DSPUD's latent park and public facilities powers. Refer to Press Coverage . - - September 20: Los Angeles Times - EPA must limit builders' water pollution: U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upholds a California suit by the Natural Resources Defense Council . - - September 13: Sierra Lakes County Water District (SLCWD) board meeting - Following a complaint filed with the State Water Board (SWRCB) by a local resident, state inspectors have determined that SLCWD has been in violation of its permit since 1964 with regard to an obscure law passed in 1912 about "direct diversion". This law is now being enforced aggressively by the State, due to pressure from farmers, whose water allocation is been cut dramatically. In a worst case scenario, SLCWD may have to buy unappropriated water to cover unauthorized diversion between June 14 and August 31. For a deeper understanding of the issue, refer to SLCWD President's letter on the subject. - On another matter, Wade Freedle, SLCWD President, reported that our water district is in much better shape than the many water districts around Lake Tahoe. Director Gene Bowles, who also attended a local industry conference, confirmed that these districts are faced with massive expenditure to replace their antiquated "temporary" water distribution networks installed in the 40s.

DONNER SUMMIT IS AT RISK

Donner Summit is one of the truly historical landscapes of the Sierra Nevada, treasured by many throughout California, Nevada and the world. Visitors, hikers, skiers, naturalists, historians, climbers, train buffs, second homeowners and residents alike have enjoyed and continue to enjoy Donner Summit's unique environment and offerings.

Donner Summit with its irreplaceable resources is now at risk: in 2005, Foster-Syme, or Royal Gorge LLC, the partnership of Foster Enterprises (controlled by the grandson of the Foster that created Foster City in the Bay Area) and Woodstock Development (controlled by Kirk Syme ), purchased Royal Gorge Cross-Country Ski Area and 3,000 acres of adjacent private land, along with Ice Lakes Lodge and the historic Rainbow Lodge (Rainbow is now back on the market). The Foster-Syme group is proposing major development on Donner Summit in four separate locations. Their initial plans include 600+ "shared ownership" condominiums, two hotels, employee housing, several ski lifts and runs, two artificial lakes, and hundreds of home sites. Most of the development will be put right in the middle of currently pristine forest and meadow areas. Thousands of trees will have to be cut down. Roads, parking lots, ski lift corridors and ski runs will have to be plowed out of the forest. Erosion and watershed issues will effect both the South Yuba River and the North Fork of the American River as well as the local summit lakes and wetlands. Traffic, water supply, overcrowding, public safety, and sewer capacity are just a few of the additional concerns created by the proposal. Saddest of all would be the desecration of the popular Royal Gorge Cross Country Ski resort, the largest in North America. Refer to Save Royal Gorge Cross Country Skiing web site.

Concerned citizens (including many from outside the local community) are working with existing conservation and community groups to form a long-term strategic campaign to defend the Donner Summit area and safeguard its future for generations to come.

ABOUT US

This web site is operated and owned by concerned citizens. It is dedicated to raising awareness about Foster-Syme plans. It attempts to give information and resources about the proposed development and its effect on the summit land, environment, communities and individuals. We make available a bumper sticker `Save Donner Summit` to create global awareness. We also provide a monthly status update on top of this page.

The savedonnersummit.org is just a website; we don't accept donations (but we encourage you to support and donate to local groups). We don't have a contact page because we are not a legal 'entity'. However, if you have a comment or question about this website, something you wish to add or correct, please email to the Webmaster. And if your are bored you can read some legal stuff.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Want to get involved? See our What can I do? Who can I contact? page. Become familiar with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Concerned citizens (including many from outside the local community) are working with existing conservation and community groups on a long-term strategic campaign to defend the Donner Summit area and safeguard its future for generations to come. These groups have concerns about the impact of irresponsible development on Donner Summit. Each has its own approach and focus. For examples, Save Serene Lakes provides the latest news and status, and Sierra Watch is bringing its extensive experience gained in the Martis Valley controversy. You find links below, and a custom search which spans all these web sites and a few more related to Royal Gorge LLC. Join them and help `Save Donner Summit`.

HINT FOR KIRK SYME

"There is one timeless way of building. It is a thousand years old, and the same today as it has ever been. The great traditional buildings of the past, the villages and tents and temples in which man feels at home, have always been made by people who were very close to the center of this way. It is not possible to make great buildings, or great towns, beautiful places, places where you feel yourself, places where you feel alive, except by following this way. And, as you will see, this way will lead anyone who looks for it to buildings which are themselves as ancient in their form, as the trees and hills, and as our faces are." Christopher Alexander, "The Timeless Way of Building"."