Squaw Valley ski resort is planning on building a new expansive gondola system, and hosted a Q&A about the proposed "California Express" gondola Saturday.
Some of the biggest concerns where about exactly where this gondola system will go, and what impact it will have on the surrounding area. One of the goals of this Q&A meeting is to find out what concerns the public has.
“It's hard through the planning process to try to out think what is on people’s minds, and in this case we reach out to folks and we hear straight up what's on their mind, it was great," said Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows CEO Andy Wirth.
The gondola would connect the Squaw Valley ski resort with Alpine Meadows, but the actual location of this gondola system isn't decided quite yet. For each of the potential locations, there are studies on everything from environmental to archaeological impacts. Those results will be released around February. They also estimate to reduce carbon emissions created by skiers going back and forth by at least 18 tons a year.
Yet some opponents are worried not only about impacts to the environment, but the mountains natural beauty.
"By basically dropping people off in the wilderness by gondola, it changes the impact and the intensity of human use substantially. It’s actually a pretty fragile habitat up there with endangers species," said Daniel Heagerty, Director of Granite Chief Wilderness Link.
Squaw Valley says it has no intention on impacting the environment, and have taken special measures to make sure that doesn't happen.
"Can it have an impact? It could but that's what we are designing around it, we are contemplating the habitat and that's being studied by wildlife biologist right now," said Wirth.
For more information about the California Express Gondola, you can head to http:/squawalpine.com/explore/blog/california-express-gondola.
For more information about the opposition to the gondola, you can head to https://protectgranitechief.wordpress.com/.
