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		Points of View Kenneth Thiemann February 5, 2002 Guest Column © 2002 Kenneth Thiemann Published with Permission

Concerned skier questions Bohemia development 

HOUGHTON -- Few things do I enjoy more in the wintertime than waxing up the skis and heading out for a day of fun when there's some fresh snow. Skiing and snowboarding have been some of my favorite pastimes for many years now. I remember living on my own for the first time in my life out in the Sierras. Hitch-hiking with board in tow to my low-paying job as a lift operator at Squaw Valley. Later, waxing and tuning at a shop in Telluride. Slinging burgers at Snowbird only in order to obtain a free pass for the season. Living the life of a ski bum. Broke as can be, but knowing my life was more fulfilling than the average Joe's. Living only for the next big dumping.

I remember, on the evenings of the really big storms, spending the night up at the resort in order to get up on the mountain first thing the following morning. The feel of fresh snow beneath your skis, the smell of pines, the warm morning sun -- and that feeling of floating you get with the really deep, sparkling powder. Being completely exhausted at the end of the day, looking forward to that first sip of ale and then using the bottle to cool off a sunburned nose. There are many of you that can no doubt relate to this blissful scenario.

Although I have enjoyed the benefits of working in ski towns, I have also seen the unfortunate downside of what happens to the many secret skiing hamlets of the West when they become popular. Condos, crowds and elevated taxes from the growth of boomtowns have unfortunately been some of the prices that these once-peaceful places pay in order to facilitate having a skiing area nearby. Two sides to every coin. Ain't that just the way it goes?

When I first arrived here, I was very excited to spend my winters in a place where people shovel their roofs when the big storms come. I was tired of crowds and the snow/melt cycle of lower latitudes. I had taken off in the fall on my bike, loaded up with camping gear and enough grub for a week. My purpose was more of a reconnaissance mission than anything else. The Keweenaw Peninsula was a fresh, new place that existed only on a map in my head. I was experiencing that amazing feeling of seeing topographic lines suddenly turn into actual cliffs, ravines and rutted out dirt roads. It was that summer that I found Mt. Bohemia and enjoyed merely hiking up to the top of it. The view from up there was wonderful, encompassing all of Lac La Belle and its surrounding wetlands. Further beyond that, Lake Superior stretched out for miles to the horizon.

It was that winter that some new friends introduced me to the winter fun that was to be had on Bohemia. When the big storms hit, we would hike the hill and ski down over and over. Although the mountain was not technically ours, we used it  and took care of it as we did many other wonderful spots in the area. It was a wonderful place to go and develop the pride that so many of us have in our surrounding Keweenaw wilderness areas.

Over the past couple years, the hill has been turned into an actual ski resort. I don't go there anymore. Of course there's a matter of pride involved. My real reason, however, is that I am saddened at the way Bohemia has been developed and pitched.

The story is one that has happened many times, in many places. A developer from out of town comes in promising the moon and builds his vision in your backyard. I would like to think of myself as not being naïve. I realize that our country is founded on the basis of a competitive market. While I would someday like to have my own business someplace special, I  feel that when you start a business you owe it to the people of the area to do it in a manner that reflects the type of establishment they would want in their community.

In the last few years, several events relating to the new ski hill have left me asking if they could not be going about their business in a more respectful manner.

Black Bear's "college week" poor marketing

First, let's consider the marketing scheme of the owner, Black Bear. A large ad recently ran in the Michigan Tech Lode announcing "College Week-- the wildest ski party ever to hit the area."  This event came complete with a $1000 grand prize bikini contest at the UP Hill 41. It amazes me that Michigan Tech, which is striving so hard to become like so many other bigger universities, would advertise for something like this. I don't believe this would fly in Madison or Ann Arbor. As well, I thought Tech wasn't very hype on promoting events that endorsed the consumption of alcohol or events that would be considered by some to be degrading to women. It's amazing what a little money will buy. I commend Mont Ripley for admitting that they are in a marketing relationship with Bohemia to promote skiing in the Keweenaw, but that they would not be involved with most of the activities associated with the college week promotion.

Secondly, I would like to address the issues of the safety incidents that occurred last year. Aside from a lift coming off (Apparently no one was injured, luckily), there were many other instances where the hill was not up to safety code. I commend the reporter, and the Lode for bringing that article to light. It would really be a shame if there were a paper in a town that only printed positive things because they were paid for advertising. I am not a non-drinker; but I do believe that there is a certain professional, respectful way to advertise through a college that is trying hard to be top-notch.

Septic system could pollute watershed

Finally,  I would like the community to take a look at the septic system that is being constructed at the hill. Black Bear proposes to discharge a maximum of 8,500 gallons per day (3,102,500 gallons per year) of sanitary wastewater from their discharge area located near Lac La Belle. To begin with, they started building their septic system without a permit. The Department of Environmental Quality in Marquette somehow let this go. The sewage will be generated at the ski hill base and will be piped to the on-site 34,000-gallon septic tank. It will then be piped downhill to a pump station near Bete Grise  Road. The effluent will then be pumped to the proposed drainfield area located south of the Bete Grise Road -- an upland area which is within 1,350 ft. of the nearest privately owned residential well and 1,450 ft. from the lake (Lac La Belle).

Currently, Black Bear is pursuing a permit that will allow them to raise their current effluent allowance of 3.6 lbs. of phosphorous a year tenfold to 36 lbs. of phosphorous a year. One of the criteria to obtain this permit (April 1994, Michigan Criteria for Subsurface Sewage Disposal) states that the manner of discharge must not create "any nuisance condition, including, but not limited to, ponding or pooling in or outside of the discharge area, erosion, runoff, or odors that may cause an unreasonable interference with the comfortable enjoyment of life and property."

The DEQ assumes an average phosphorous concentration in raw waste to be 5 mg/L. Textbooks show concentrations in raw waste to be in the neighborhood of 4 to 18 (Metcalf and Eddy; Wastewater Engineering, Treatment, Disposal, and Reuse, 3rd Edition, McGraw-Hill, New York 1991), and 5 to 20 mg/L -- with 5mg/L characterizing "weak" untreated domestic sewage (Henry and Heinke, Introduction to Environmental Engineering, 2nd Edition, Prentice Hall, New York, 1999).

Black Bear could construct a system to chemically remove the phosphorous from the wastewater discharge; however, they are opting to increase the amount in their discharge. Granted that in the big picture of Lake Superior, this discharge won't be immediately noticeable -- not yet. But remember that the parts make up the whole. Phosphate added to areas such as Lac La Belle can result in localized algal mats and the general depletion of the dissolved oxygen content of a water system -- a  system that many in the area use for fishing, motor boating, kayaking, canoeing and swimming. How many Black Bear-like establishments will there be in 10, 20 or 50 years here in the Keweenaw Peninsula? How many total along the entire shoreline of Superior? What will their impact be? We live in an area that in years to come will become one of the most sought after regions in the world because of all of our fresh water. How much, if any, contamination to a body of water like Superior should be allowed? How much will we allow?

Black Bear was also required recently to submit to the Michigan DEQ an "anti-degradation statement" under rule 1098(4). The reason for this anti-degradation statement is that the DEQ Surface Water Quality Division wants to ensure that new sources of pollutants to a Lake Superior watershed -- pollutants that will potentially have an adverse impact on water quality -- demonstrate a social or economic benefit to the area.

I have read Black Bear's one-page response to this request; and it was not surprising to me that the statement was, in my opinion, non-specific and overly brief. Their premise was that the hill's profit to the area would outweigh any detriment to the lake.

Lac La Belle resident Tom Collins sees it differently. In a recent letter to the DEQ, Collins asks whose idea it is to accept degrading land and water resources for economic gain.

"The predominant economic gain will be for Crosswinds/ Black Bear who reside in Novi, Michigan," Collins writes. "Black Bear does not own the land; they have not built or bought any permanent structures. Their business plan has always been elusive which is why they have alienated most people in the area."

Residents are also concerned about zoning in the area of the septic system. Currently, the system is a commercial entity located on property zoned Resort Residential. There is a chance, too, that this will be somehow changed to favor the hill. If commercial and residential interests cannot be separated, why bother to zone at all? 

Granted there will be businesses built; and, with population increase, certain areas will see a surge in the number of establishments constructed. This is the way it goes. Granted as well, many areas can use the economic gain from such new businesses. But we do have the power to take an active role in the ways that land is used here in Keweenaw. How much revenue from Bohemia will really go to the residents of Lac La Belle? How much does Black Bear really care about our area? Are they really putting their best foot forward for Keweenaw residents? Remember that people start businesses chiefly for their own profit.

I would like to raise the bar and challenge any new business and their cronies here in the Keweenaw Peninsula to conduct themselves in the utmost respectful manner. Those of us that are concerned are doing our homework on you. And if you have nothing to hide and a clear track record, then you're already off to a good start.

I am a skier. I like trees but I honestly haven't hugged many. If you don’t like trees, the desert is actually a pretty neat place to live. Many really like it. I believe in the respectful balance of land use. I agree with intelligent harvesting and use of natural resources. I believe that those that have power and money, and use it wisely and respectfully, are saints. If someone is coming into my town and is going to build something in a place where so many of us used to go, please handle yourself professionally. If you don't, some folks may not take a liking to you. They can also choose the manner in which they spend their hard earned money. Can you blame them for this? We are the concerned Keweenaw citizens, and we are watching you.

To the concerned Keweenaw residents: Don't let anyone pull wool over your eyes. If you care about your backyard -- be it for skiing, snowmobiling, fishing, hiking, whatever -- become involved:

The public comment period on Black Bear's antidegradation statement ends Wednesday, Feb. 6. Comments or objections to the proposed authorization received by Feb. 6 will be considered in the final decision to grant the permit. Call or fax the folks in charge and let them know how you feel:

Groundwater Program Section
Waste Management Division
P.O. Box 30241
Lansing, MI. 48909
Phone: (517) 373-2730
Fax: (517)-373-4797

Marquette District Office
Waste Management Division
Department of Environmental Quality
1990 US 41South
Marquette, MI. 49855
Phone: (906) 228-6568
Fax: (906) 228-5245

See the Public Notice on the comment period and the letter from Tom Paine on Keweenaw Now for more information on the antidegradation statement.

See the Keweenaw Liberty Library for documents and correspondence related to the permit application. 

Visit the Crosswinds Web site for information on Black Bear, its parent company Crosswinds and Lonie and Bernie Gleiberman.

Learn more about the author of this guest column, Kenneth Thiemann.

Visit the Keweenaw Now discussion forums to comment on this article.

Note: Views expressed by our guest columnists are not necessarily the views of Keweenaw Now.