This summer the San Juan Citizens Alliance teamed up with Ecoflight for a flyover of the Southern San Juans. EcoFlight is a nonprofit organization that educates and advocates for the protection of remaining wild lands and wildlife habitat using small aircraft….
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 21, 2022 A Federal District Court Thursday once again rejected plans by the would-be developers of the Village at Wolf Creek to gain access across national forest lands for the ill-conceived project. Senior Federal Judge Christine…
Photo: Alex Pullen SJCA Open House & Wolf Creek Campaign Update Tuesday, October 29th 5-7 pm Pagosa Brewing & Grill 118 N. Pagosa Blvd., Pagosa Springs Wondering what the latest is with our decade-long campaign to protect Wolf Creek…
Clean off those ‘No Pillage’ bumperstickers*, because here we go again. If you’ve lived in the area for long, you know the Village has a decades-long history. The short story is that a billionaire from Texas has long wanted to…
Photo: Alex Pullen OK, here we go again. Many of you joined us in submitting protests this last fall on the draft decision to provide road access to the Village. And for good reason. It’s not surprising they went ahead and…
Photo: Alex Pullen, Future home of would-be Village at Wolf Creek Good News! You probably aren’t new to this decades-long controversy over the proposed Village at Wolf Creek development. And even so, it can be hard to follow all the…
Are we doomed to the zombie Village at Wolf Creek endlessly stalking the San Juan Mountains? No matter how many times apparently dead, it seemingly staggers back to life, lurching with a blank gaze and lifeless arms in its 30-year-long…
Photo: Alex Pullen Wow, we weren’t really expecting this. We’ve been fighting the proposed Village at Wolf Creek for well over a decade now. As you likely know, in order to develop the 8,000-person city atop Wolf Creek Pass, the developers…
Friends, At the close of the constitutional convention in 1787, Ben Franklin strode out the doors of Independence Hall to be greeted by a question from an onlooker in the crowd. “Well, Doctor, what have we got—a Republic or a…
Are they still trying to build that Village at Wolf Creek? Yes. And we’re still fighting it. In fact, we just filed an opening brief in the U.S District Court of Colorado as a part of our most recent lawsuit to…
This is part of our Wolf Creek Files blog series. Each post explains, in detail, the context behind an email or string of emails: who is writing, what is being discussed, and why it concerns us. Click here to see…
“It is one of the best elk hunting experiences … people wait upwards of ten years to actually get the tag … and it would be forever changed to have a population center in literally a world class elk unit.”…
This is part of our Wolf Creek Files blog series. Each post explains, in detail, the context behind an email or string of emails: who is writing, what is being discussed, and why it concerns us. Click here to see…
“It makes me feel like bad decisions keep following bad decisions.” For three decades we have fought to protect Wolf Creek Pass from Texas-billionaire Red McCombs’ “Village at Wolf Creek” development. Wolf Creek Pass is a remote landscape in southwest…
This is part of our Wolf Creek Files blog series. Each post explains, in detail, the context behind an email or string of emails: who is writing, what is being discussed, and why it concerns us. Click here to see…
“There’s a sense of… disgust and outrage with our federal agency employees who know better.” For three decades we have fought to protect Wolf Creek Pass from Texas-billionaire Red McCombs’ “Village at Wolf Creek” development. Wolf Creek Pass is a…
This is part of our Wolf Creek Files blog series. Each post explains, in detail, the context behind an email or string of emails: who is writing, what is being discussed, and why it concerns us. Click here to see…
Our attorney’s dug through the “Wolf Creek Files” and what they found confirmed our worst fears: The National Forest Service was in collusion with developer Red “B.J.” McCombs, again. We’re sharing the evidence with you. Ever had the desire to read through…
“Where is that balance between economic development and sustainability, and preservation of the ecosystem?” For three decades we have fought to protect Wolf Creek Pass from Texas-billionaire Red McCombs’ “Village at Wolf Creek” development. Wolf Creek Pass is a remote…
This is the first in our Wolf Creek Files blog series. Each post will explain, in detail, the context behind an email or string of emails: who is writing, what is being discussed, and why it concerns us. WHO:…
“I think that the only hope we have to preserve this area is by the gathering of community to fight with political power.” For three decades we have fought to protect Wolf Creek Pass from Texas-billionaire Red McCombs’ “Village at…
When will the fight over Wolf Creek Pass end? This past weekend, The Durango Herald broke a story about document destruction, collusion and continued avoidance of public transparency requirements that plague the latest iteration of the slow-moving train wreck otherwise…
Dan Olson, Executive Director of San Juan Citizens Alliance, was interviewed this morning on KDUR’s Off the Rim about the evidence of collusion and efforts to destroy and hide documents pertaining to the Wolf Creek development. Check it out. Read the…
Our attorney’s dug through the “Wolf Creek Files” and what they found confirmed our worst fears: The National Forest Service was in collusion with developer Red “B.J.” McCombs, again. Emails show the agency concealed and destroyed information about the “Village at Wolf…
We’re about to finally discover what the Forest Service has been hiding for over a year and a half. ———— Ever had the desire to read through and analyze 69,701 pages of correspondences and reports? No? That’s okay, we’re doing…
Let’s talk numbers. 22: inches of fresh snow Wolf Creek Ski Area reported as of Wednesday morning. 69,701: pages of public records opponents of the Pillage at Wolf Creek just received from the federal government. 2: over-caffeinated lawyers reading those…
“Isn’t that over? Wasn’t McCombs’ deal approved?” I keep hearing this, despite the fact that San Juan Citizens Alliance, and Friends of Wolf Creek partners, continue fighting tooth and nail (in three lawsuits) to prevent the construction of a massive…
The Forest Service is stalling again. Last month, partner organization Rocky Mountain Wild (RMW) won a lawsuit against the Forest Service for inappropriately withholding public documents that RMW requested in a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) concerning the proposed development…
In June nearly 40 artists convened on top of Wolf Creek Pass to celebrate its beauty and draw inspiration from the landscape. The over 70 pieces that resulted from the art day day are arriving at the Taylor Raymond Gallery…
We have some excellent news. The fight for Wolf Creek Pass continues, but today we took a great step forward. The Forest Service has not been transparent with the public about the “Village at Wolf Creek” project. Today we are thrilled to…
As many of you know, last month we filed a lawsuit challenging the legality of the Forest Service’s decision to approve a land swap that facilitates the long-threatened Pillage at Wolf Creek. Although the land will likely be exchanged later this week, we’ve signed…
Last Friday night I camped on our national forest lands to the east and just below Wolf Creek Pass. Before snuggling into my sleeping bag, I bid a goodnight to the couple dozen elk grazing amongst the ponds and wetland…
We’ve been telling you that the process the Forest Service used to approve the land exchange, which paves the way for the Pillage at Wolf Creek, was highly flawed and illegal. After sifting through tens of thousands of documents released through…
Thank you to Danny Ledonne at Emberwilde Productions for this great video!
It’s time. Time to take action on Wolf Creek. (not that we haven’t been taking it all along… but you know what I mean.) Next week we are sending a delegation to Washington, D.C. to meet with our elected officials…
For months people have been asking: “What can I do to help save Wolf Creek Pass?” Well, here’s a very immediate and concrete request. Next week, representatives from a number of community groups will be visiting officials in Washington, D.C.,…
Our very own Jimbo explains how the Forest Service limited it’s scope and violated policies in approving the land exchange. Dan Dallas tries to defend the process and his decision to approve the land exchange allowing for a 10,000-person city…
Is the fight for the future of Wolf Creek over? Has the community effort to protect this wild, unique and beloved landscape been in vain? After all, the U.S. Forest Service did just sign a Record of Decision (bureaucracy-speak for…
I want you to envision a day with me; it’s the day that bulldozers begin ripping apart Wolf Creek Pass to build Texas billionaire Red McCombs’ version of Vail South. Last week, that possible dark day moved closer to reality, leaving…
The threat to Pillage Wolf Creek Pass with a jumbo development that simply doesn’t belong in a stunning, remote, high altitude environment has been relentless over the last couple decades. Unfortunately, the most recent decision to approve the land swap with billionaire…
Here we go again. The fight over the Pillage at Wolf Creek is on, folks, and we need your help. Haven’t heard of this little gem? Trying to block negative thoughts in the New Year? This column is for you….
Today’s decision by Rio Grande National Forest Supervisor Dan Dallas to approve a land exchange on top of Wolf Creek Pass requested by billionaire Red McCombs is both a disappointing and absurd decision to “green light” a development that would…