More allegiance to Facebook than nature in your back yard?  I don't get that.  Facebook wasn't meant to be used to help start a revolution in Egypt, either.

I think what Lutsen is doing sucks.

Yeah, I'm not sure how an individual who produces any amount of garbage forfeited their right to object to an operation pumping millions of gallons of water from a stream for recreational purposes. 

Oh well, I suppose the tone of that post speaks for itself.

Josephine Marcotty of the Star Tribune reported:

Lutsen has always used water from the Poplar River to feed its thirsty snow-making machines. But over the years as the resort has expanded, its water use has grown exponentially. In 1964, it was using 9.4 million gallons per year. In 1986, when the DNR gave Lutsen its first and only permit, it allowed 12.6 million gallons per year. But for the past 10 years, the resort has used 60 million to 108 million gallons a year.

Lutsen has broken the law by drawing way more water from the Poplar River than permitted, but rather than fine them for their violations lawmakers want to reward them by increasing their allotment. Must be nice to be so politically connected.

I worked there, and I'm not surprised at all. And contrary to some opinions,there are indeed trout upstream from the ski hill. It just goes to show -- whether its copper-nickel mining, cell towers, or megabuck ski resorts -- big money gets what big money wants in the Arrowhead, and the counties and state let 'em. Been that way since the Merritts, Rockefeller and Carnegie.

@Buhrito
I bet you win a lot at poker because you bluff every time.  If you actually knew anything about brook trout you would know that they live in the river year round.  They need deep pools of cool water to thrive in, and when water gets sucked out of a river to make snow it makes it possible for the pools the trout are in to freeze all the way through, thus killing the fish.  Please refrain from making broad generalizations about things you know nothing about.

@Beast
It's pretty sweet that you were able to swear in your post.  That gives it a lot of extra credibility. You say the snow melts, goes back and it's no big deal.  Well, more snow on top of the hill means more melting snow.  More melting snow means more runoff into the river with sediment in it from the ski hill, and more erosion of the banks of the river.  That affects water quality and thus trout habaitat.  It also affects the big lake's water quality and the fish in it.

The legislature passed a bill last night that allows Lutsen to take 150 million gallons annually from the Poplar River for snowmaking.

I suppose this is a good time to call the governor and ask him for a well-deserved veto.

The wintering fish in the river are far upstream from the ski hill.  What don't you people get about this?  You can't pump water OUT of the river if the water is not AT that point in the river.  Simply put, you cannot suck water down from the deep pools upstream from the ski hill.  

If you're concerned about additional runoff, erosion and sediment in the river, the LAST thing you want is Lutsen tapping into Lake Superior.  They'd have a dozen feet of snow by New Year's with an unlimited source of water.  Of course, if melt water causes excess sediment and erosion, you'd also have to show that the ski hills drain directly into the river (which they don't) and that snow melt causes excessive erosion and sedimentation (which is doesn't).

Well buhrito, I find it amazing that, according to you, trout don't make it up as far as the ski hill considering I was catching brook trout 1.5 miles beyond the ski hill no more than a week ago. There is a reason regulations are in place to limit the amount of water an entity can pump out of a waterway. In fact that amount is none, no water at all unless you get legislative permissions like the two ex-lawyers who own Lutsen have done. It sounds to me like you are in no position to tell anyone they don't know something.

I laughed out loud when I heard this on the radio today:

"Skinner said it would cost $3 million or $4 million for a lake system, money that 'would be better spent on other infrastructure up here, such as a new lift or other infrastructure, that skiers would appreciate and that would hopefully bring more visitors and help support the economy.'"