Busy season for the WPEF Ski Area Partnership Committee

Photo Credit: Interpretive signage for Crystal Mountain Resort in Washington (left). Erin Clark on top of Mt Bachelor Resort in Oregon with their whitebark pine interpretive sign (right).

Join us for the upcoming Whitebark Pine Education Day at Whitefish Mountain Resort on Friday, March 13th from 12:30 to 2:30 pm at the Summit House followed by an optional ski down to visit whitebark pine trees on the mountain.

We are proud to add three ski areas to the growing list of Whitebark Pine Friendly Ski Areas.  Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, WY, Castle Mountain Resort, AB, and Crystal Mountain Resort, WA.  All of these ski areas have done a great job in achieving certification, with a couple highlights below:

• Jackson Hole has a long history of whitebark pine conservation work, including planting and protecting trees from mountain pine beetle, and educating their summer and winter customers about the ecology surrounding whitebark pine.
• Congratulations to Castle Mountain for achieving recognition as the first Whitebark Pine Friendly Ski Area in Alberta, Canada!  Their volunteer Board and local skiers, as well as their paid staff, have organized educational events and designed whitebark pine informational signs. They worked closely with the Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation of Canada to complete the certification requirements.
• Crystal Mountain has been aware of the decline of whitebark pine within the ski area and has been proactive in protecting and monitoring trees. They created custom whitebark pine interpretive signs to represent the local flora and fauna associated with whitebark pine.

Erin Clark (Education Committee Chair) and I made a trip to Mt. Bachelor in early January to help them celebrate their recertification as a Whitebark Pine Friendly Ski Area. We put on a presentation about high-elevation, 5-needle pines and the ski program at UPP Liquids – a brewery in Bend, OR. We combined this trip with Adventure Scientists and our kickoff of the Tracking Whitebark Pine project the following day up at Mt. Bachelor, where we made presentations and skied to whitebark pine on the mountain for hands-on education. It was a great trip and we connected with many whitebark enthusiasts, and maybe even got a few new members!

I recently made a presentation about high-elevation, 5-needle pines and the Whitebark Pine Friendly Ski Area program to a group of locals at the Limberlost Brewing Company in Thompson Falls, MT.  About 20 enthusiastic people attended and learned a great deal about whitebark pine.  Zach Is a great host – he enjoys providing a community space for these kinds of events –  and a great brewer!

If you are interested in learning more about the Whitebark Pine Friendly Ski Area certification program, please contact me at [email protected]; if you would like to host an educational event – please contact Erin Clark at [email protected]

Mike Giesey, Chair – Ski Area Partnership Committee