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Cooper Spur Links: Cooper Spur Home Destination Resort Timber Sale Sierra Club's View

There are currently five large-scale projects that threaten the Cooper Spur area on the North East side of Mt. Hood:

1. A big destination resort. This link is to the Cooper Spur Coalition page and opens a new browser.
2. A Land Exchange transferring land from public to private ownership This link is to the Cooper Spur Coalition page and opens a new browser.
3. The expansion of the Cooper Spur ski area.
4. Development that threatens the historic Tilly Jane ski trails and Cloud Cap Inn.
5. The Polallie-Cooper timber sale.

Because each of these projects is being prepared separately, the full cumulative impact to the environment may not be recognized:

• Degradation of low-elevation forests
• Fragmented migration corridors for elk, deer, and raptors
• Compromised water quality in the Hood River Valley

To find out the Sierra Club's position, go to our Club Views Page.

To find our how you can get involved, go to our Action Alert Page.

Many of Oregon leading outdoor and environmental groups, such as the Mazamas and 1,000 Friends of Oregon have come together to save the mountain. To find out more, visit the Cooper Spur Coalition Page.

About Mount Hood

At 11,239 feet the peak of Mount Hood is the tallest in the state and dominates landscapes in the Northern Willamette Valley (including Portland), areas of the Columbia River, and the Hood River Valley. Glaciers touch timberline in the summer and cover most of the mountain in winter. The mountain's terrain is a mix of glaciers, alpine meadows, waterfalls, hot springs, streams, lakes, and conifer forest. The forests are primarily cedar, fir, hemlock, pine, and spruce. Much of the peak and surrounding forests are part of the Mount Hood National Forest.
U.S. Highway 26 parallels a pioneer trail over Mount Hood originally blazed by Samuel Barlow in 1845 who then turned it into a $5 toll road. It was a rough trail, but many believed it easier and safer than rafting the rapids in the Gorge (which were anything but safe before the river's flow was dramatically reduced by dams).

Oregon Hwy 35 meets Forest Service Road 3530 just before crossing Barlow Pass near the Pioneer Women's Grave a memorial to the heroism of the 19th century women who crossed the Oregon Trail. A short detour along the Forest Service Road brings you within walking distance of the wagon ruts near the hand carved (by the Civilian Conservation Corps) Barlow Road Sign.

This page last updated Monday, August 23, 2004

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