Vail Targets Fire Resotration; Stops Purchasing Wind Credits

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September 28 2009
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Vail Resorts announced today that it has teamed up with the National Forest Foundation and the USDA Forest Service to help restore areas in Colorado damaged by the Hayman fire, The state’s largest forest fire on record. The company also announced that it would no longer be purchasing wind power credits as it turns its environmental efforts towards more “comprehensive” programs like mitigating the impacts of the seven-year old fire on the forest and the watershed.

The Hayman fire was started by a federal forestry officer, Terry Barton, who claimed she was attempting to burn a letter from her estranged husband. She set the fire inside a campfire ring within an area designated for no fires due to a severe drought. The fire quickly spread out of the campfire ring and eventually torched over 138,000 acres (560 km2) and burned across four different counties. A federal grand jury indicted Barton on four felony counts of arson.

“Our Company is very proud of the leadership stance we took on alternative energy and climate change in August of 2006. We are very pleased to see all of the progress that has followed us both in terms of new corporate commitments to clean energy and the political progress our country has made on climate change. As a company, we remain committed to addressing climate change and are focused on energy conservation across our company. However, going forward, we intend to channel our efforts on more comprehensive projects, which help protect the climate and also offer habitat and watershed benefits to local communities, such as the Hayman Restoration Project,” said Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Vail Resorts Rob Katz.