The development of Tamarack Resort near Boise, Idaho was pushed through despite significant local opposition with the help of Scott Peyron & Associates, a P.R. firm in Boise. The Bitterroot Resort hired the firm to handle its public relations sometime in late 2005. On its website, Scott Peyron & Associates uses the issues surrounding the Tamarack Resort as a case study on how they sculpt the P.R. around a controversial project. Though the case of the Bitterroot Resort differs significantly from the issues faced by Tamarack (mainly that Tamarack was built primarily on State public land rather than federal public land) the case study provides insight into the strategies employed by major P.R. firms - some of which you may recognize.

From the website of Scott Peyron & Associates, Inc (http://www.peyron.com/index.cfm):

No destination resort with skiing has been developed in the United States since the mid-1980s. An earlier proposal to launch an Aspen-sized resort in the lake-studded high country north of Boise, Idaho, ended in bankruptcy.

Nevertheless, a high-tech entrepreneur from France, an industrialist from Mexico and a landowner from Idaho form a team to bring a $1.2-billion world-class destination to this unique location within view of the largest mountain wilderness in the lower 48 states.

To win, the investors must find a way to provide political comfort to the five senior elected officials who comprise Idaho's constitutionally-empowered Land Board. The Land Board is required to review a lease of state mountain land for a resort, and investors must prove that they have the technical capability, the public support and the financial strength to do what hasn't been done in the U.S. in two decades.

In this atmosphere of grandiose prior failure and doubt, Scott Peyron & Associates, Inc. is asked develop a strategic public affairs and communications initiative to win elected-official and public approval for the resort master plan.

Strategy . . : :
Center all public affairs and public relations activities on two crucial votes – on the master plan by county commissioners and on the land lease by the Idaho Land Board.

Target the five constitutional officers of Idaho who comprise the Land Board with communications that convey the world-class competency of a resort development team that includes deep experience in engineering, real estate development and marketing, recreation, venture capital, investment banking and public relations.

Engage a skeptical public by working with the media to demonstrate the depth of capability of the Tamarack Resort team. Defeat a negative "blue ribbon commission" review with the announcement that a leading global investment bank has committed to the project. Develop strategic messages designed to overcome skepticism and give media creative ways to make sure targeted messages are delivered.

Position Tamarack Resort as a business story, not an environmental story. Work to contain the discussion of the issues within Idaho, preserving the opportunity to present an approved world-class destination – perhaps even a resort with a new brand name -- to a global base of vacation-home consumers following approval.

Guide Idaho mountain communities impacted by declines in timber and mining industries onto a pathway toward economic rebirth by presenting the resort as a "trailhead to adventure" – a visitors' launch to one of the world's greatest backcountry expanses.

Outcome . . : :
Idaho's largest and most influential newspaper, The Idaho Statesman, spends months preparing a three-part series on the resort proposal as a bold business venture and editorializes in support of Idaho Land Board approval.

May 2002: After more than a year of resort plan reinvention and refinement, the Valley County Planning & Zoning Commission unanimously approves Tamarack Resort's master plan.

June 2002: The Valley County Commission rejects opponents' appeals and unanimously votes in support of the resort.

July 2002: The Idaho Land Board caps a process that involves more than 60 public meetings and hearings by voting 4-1 to approve its first-ever state land lease for resort recreation.

April 2003: The Idaho House of Representatives and the Idaho Senate vote unanimously in favor of extending resort's recreation land lease to 49 years, completing entitlement and affirming long-term opportunity for investors.

January 2004: Idaho Governor Dirk Kempthorne, chairman of the National Governors Association and a onetime skeptic of the development, cites the success of Tamarack Resort as an example of constructive economic development and diversification for Idaho in his State of the State address to the Idaho Legislature.

January 2004: The Washington Post features Tamarack Resort as one of 10 "Hot Destinations" for travelers in 2004.