Attendance at Belleayre Ski Center has plummeted this winter, partly due to the unseasonably warm weather, but Shandaken supervisor Rob Stanley is among those officials who also blame the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), which runs the state-owned ski area. The Shandaken town board passed a resolution on January 12, urging DEC to support the local economy by restoring promotional packages, increasing funding for snow-making, and improving communication with local governments.

Meanwhile, Governor Andrew Cuomo’s 2012 budget calls for transferring management of Belleayre from DEC to the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA), which runs the Gore and Whiteface ski areas in the Adirondacks.