A venture capitalist from Park City, Utah, the home of POWDR, says he wants to buy the lodge and develop it in a way he couldn’t fully explain at a recent meeting in Condon. His attempt to mollify the crowd with a vague plan for the lodge – which sits on public land – fell flat.

Swan Valley residents have stood up repeatedly and said they want to protect the natural and social integrity of their valley, which is dominated by public land and filled with clean air and water and an array of wildlife.