Hood River County Commissioners have voted to participate as a plaintiff in the Hood River Valley Residents Committee’s lawsuit against the U.S. Forest Service seeking to compel that agency to complete the Mt. Hood Meadows/Government Camp land exchange.  County Administrator David Meriwether says the County wants to see this settled, and Commissioners felt they would best served by having a seat at the table.  The land swap was negotiated by the Residents Committee, Mt. Hood Meadows, and others seven years ago to protect the forestland.  In exchange for 120 acres of developable national forest land near Government Camp on the mountain’s southwestern slope, Mt. Hood Meadows agreed to abort plans for a resort on Cooper Spur and turn its 770-acre land holdings over to the Forest Service.  Congress in 2009 gave the Forest Service 16 months to complete the trade, but numerous delays have held it up, most recently over some environmental protections.  A Mount Hood National Forest spokesperson said when the suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Portland last month that legal processes have kept progress slow.