Land, Legacy, and Leasing: the Future of Our National Forests
(This blog post was written for use by Conservation Colorado and does not necessarily reflect
my own political views.)
A Colorado forest and the threats to its future
Our public lands are what give Colorado its reputation as a beautiful, wide-open place, and
what brings thousands of people to live and explore here every year. But President Trump’s
administration and their “energy dominance” plans threaten many of the wild places we love
and put them at risk for industrial development. At the same time, the administration’s attempts
to limit input from everyday people would take the public input out of public lands.
Fortunately, the Trump administration hasn’t succeeded in silencing the public. We can still
make change — especially when it comes to the public lands in our backyard. For many West
Slope members of Conservation Colorado, this is the Grand Mesa Uncompahgre Gunnison
National Forest. The Forest Service created the existing management plan for the forest in 1984.
Changes in local climate, recreation trends, and economic activity rendered the plan obsolete,
and a revision process began in 2017.
Experienced and new members wind down with some hard cider and comment writing for the
forest plan revision at Big B’s Fabulous Juices in Paonia.
In light of its outdatedness, the Forest Service involves Coloradans in a comment period
to express concerns and desires for this area’s future. This is one of the few opportunities
for people to directly contribute to public land policy. Supported outcomes of the revision are
intentions for the new Forest Plan, including the heightened need for regulations on under-protected
ecosystems.
Its natural amenities convince some to pack up and move into the GMUG, like our members,
Betsy and Mick Johnson. They moved to Paonia, CO from Chicago a few months ago. Betsy
remembers when living in the city, “it’s never quiet, there’s continuous noise all day, all night...it’s
inescapable, even after you go home.” She likes how things get quiet when nighttime approaches
here, and that we turn off street-lights. She and Mick can see the stars
she could never see in Chicago.
Elk Park trail in Gunnison National Forest offers some of the best opportunities for solitude in Colorado.
I met Betsy and Mick this summer, during our Cheers to Public Lands hike and happy hour series.
We organized hikes around the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests to educate
locals about the operations of the forest service and the role of the public in making decisions on
our public lands.
Alongside our members, we learned about the value of public lands in Colorado, and how this
powerful tool aids us in shaping public land policy. The federal treatment of public lands contradicts
conservation, and with the effects of climate change, decisions on public land are more crucial than
ever. Public input on public lands can determine recreation allowances and appropriate signage, but
also more broad-reaching things, like protecting drinking water.
Water we gonna do?
This summer of drought brought extremely low water levels across the state. On the Western Slope,
we know the drill; there’s a familiar, gradual ebb and flow of our rivers and reservoirs that happens
with the seasons. In normal summer tradition, residents remark on the seasonal drought, or the water
levels of the nearest river, but what amount of drought is considered normal?
This summer, Colorado had its second-most active wildfire season in history, with three of the
largest wildfires in state history over a span of just four months. More than 440,000 acres burned,
destroying homes and livelihoods, impacting agriculture, choking our rivers with ash and sediment,
and shutting people out of public lands. The Yampa River was placed on a call for the first time
ever — meaning many people with water rights from Yampa had less water to use and the river
was just a trickle through Dinosaur National Monument. Popular fishing spots across the state, from
the Crystal to the Colorado Rivers, were closed due to low water and warm temperatures.
Conservation Colorado members attempt to determine the boundaries of the dried-up Overland reservoir, the source of
their drinking water.
During a routine dry season, reservoirs used for municipal water across the state shrink in reaction to
high temperatures. Overland Reservoir is one of these, and sources drinking and irrigation water for
towns in Delta county. This site’s storage capacity is for more than 7,000 acre-feet of water, but this year
it dried up months earlier than expected.
The Overland Reservoir lies adjacent to an area called Elk Park, a section of wetlands and globally
imperiled riparian forests. The citizens’ proposal recommends a wilderness designation for Elk Park,
preventing any further road construction and allowing only light-impact recreation, like hiking and
horseback riding. Wilderness is the highest protection an area can receive, and if enough support
for this recommendation exists, Elk Park will be the first designation of its kind on the Grand Mesa.
Protections such as this are vital, but can only exist through efforts of educated communities.
Like many Colorado residents, Amy Van Denburg, 21, fears the effects of widespread disregard
for conservation by her fellow citizens. “I have watched as many other natural areas have been
destroyed,” Amy said. “Nowadays, it’s even rare to go out and hike an area that’s not superpopulated.”
Should Elk Park’s recommended wilderness designation be ignored, Amy fears industrial
development “would ruin that sense of calmness, such a nice escape.”
It is the duty of Coloradans to take advantage of our ability to contribute to national forest decisions and
voice our concerns backed by each person’s individual insight. No one knows public lands like the hikers,
bikers, kayakers, rafters, skiers, and climbers who utilize it; your contributions to this process will provide
the best, most educated recommendations for preserving our national forests.
Love it or Lease it
Since 1881, oil and gas drilling operations based in Colorado produced fuel for the U.S.
and the world. Home to some of the largest natural gas and oil deposits in the country,
energy companies employed many families for generations. The industry became intertwined
with our state’s history and culture, but when it comes to public land, how do we decide if we
love it or if we lease it?
The outdatedness of the current forest plan leaves many sections of land vulnerable to the
effects of development, such as Kannah Creek watershed area on the Grand Mesa. Many oil
and gas leases have been constructed near the unprotected Kannah Creek watershed over
the years, with water contamination a common risk of oil and gas development and reclamation.
Kannah Creek is no exception to this threat, and since it provides drinking water to thousands
of Coloradans on the Western Slope, we must ensure its preservation. Grand Junction chose
in 1907 to source Kannah Creek for municipal drinking water. Stretching from the lush top of the
Grand Mesa through the Gunnison River valley and to the desert below, Kannah Creek is not
only a valuable geographic feature, but extremely ecologically significant. Despite its history
and importance, the city of Grand Junction did not propose a protection ordinance for this area
as a water supply until 2006.
The significance of Kannah Creek extends beyond its utility. It sustains many globally imperiled
species of flowers, cactus, birds, and other creatures, some of which can survive no other place
on earth. For this reason, the GMUG citizens’ conservation proposal recommends the Kannah Creek
watershed “be found unsuitable for oil and gas leasing and mineral material sales.” If enough citizen
comment this, it will be added into the plan, thus protecting Kannah Creek’s valuable attributes.
When we come across such natural richness, “sometimes the best course of action is to protect the
area from overuse,” says Adam Kempa, one of our members from Grand Junction and an avid outdoor
recreator. Many Coloradans fear the potential repercussions of overusing public land, but industry
development, “especially further possible mining operations or use of motorized vehicles,” worries
Adam in particular.
A Conservation Colorado hiking group ascends Wildcat Trail in GMUG national forest to
learn about its significance as an area recommended for wilderness designation in the upcoming forest plan revision.
Despite threats to our public land persisting under the Trump administration,
opportunities to protect our beautiful home still exist. Citizens can easily submit comments
to the forest service detailing specific recommendations
to protect Kannah Creek and the GMUG. These comments will form the next forest plan,
and they encourage photos and general observations for further insight.
as a whole to help produce a collaborative plan for preserving Colorado.
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