Travel management planning on BLM public lands in Chaffee County

[Inukshuk]

12/23/2021 E-mail from the United Four Wheel Drive Associations Inc. (view full e-mail at
https://mailchi.mp/06b83ad1e6e9/ufwda-enews-june-10709932?e=aa5262c8fc)

Travel management planning on BLM public lands in Chaffee County.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Royal Gorge Field Office announced on Friday that it is accepting public comments on dispersed camping and travel management planning on BLM public lands in Chaffee County. Comments will be accepted through January 31, 2022.
The Arkansas Hills to the east of Salida and Tenderfoot Mountain were identified as a target of development by the BLM during the Trump administration, which opened significant wilderness to mineral extraction.

“Recreation use, especially dispersed camping, has increased dramatically in recent years,” said Royal Gorge Field Office Manager Keith Berger. “This increase in use has resulted in a multitude of issues, such as vegetation and habitat loss, erosion, and sanitation impacts, which all affect people’s recreation experiences and our ability to meet our multiple-use mandate.”

Input is being sought on alternatives for camping and travel management on approximately 38,000 acres of BLM public land in Chaffee County where camping demand has increased in the past decade.
The BLM is initiating this effort based on concerns identified by BLM resource specialists, public land users, and neighbors adjacent to public lands.

Additional information is available and public input will be accepted through the project’s ePlanning website at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2012291/510.

The BLM says that this input effort will inform a planning effort in alignment with Chaffee County’s Recreation in Balance” group. It is also being coordinated with the U.S. Forest Service and Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
https://arkvalleyvoice.com/blm-seeks-public-input-on.../

 

[AlpineAccess]

I've read these articles but don't understand what they are proposing or not proposing here? They need input from us on how to keep this area open or how to better manage its use, or this is just a general open forum to "give us your comments on this area, whatever they may be"?

 

[DaveInDenver]

I've read these articles but don't understand what they are proposing or not proposing here? They need input from us on how to keep this area open or how to better manage its use, or this is just a general open forum to "give us your comments on this area, whatever they may be"?

The BLM wants to change a few areas that are current dispersed camping to either day-use only or designated sites and close several roads.

This document is the central description of the alternatives they want to implement:

https://eplanning.blm.gov/public_projects/2012291/200482203/20051349/250057532/Chaffee_County_Camping_Management_Plan_alternatives_scoping_12102021B.pdf

You know, because Trump opened some lands for mineral extraction that apparently caused people to camp near fracking towers that aren't in these particular areas or something.

I suppose the comments should hinge on asking why this is necessary in the first place. In that case put in your $0.02 for Alternative A, which is the kick the can down the road (do nothing) option.

Although it *is* likely the places they identify in fact are being heavily used (it's my opinion they kind of are). So if that is acknowledged then comment on what to do about places always being overrun with tourists. The eternal and unsolvable dilemma.

Probably worth mentioning that it's not just an dirt bikes, SxS or 4WDs. Being close to the Arkansas River, Colorado Trail and Rainbow/Monarch Crest there's plenty of mountain bikers, boaters and hikers getting after it in these areas. It's equal opportunity fun hogs.

Not sure what to say to the BLM. I hated when they closed most of Kokopelli area and Bangs Canyon to camping and changed 18 Road and Rabbit Valley to designated camping but I also hate trying to go out there to ride and finding piles of human waste and toy haulers parked all over, too. So if it means my backyard isn't overrun every weekend then I guess I have to conceded Chaffee County might benefit from imposing some limits, too.

 

[DaveInDenver]

The overall view. The pale region is Chaffee County Travel Management Area (TMA) put on top the Google street map to orient yourself relative to Salida and Buena Vista.



The four darker areas are the high use camping areas called out in the document (Shavano, Pass Creek, Burmac/Methodist, Fourmile, Hecla Junction).

Under the blue dots are BLM inventoried campsites (by my count it's 266 points) and the dark red lines are BLM inventoried routes. I also have the USFS MVUM and BLM Ground Transportation Linear Feature (GTLF) layers on, which are where the black-and-white roads, trails and names come from for the most part.

The basemap is the USGS National Map.

As always, if there's something you know needs to be reviewed I'm happy to do my best to fumble through being an amateur at GIS dude getting an image of it.

 

[3rdGen4R]

This isn’t surprising. After talking to locals in Buena Vista they have been pushing for a while to get rid of some of the dispersed camping.