Environmental Health News

ALAMOSA—At a public hearing in Monte Vista today local residents, hunters, and conservationists will ask the Roadless Areas Review Task Force to protect all of the Rio Grande’s unroaded backcountry and help preserve the traditional Colorado experience.

Don Thompson of Republicans for Environmental Protection is planning to testify at the hearing this evening.

"Protecting our National Forests is essential for protecting our western heritage," said Thompson. "It just does not make fiscal sense for the government to subsidize roads for development when our forests are worth more to us for hunting and fishing."

The Rio Grande contains approximately 530,000 acres of roadless forest, including the popular Ruby Lake and Pole Mountain/Finger Mesa roadless areas. In particular, Ruby Lake is known for its remoteness and excellent fishing. The area also provides important habitat for elk, deer and lynx.

Once protected under the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, these popular forest lands could now be opened to road building and development, such as for oil and gas drilling or resort expansion.

Members of Environment Colorado, a statewide environmental advocacy organization, will also be attending the meeting. Environment Colorado has been one of the lead organizations with Colorado’s Forest Legacy, a statewide coalition of conservation and recreation organizations dedicated to protecting Colorado’s last wild forests.

“Protecting roadless areas in the Rio Grande National Forest is critical to safeguard water quality of the Rio Grande, one of five great rivers that contribute to our state’s water supply,” said Matt Garrington, Field Director for Environment Colorado.

According to the U.S. Forest Service, road building can diminish water quality by increasing erosion and adding sedimentation.

“Our roadless forests are also an important part of our Western heritage,” continued Garrington. “Roadless areas provide unmatched recreation opportunities, scenic vistas, and important habitat wildlife habitat.”

Roadless areas in Colorado’s National Forests are an important contributor to the Colorado economy. In 2004, almost $2.3 billion was spent in Colorado by hunters, anglers, and wildlife watchers alone, with total spending on outdoor equipment and gear totaling $1.3 billion in the same year.

For instance, fossil lava flows from calderas spill out from the Ruby Lake roadless area towards Creed. This creates a scenic experience not found elsewhere in the Southern Rockies.

The Pole Mountain/Finger Mesa is surrounded by deep canyons and provides hiking and biking trails.

In the San Luis Valley, roadless areas also provide an important buffer zone that mitigates the encroachment of rural second home suburbanization, which is increasingly forming on the margins of the Western Slope’s spectacular backcountry.

Today’s hearing is the seventh of nine public hearings that have been scheduled around the state to gather community input on whether or not roadless areas in Colorado’s National Forests should continue to be protected for water quality, wildlife habitat, and backcountry recreation opportunities.

The thirteen-member Task Force, which was created through state legislation, is expected to make forest management recommendations to the Governor for inclusion in a state petition to the US Department of Agriculture later this year.

So far, Coloradans have submitted more than 16,000 comments with more than 99% comments urging the Task Force to recommend the strongest protections for the state’s National Forest roadless areas.

Since 2000, a total of 112,000 public comments have been submitted to state and national government in favor of roadless protection.

“Coloradans have spoken up overwhelming in favor of protecting our last wild forests,” said Garrington. “We urge the roadless task force to listen to the hearts and minds of Colorado and recommend to protect Colorado’s roadless forests.

Western Colorado residents will have another opportunity to tell the state’s Roadless Areas Review Task Force about the importance of natural areas to Colorado’s traditions and economy at a public meeting Thursday, June 22 in Grand Junction. The meeting will begin at 5 p.m. at the Country Inn - Grand Ballroom at 718 Horizon Drive.

For more information, visit the Colorado’s Forest Legacy website at: www.roadless.net or www.EnvironmentColorado.org/preservation.