A ‘generational’ opportunity
From Gunnison Country Times - Sam Lieblm Liebl, Times Editor
Read at the Gunnison Country Times
Sawtooth Mountain - Part of the GMUG Forest Plan Revision
The Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison (GMUG) National Forest has a dubious distinction: they are managed under one of the oldest forest plans in the country, dating back to 1983. That means the document guiding decisions on 1.2 million acres of public lands in Gunnison County ignores the changing climate, the dominant uses of recreation and Colorado’s shift away from extractive industries.
But the ball is about to be in the public’s court to change that. On Friday, the GMUG plans to release a long-expected draft of its new forest plan. Its posting will kick off a 90-day comment period in which all stakeholders, visitors and Gunnison Valley residents can voice their opinions on the proposal. The U.S. Forest Service is legally required to respond to the points raised.
Gunnison County, as a cooperating agency, has already been given access to the draft. Commissioners joined leaders from three other counties in opposing the “preferred alternative” in the draft. That is, provisions the Forest Service recommends be adopted in a finalized plan.
In a July 16 letter, the counties cited a lack of analysis around climate change and the importance of intact ecosystems to mitigate its effect, a lack of consideration around recreation and ecosystem services, and a problematic increase in the acreage labeled as having timber suitable for harvest. The letter also pointed to inadequate consideration given to the lands designations proposed in the Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy (CORE) Act as well as the Gunnison Public Lands Initiative, which involve changes to wilderness boundaries and mineral rights.
Matt Reed, public lands director for Crested Butte-based High Country Conservation Advocates (HCCA), said he is hopeful that the Democratic administration in the White House will bring more conservation measures into the plan than what was presented in a 2019 working draft.
“There has been a ton of community feedback from across the Western Slope, and a ton of that has been for stronger conservation measures,” he said. “We’re hoping that the Forest Service has taken that to heart with the plan that we see.”
Those conservation measures will likely relate to big game, Wild and Scenic River eligibility, wilderness recommendations, timber, recreation and endangered species, among other topics.
“This is a once-in-a-multi-decade opportunity for the public to shape the direction of the forest,” Reed said.
Because the 1983 plan was written before there was an understanding of climate change and its implications, “it’s just not equipped to really keep the forest in a direction that’s in the best interest of the public and wildlife.”
The draft plan is expected to be hundreds of pages long. Groups like HCCA will pore over the text itself but will also be looking at the supporting documents and research cited because “the devil is in the details”, Reed said.
Melanie Armstrong, who teaches public lands policy at Western and is the executive director of Gunnison’s Center for Public Lands, said the new plan is a “generational” opportunity for the public and the Forest Service to respond to new issues.
“I expect in this version that some of the issues that have risen to the surface to be front and center: recreation pressure, climate pressure, a shifting economy around resource extraction.”
Armstrong knows firsthand from her time as an administrator at Canyonlands National Park that federal lands planners read and respond to all comments. She said public comment periods such as the one that will start Friday often elicit skepticism. But that shouldn’t be so, she said.
“I know that we have an agency and agency partners here that are excited and eager to engage with our public and that see it as a core part of our process.”
