The Gunnison Country!
The name is synonymous with wind-swept mountains, rolling sagebrush hills, wild canyons, clear mountain streams, and abundant wildlife. Part of the allure of this majestic landscape is its public lands, lands that are owned by all of us.
Over 80% of Gunnison County consists of public lands, and with enjoyment of these lands comes responsibility. Since fighting a planned timber sale on Kebler Pass in the early 1980s, HCCA’s Public Lands Program has been protecting threatened landscapes, preventing harms to important ecosystems, and promoting sustainable enjoyment of the diverse public lands of the Gunnison Country. We invite you to help us in our mission!
HCCA’s Public Lands Program focuses on the public lands of the Gunnison Country, a geographic area encompassing the Upper Gunnison and North Fork of the Gunnison watersheds. Our purview includes all of Gunnison County’s public lands, as well as parts of Hinsdale and Saguache Counties. HCCA ensures responsible management of the Gunnison Country’s public lands so we can continue to have clean water and clean air, healthy wildlife populations, and opportunities for quiet recreation. To achieve our goals, we collaborate as appropriate with agencies, ranchers, business owners, non-profits, recreationists, and others to ensure public lands are thriving and intact for generations to come. Together we better achieve the shared goals of a prosperous economy, conservation of our natural resources, and protection of our quality of life.
Public Lands, Private Lands—which is which?
People often ask about public lands and the need to protect them. Looking at our vast landscape, it’s not easy to see where private land ends and public land begins.
It’s really pretty simple. Public lands are our lands. They belong to every American and are managed by federal agencies, such as the US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management or National Park Service. Public lands make up approximately 80-85% of Gunnison County’s acreage, leaving the remaining 15-20%, mainly along valley bottoms, in private hands. Most of the recreational trails in Gunnison County are on public lands, which include national forests and wilderness areas.
Development on public lands can mean mining, logging, oil and gas, and other extractive uses. Where our public lands are threatened, High Country Conservation Advocates (HCCA) uses public processes to advocate for their protection, often against the odds, but always with conservation of our precious resources, including water and wildlife, as our focus.
Development on private lands typically means residential or commercial use. In our area, there are local and national land trusts that work with willing landowners to reach suitable agreements to conserve private lands. There are sometimes trails through these private lands, but always with the consent of the landowner. In most cases, the land itself does not become public, even though the public may be allowed to use it.
HCCA will continually advocate for the responsible use of our public lands and against any attempts to remove them from public ownership. We’re glad that other organizations are at work conserving private lands. Both are important in the Gunnison Country!
Our Current Projects
Forest Plan Revision
The public has a rare opportunity to protect, restore and significantly expand diverse wildlands across three National Forests in western Colorado. In June, 2017 the Grand Mesa-Uncompahgre-Gunnison National Forests (GMUG) initiated Forest Plan revision, a process that will shape management and on-the-ground decisions across 3,161,900 acres of public land.
Climate Change
HCCA defends Gunnison County public lands from proposals for coal mine expansion and natural gas development in pristine roadless landscapes, while advocating for increased accountability from agencies regarding climate change impacts from fossil fuel development.
Forest Health
Climate change, drought, and related forest stressors are rapidly driving changes in forest ecology. Emphasis should be shifted from timber harvesting and road building, to maintaining, enhancing, and – where appropriate- restoring the diversity of native species and natural ecosystem functioning.
Gunnison Country Wildlife
HCCA fights for protection of threatened and endangered species, such as the iconic Gunnison Sage-grouse, and for the perpetuation of healthy big game populations into the future. Without healthy public lands, there can be no healthy wildlife populations.
Recreation and Travel
Hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, and motorized use are all modes of travel that may be allowed on specific trails and routes on public lands. In some places, specific modes of travel can cause damage that takes decades for the land and wildlife to recover.
GPLI
The Gunnison Public Lands Initiative was conceived by Gunnison County in collaboration with the office of U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, who convened a community-based working group to explore the possibilities of additional public lands protections for Gunnison County.