Conservation groups object to GMUG plan
Organizations and locals share concerns over logging of forests
By Sophie Stuber Planet Contributor
Conservation groups in Colorado filed objections in early November to the United States Forest Service’s proposed final management plan for Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison (GMUG) National Forests. The GMUG plan determines how forest conservation and management are operated.
The proposed Forest Service plan recommended adding 46,200 acres of new wilderness area, which is significantly lower than the 324,000 acres requested in the community conservation proposal. The Telluride region did receive protections for some of the important wilderness areas that local environmental groups have worked hard to protect.
“From Sheep Mountain’s perspective, we were excited to see some of the expansions of wilderness included in the Lizard Head and Sneffels areas, but this was not reflective in the whole GMUG area,” Ruthie Boyd, program coordinator at Sheep Mountain Alliance, told the Planet.
“While we’re celebrating that win locally, we’re also very aware of the need to push for more inclusion,” Boyd added.
The lower acreage of new wilderness is particularly noticeable in Gunnison County. The Gunnison Public Lands Initiative had developed a broadly supported proposal for new wilderness and special management areas, but most elements were not included in the GMUG final plan.
“The proposed plan largely ignores local input by recommending only a small fraction of viable lands as wilderness, completely ignoring the support of local communities and deserving wilderness quality lands across these forests,” said Jim Ramey, Colorado state director at The Wilderness Society. “This is particularly disappointing in Gunnison County, where the community came together over a multi-year, consensus-based stakeholder process.”
The final plan also authorizes commercial logging on more than 772,000 acres of public lands, including mature and old-growth trees. This is a 66% increase from the current forest plan. Mature and old-growth forests store large amounts of carbon, helping in the fight against climate change.
“The expansion of suitable timber is disappointing. This feels like a step back. The logging on mature, old-growth forests is something we’re pushing to change in the objection period,” Boyd said.
Logging would also be permitted on steep slopes, including Upper Taylor Canyon and Slate River Valley. Environmental groups expressed concerns that logging on these grades can lead to severe erosion and risks to water quality.
The Canada lynx, which were reintroduced to the San Juan Mountains more than 20 years ago, rely on mature forest habitats that could be at risk under the GMUG forest plan.
“This plan allows for logging that could easily degrade or destroy much of the best habitat for lynx and their main prey, snowshoe hares, and undermine Colorado’s hard work to reestablish and maintain a viable lynx population,” Rocky Smith, an independent forest management analyst, said in the objection press release.
The San Miguel County Board of Commissioners (BOCC) also submitted objections to the final GMUG management plan, including that bighorn sheep were left off the species of conservation concern (SCC) list. Bighorn sheep are vulnerable to respiratory diseases from livestock and habitat fragmentation.
“Dramatic die-offs of significant portions of herds have been documented, including the Tier 1 herd intersecting the Ouray Ranger District and Ouray County,” the BOCC letter noted.
In their objection letter, Colorado environmental groups also wrote that the proposed plan does not sufficiently address climate change. The Forest Service did not ban new coal leasing in the new plan, which many environmental groups had advocated to include.
The Forest Service has 90 days to review objections and make any additional changes to the final plan. If there are no amendments to the GMUG forest management plan, local groups are hoping that legislation can eventually solidify protections.
“This is one avenue for these areas to be protected, through the Forest Service plan, but there is always hope that legislation can be passed through the CORE Act. There is an opportunity to include some of the areas in the CORE Act, such as Liberty Bell and Sheep Mountain,” Boyd said.
If passed, the CORE Act would protect over 420,000 acres of public lands in Colorado, including 61,000 acres in the San Juan Mountains, encompassing Mount Sneffels and Wilson Peak. Previously, the House of Representatives has passed iterations of the bill five times with bipartisan support, but the legislation has been unable to get through the Senate.
The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources is expected to have another hearing on the CORE Act soon. The hearing was originally scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 16, but has been postponed.
Other conservation groups submitting objections include the Colorado Native Plant Society, Western Slope Conservation Center, San Juan Citizens Alliance, the Grand Junction and San Juan Broadbands of the Great Old Broads for Wilderness, Western Watershed Project, Defenders of Wildlife, Western Colorado Alliance, Sheep Mountain Alliance, and the Black Canyon Audubon Society.
Gunnison, Ouray and San Miguel counties and Colorado Parks and Wildlife also sent objections.
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