BASALT, Colo.—Wildlife officials are preparing to clear hundreds of acres on public lands near Basalt, a move they say helps large wildlife, though it can appear to be harmful clear-cutting.
The Bureau of Land Management and the Colorado Division of Wildlife plan to clear mountain shrubs and undergrowth on Light Hill, near Basalt. The clearing is thought to create a “mosaic” pattern for large wildlife on one of only five remaining critical winter ranges for big game on public lands in the Roaring Fork Valley.
However, the work leads to citizen complaints that wildlife officials are clear-cutting a forest and damaging their views.
“We had calls last year from members of the public who said, ‘Oh, they’re tearing up Light Hill,'” Division of Wildlife spokesman Randy Hampton told the Aspen Daily News. “It is aggressive habitat management, undoubtedly.”
The two agencies plan a public meeting in Basalt this week to explain the need for wildlife “mosaics” to the community. Plans call for burning about 100 acres of oak brush and mountain shrub in the spring.
After July 1, crews will use a “Hydro-axe,” a massive tracked mulcher to create a patchwork of openings. Hand crews will thin 10 acres, and fire crews plan to burn slash piles next winter.
“It’s going to create more forage, more available space for them,” Hampton said. “That’s critically important for animals being pushed by all the development into smaller and smaller spaces. In order to maintain that population, we’ve got to make sure that those smaller spaces are as good as they could be.”
Hampton says the clearing also limits the buildup of overgrown shrubs that act as fuel in wildfires.
