Colorado sportsmen responded with mixed emotions to the release of a new draft rule for national forest roadless areas in Colorado. When compared to the 2001 national roadless rule, the proposal makes improvements on some key issues, but continues to fall short of sustaining the valuable fish and wildlife habitat, unsurpassed outdoor opportunities and economic benefits provided by these public lands.
Conservation of roadless areas directly benefits sportsmen, business owners and small rural communities throughout the state. Consequently, effective regulations governing these areas – both in Colorado and across the country – are needed to safeguard our world-class hunting and fishing opportunities and the economic stability they provide.
National forest roadless areas, commonly known as backcountry, provide some of America’s last undisturbed fish and wildlife habitat and some of the finest publicly accessible hunting and fishing in the country. While roads are important for access to lands where we recreate, too many of them in the wrong places increase big-game vulnerability to excessive disturbance and can result in shorter seasons and fewer available tags for hunters. High road densities also decrease the quality of streamside habitat, which is detrimental for wild trout and reduces angling opportunities. In Colorado, roadless areas comprise more than 58 percent of native cutthroat trout habitat more than 50 percent of the public land in the 15 most-hunted game management units.
Hunters and anglers want Colorado’s roadless areas conserved at a level equal to, or stronger than the protections afforded by the 2001 national rule. The draft Colorado rule does not yet live up to that standard.
The new draft rule resolves some of the fundamental problems that plagued earlier versions. The rule now more strongly commits to maintaining roadless area characteristics. Timber cutting activities now focus on restoration instead of pest suppression. Decommissioning and reclamation standards have been added for roads and linear construction zones, which are similar to roads in effect. These changes improve the rule, but more changes are needed.
For the Colorado rule to live up to the national rule standard, the acreage of roadless areas designated as “upper tier” must be considerably expanded. Upper tier lands would receive even stronger protections than those provided by the national roadless rule. This designation would balance some of the narrowly defined exceptions for backcountry development permitted in the draft Colorado rule.
The tiered management approach played a major role in Idaho, where a state-developed rule was embraced by hunters and anglers and now is hailed as a success. In order to be successful in Colorado, however, the draft rule must expand the upper tier habitat acreages, and loopholes that weaken protections for upper tier lands must be closed.
As drafted, the Colorado rule does not prohibit harmful surface development in upper tier areas for oil and gas projects. Linear construction zones are allowed for the construction of unnecessary power-line corridors, oil and gas pipelines and water projects. These problems must be resolved to conserve our most valuable backcountry lands.
While the work isn’t yet done, sportsmen believe the Colorado roadless rule can be a success story. We stand ready to do our part and will remain actively involved crafting a final Colorado roadless rule that benefits us all. We ask the Forest Service, state decision-makers and other vested parties to roll up their sleeves and work with us to make the necessary final changes to this developing rule. As hunters and anglers who benefit from roadless lands, we have a responsibility to make our voices heard so that the Colorado rule becomes worthy of our support. We ask that all hunters and anglers take the time to craft detailed comments explaining the importance of roadless backcountry areas that they enjoy to help ensure our sporting heritage.
The complete RDEIS along with a summary, maps, and other information can be found at: . Send your comments to Colorado Roadless Rule, PO BOX 1919, Sacramento, CA 95812 or via email to: COComments@fsroadless.org.
Nick Payne lives in Denver and is the Colorado Field Representative for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. Aaron Kindle lives in Golden and is the Colorado Field Coordinator for Trout Unlimited.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is an online-only column and has not been edited.
