CRWCD

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CRWCD

Wild & Scenic

Please note: This page is provided as a service to the Wild & Scenic process and does not necessarily represent the positions of the Colorado River District.

Upper Colorado River
Wild and Scenic Rivers Alternative Plan

In 2007, the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released a report on the eligibility of rivers in the Upper Colorado River Basin for Wild and Scenic River designation (BLM Eligibility Report, March 2007). This report identified 54.4 miles of the Upper Colorado River from the top of Gore Canyon downstream to a point one mile east of No Name Creek in Glenwood Springs, Colorado (segments 4 through 7) as having numerous "outstandingly remarkable values" eligible for special federal designation as a Wild and Scenic River.

With the intention to protect and perhaps enhance the outstandingly remarkable values on this part of the Colorado River in ways that coordinate with federal agency management, various state agencies, local governments, environmental and recreational interests, landowners, anglers, and water providers came together as an independent collaborative stakeholder group to develop a local management alternative to Wild and Scenic River designation of the Upper Colorado River.

The Stakeholder Group's Alternative Management Plan is proposed to the BLM as an alternative in the BLM and US Forest Service (USFS) Resource Management Plan revision process. The intention of this collaborative plan is to balance permanent protection of the identified outstandingly remarkable values of these river segments, while still providing flexibility for all water users, certainty for the stakeholders, and yields for water projects.

In June 2008, the Stakeholder Group submitted a Conceptual Plan for their Alternative Management Plan to the Kremmling and Glenwood Springs Field Offices of the BLM and to the White River National Forest for use in their Draft Environmental Impact Statements. Since that time, the group has worked together to gather information and develop more specific elements and details for the Final Alternative Management Plan.

On February 28, 2011, the Stakeholder Group submitted its Upper Colorado River Wild and Scenic Alternative Management Plan to the BLM. This dedicated group spent countless hours negotiating and drafting the plan. However, it is important to note that, although the proposed plan enjoys the support of these representatives, the plan itself has not been endorsed or otherwise approved by the governing boards of the stakeholders. The stakeholder group has committed to seek the endorsement of the stakeholders' respective governing boards by April 30, 2011.

Please direct questions or comments to:

Rob R. Buirgy
Project Manager
462 Blue Lake Tail
Lafayette, CO 80026

303-953-8342
rbuirgy@gmail.com