The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
“A lot of folks… need to be educated on how to act in the wilderness”
By Alissa Johnson
The US Forest Service is considering permitting overnight use of Conundrum Hot Springs and the Four Pass Loop, both of which are located in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness. High use of the areas, particularly Conundrum Hot Springs, is taking a toll on the landscape. A permit system would be implemented as early as spring 2017 to educate users.
“A big part of this is not limiting use but educating folks out there. A lot of folks, especially at Conundrum, need to be educated on how to act in the wilderness,” said Karen Schroyer, district ranger for the Aspen-Sopris Ranger District.
In 2015, rangers carried 515 pounds of trash out of the wilderness area, about half of which came from the hot springs. They also buried 344 piles of unburied human waste (the majority of which came from Conundrum) and recorded 728 illegal campsites.
“At Conundrum Hot Springs, one of the biggest problems is people cutting down live trees for firewood, and live trees don’t make good firewood. They don’t burn, but people don’t seem to realize that,” Schroyer said, adding that people are cutting down whole trees, not just branches.
There were also 17 search and rescue events in 2015, which often require the use of helicopter. As Schroyer pointed out, motorized, mechanized vehicles aren’t allowed in the wilderness areas but exceptions are made for emergencies.
Overall, Schroyer says, it’s important to remember that the high use and associated impacts are not new.
“This is not a new phenomenon at Conundrum Hot Springs. This was brought up originally 10 years ago and it has just gotten worse over the last 10 years,” Schroyer said.
The Forest Service is currently developing a permit system that would focus on overnight use of Conundrum Hot Springs and the Four Pass Loop. The system would be unique to those two locations; overnight use would not be limited across the rest of the wilderness area.
“In terms of how this would affect people coming from the Crested Butte trailhead, what we found is that the majority of the folks who come through Copper Lake Trailhead have a destination point of Conundrum Hot Springs. Those people planning to go over the pass and spend the night would need to get a permit if all of this goes through,” Schroyer said.
The public will have the opportunity to weigh in on the idea. A proposed action is expected in June 2016, at which point public comment would be solicited and an environmental review conducted under NEPA (the National Environmental Policy Act). A permit fee will most likely be part of the proposal.
“It’s not a sustainable program without some kind of fee to help pay for rangers to be out there to educate and enforce the regulation,” Schroyer said.