The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Road closure, camping fees, public input
[ By Mark Reaman ]Major changes to the Oh Be Joyful Campground on the Slate River near Crested Butte are starting to take shape, resulting in the road that climbs up along Oh Be Joyful Creek being closed as of this spring and a fee soon being implemented for camping there.
The campsite sits on Bureau of Land Management property and the BLM is starting an extensive public comment process to see how to best upgrade the area.
A survey conducted last summer by WSCU graduate student Brian Lieberman indicated that 19,675 overnight uses were tallied last summer in the OBJ area. Kristi Murphy and Elijah Waters of the BLM came before the Crested Butte Town Council on Monday, May 2 to get some initial feedback and apprise them of the coming changes.
“Despite the rumors, we want to make it clear that we are not closing the campground,” Waters assured the council.
“Last fall we did some hazard tree removal from the area that we will finish cleaning up this spring,” said Murphy. “There is now a gate on the road to keep it closed to vehicles but people can still hike around it. That will likely result in some of the dispersed camping spots up there [approximately 15 sites] not being used and more people staying lower. People like to camp by their cars. We are putting in some fire rings and picnic tables at some of the well used dispersed camping sites this summer and we should have a campground host out there this year. We are starting the major planning process this year as well.
“In that area we are looking for public input on the issues at the Oh Be Joyful Campground,” Murphy continued. “We know we have some human waste issues out there and potty problems will be addressed as part of the process. The other thing is the dispersed sites. We think we have about 97 of them and they are growing. We also want to figure out what to do with the water crossing. Should we put a footbridge across the river?”
Murphy expects to receive some federal funds to make some improvements to the camping area. As for implementing a fee, it is on the way but not officially recorded in the Federal Register. It will become active 180 days after being published. That will likely come next summer. The charge would be $10 per night. If a well is dug to provide water, the charge would be $15.
“We really had no choice,” said Waters. “BLM rules say that if you provide certain services, you need to charge fees. We are waiting to hear if it will start this year. Fee sites are fairly common throughout BLM areas. At some point there will be a prohibition on camping in the area outside the fee site. Now the fees that are collected have to go back to the campsite so any money collected will go to things like maintenance or more toilets.”
The campground is spread out over 100 acres but BLM controls 620 acres around the campground. That land is surrounded by Crested Butte Land Trust property, Forest Service property and a smattering of private property. There is also a small “River Flats” area up the Slate with some campsites overseen by the BLM.
Waters said a BLM ranger tries to discourage people from any long-term camping in the area. He regularly sends people packing if it is obvious they are living on that land.
“The end game is to get people camping in designated sites and there are 14 out there right now,” said Waters. “We don’t know what the appropriate maximum should be. That’s part of the public feedback we want.”
Murphy said the BLM plans to put out about 40 fire rings and some picnic tables in different dispersed sites this year with the help of the Western Colorado Conservation Corps.
“We know we have exceeded our capacity to manage it out there right now,” said Waters. “People can’t continue to go out there and camp anywhere. We want your suggestions. Should we close the water crossing? How many sites should we have? Early feedback from the public is important to craft the alternatives in the NEPA process.”
The NEPA pubic comment period will go on until June 15. You can send written comments to the BLM, Attn: Kristi Murphy, 210 West Spencer Ave. Suite A, Gunnison, CO 81230; fax to (970) 642-4990; or email blm_co_gfo_nepa_comments@blm.gov.
