Local governments comment on Gunnison Travel Management Plan

Most support environmentally sensitive plan for trails

The local governments of the Gunnison Valley have all submit comments to the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management regarding the proposed Gunnison Travel Management Plan.

The Travel Management Plan currently exists as a draft environmental impact statement with four different planning alternatives, including: 1) a no-action alternative; 2) a “preferred” alternative that is a mix of alternatives 3 and 4; 3) an environmentally sensitive alternative; and 4) a “trail friendly” alternative.   
A public comment period for the draft Environmental Impact Study ended on June 3. The majority of the government bodies in the county came out in support of alternative three, the environmentally focused solution, along with additional concerns and suggestions.
The Mt. Crested Butte council first discussed the travel management plan on May 19. Town manager Joe Fitzpatrick said some of the points to consider were effects to ranching and on wildlife and the environment, and the need for additional recreational opportunities between the north and south ends of the valley.
Fitzpatrick said the county commissioners were considering following the advice of the Gunnison County Tails Commission, which was oriented primarily toward mountain bikers. Fitzpatrick said it was also important to consider the needs of other trails users, particularly motorcycles and dirt bikers. “Motorcycles have been important to Mt. Crested Butte’s economy from more than 30 years, with multiple motor bike groups coming summer after summer,” Fitzpatrick said.
Council member Gary Keiser noted that many trail user groups were supporting alternative 4, the most “trail friendly” option, with a few modifications.
Keiser said the town didn’t have the resources to do a trail by trail analysis, and a general letter of concerns or philosophies wouldn’t be very effective. “We need a little more specificity,” he said.
CBMR planning director John Sale said CBMR’s summer trails were mostly excluded from the travel management planning. He said CBMR was submitting comments on a few specific trails that could be affected, such as a trail connecting the East River Lift area with Brush Creek Road, and a trail connecting the CBMR trail system with the Upper Loop.
Keiser said the proposed Crested Butte to Gunnison trail would be a big benefit to the economy and should be considered in the plan.
On June 2 the council made one last review of their letter of comments before sending it to the federal agencies. Mayor William Buck said the letter didn’t endorse a specific alternative, but asked the federal agencies to take several of the town’s concerns into consideration as the travel plan progresses, such as economic impacts, impacts to ranchlands and the need for an equal amount of trail access for different user groups.
The Town of Crested Butte sent a letter to the federal agencies on May 28, after holding an hour-long work session on May 18 to discuss the travel management plans.
The Crested Butte council primarily supports alternative three with modifications. They want a greener trail plan with less motorized use to reduce carbon emissions. They want to support the Crested Butte Mountain Biking Association’s long-term trail plans, but they don’t want any new trails in the Carbon-Whetstone roadless area. Councilmember Skip Berkshire asked the Forest Service representative who attended the May 18 meeting if the Gunnison to Crested Butte trail proposal could impact the potential for the Whetstone / Carbon Mountain area to become wilderness.
Gunnison National Forest snow ranger Kai Allen said the trail proposal could be a big deal. “It is getting more and more difficult to get wilderness designations as more and more voices speak up because they are impacted. My feeling is, we should try to avoid setting ourselves up for inevitable conflicts,” Allen said.
Berkshire said alternative four had the biggest carbon footprint. He said he wanted the town to send a strong message to the Forest Service to persuade them to help reduce the county’s carbon footprint. “I’d suggest the town endorse increases in hiking and biking and slow down on motorized uses,” Berkshire said.
The town’s letter also asked that certain trails that were considered for closure under alternative 3 should remain open, including Teocalli Ridge, Strand Bonus, and Trail 409. The letter also expressed support for the development of new trails such as the Gunnison to Crested Butte single track trail, an extension of the Lower Loop, and a trail from the Snodgrass trailhead to the Gothic townsite.
The city of Gunnison endorsed alternative three with some modifications during their May 18 council meeting, and on June 2 the Gunnison Board of County Commissioners also came out in support of alternative three, with some modifications.
The county commissioners said their decision was based on a desire to protect the natural resources and landscape around the Gunnison Valley while enhancing the recreational opportunities that drive the area’s economy.
The county’s letter asks land managers to consider being flexible with the trails they have identified for closure. The commissioners also supported including many proposal routes in the management plan as a placeholders, such as a new trail system proposed to the northwest of the city of Gunnison, provided there is further review of those proposals.
The commissioners also suggested additional seasonal closures or dog restrictions on some trails in order to protect wildlife, like the Gunnison sage grouse.